The Tournament

First of all, we got to stay with our great friends, the Andersons, in Albuquerque.  That meant lots of fun playing for the kids, some cool new board games for the adults (and Brishen), delicious food for all, and lots of catching up.  And now for the reason we made the trek to Albuquerque:  The 2011 New Mexico Open Taekwondo Championship!  Yes, they allow Texans like us to participate and even some Arizonans.

Saturday was a great day for Basia.  Tae Kwon Do is an individual sport, so getting to hang out with the team from our school was really great for our social child.  They spent endless hours alternating between watching from the floor and watching from the bleachers and back to the floor again.  She was happy to be among friends for a whole day.

Basia was awarded the Gold Medal for her form.  She is so proud of the medal.  I'm impressed that they gave medals that weigh approximately 28 pounds to a girl who only weighs 42 pounds.  And speaking of weight, I found out that you not only have to weigh in for the tournament, but you wear your weight around your neck on a badge all day long.  That would be strike number two against me ever competing.  Strike number three would be the fact that there are VERY few people over the age of 18 out there.  I'm not giving up the sport to the young 'uns, but I may allow them to do the tournaments on their own.  I could win all sorts of medals for my age category, but it may be a little embarrassing to spar against myself in order to win that medal. 

Here she is, a lot more sweaty, after winning the silver medal for sparring.  She tried a couple back kicks, which she has never attempted in practice.  She forgot that she had two legs with which to kick, but overall, she made me so very proud!

Brishen competed in forms and found himself up against some tough competitors.  He did a great job and has a bronze medal to prove it.  I can't handle watching my kids compete like this and take pictures, so the above is courtesy of Basia. 



We all learned a lot, had a good time, and will be back for more next year.