Idaho Falls taekwondo team qualifies for World Championships
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IDAHO FALLS — Two of the three teams representing Ferocity Taekwondo in Idaho Falls have qualified to compete in the American Taekwondo Association World Championships later this week.
Chief instructor Josh Schultz says there are two potential paths to qualifying for Worlds. A team can either be among the top 10 in the world rankings or they can win their district.
Ferocity’s rookie and junior varsity teams each took both routes. The varsity team, Schultz added, missed out on winning their district title and an automatic bid by a single point.
Schultz, who began his martial arts journey as a student at Ferocity, told EastIdahoNews.com the growth of the sport in recent years has led to more opportunities for teams like his to compete at the top level of the sport.
“It’s very surreal for me because when I think about my training and my upbringing, my opportunities were very limited … the circuit wasn’t as big or developed,” he said. “To see all my kids get this opportunity that I never had is very — it gives me goosebumps to think about.”
Thirteen-year-old Aidan has been with Ferocity for five years. Competing on an international stage is a goal he set for himself, and he is “pumped” to achieve it. Setting and achieving goals is something he has taken from the taekwondo studio to his everyday life.
“I really like that it gives me something to work hard for — to make goals,” he said. “That’s really helped me with everything.”
Maya, who is also 13, said she has learned the perseverance that helps her inside and out of the studio as a martial arts student.
“After a lot of hard work, in the end, it’s all worth it,” said Maya, who’s been competing since she was 8.
She is equally excited and nervous for the huge competition — despite the more than 50 medals she displays in her bedroom.
Gauge, who has been competing in taekwondo for 10 years, has more than 35 medals to show off. He thinks he may feel some nerves as the competition nears, but not yet.
Through martial arts, the 15-year-old has learned to better communicate with others.
Schultz said the potential lessons learned inside a martial arts studio are endless. He learned some very consequential lessons when he competed in his first World Championships as a 20-something.
Schultz learned quickly competing against the best in the world, that he was “a big fish in a very small pond” and that there was “a whole ocean out there.”
“But that level of humility helped me continue to be hungry and grow and to improve. That success never stops,” he said.
The lessons his athletes have already learned will be intensified when they compete in the Phoenix meet this week — with the team championships in sparring coming Friday. Those lessons will be brought back to Idaho and passed on to teammates, classmates and friends.
“I’m super proud that I’m in a position that I can mentor (the team),” Schultz said.
As happy as those lessons will make him, though, Schultz is hoping success comes as well.
“Hopefully we walk away with some red letters … for the back of your uniform, and the only way to get them is to be a world champ. You get the medal, but that’s what everybody wants. They want the red letters,” he said.
