The team of 25 taekwondo athletes from Terrace returned well-decorated from the recent BC Cup in Prince George, with one visibly improved with new drive.
“I saw everybody sparring very well, they did a great job on their patterns, and I was quite proud of all the students,” said coach Cody Skog. Skog said nearly all of them stepped up their game at the tournament and they came home with a lot of medals.
Among the athletes, Skog said that Terrace’s Nick Scott really stood out as a strong blackbelt, and though he did not win, his technique and skill showed a visible improvement.
“He kicked butt… and he landed a sweet 360-axe kick,” Skog said. “He didn’t win, but it was an awesome fight, very intense. All the technique was really clean and explosive.
Skog said that Scott, who is age 17 and started with the club just over five years ago, is “a pretty laid back guy,” but has really boosted his effort in the last few weeks.
“In the last while he has just exponentially gotten better… in his technique and his effort in class,” Skog said.
Scott said that he has worked hard this last year and is partly driven by the endless levels to achieve and new techniques to learn.
“It’s always fun, we are always trying new things… I’ve been learning a lot of new techniques and getting better at sparring… It encourages me to want to spar better,” he said.
“One day I want to spar at Mr. Skog’s level.”
Scott said he loves going to any tournaments that he can and he enjoyed and learned a lot at the recent Prince George competition.
“It was nice seeing the different techniques from different clubs,” he said.
Scott is a first degree blackbelt and he says that besides striving for new heights, taekwondo is a great way to stay in shape. It is another thing that drives him in his training.
Looking ahead, his goal is to compete in the blackbelt tournament which is held here in Terrace every year during Riverboat Days. The tournament engages who Skog considers are the best blackbelts in Canada, and this year the tournament is July 29.
“I hope that one day I will reach the level to compete in the local blackbelt battle. That would be such an honour,” Scott said.
Terrace results from the Prince George tournament are as follows:
