SPORTSMANLIKE
CONDUCT
By // Gretchen Pahia
empower
+
family hour
While he loves the physical aspects of the sports, much
like his brother, he is there more to have fun and ensure
that other kids are having fun and respecting each other.
This young man would rather see everyone playing safe and
enjoying themselves, than see a big blowout with people
getting upset or hurt.
I’d like to take all the credit for instilling the
sportsman-like qualities in my kids, but their father
gets a lot of the credit, as well. While he isn’t
as much of an athlete as the rest of us, he
certainly is our biggest cheerleader. He is at
every belt testing, every baseball game, and is honestly
the biggest sportsman of us all and understands how
to help lead our kids down the right path.
96
maskmatters.org
FALL 2017
A
typical day around our house is
anything but typical. Rise and shine
early for this mom of two, off to the
gym for a good workout—but that’s
just where it starts. Part of the year,
the kids are off to cross-country early in the
morning, then a long day at school, followed by
tae kwon do classes and/or baseball practice. We
probably spend more time at the tae kwon do
studio or baseball field than we do at home.
I’ve always had a drive to be involved in the
physical aspects of life, and have tried hard to
instill that in my children, as well. My 11-year-
old son didn’t always buy into that idea. We
tried team sports such as soccer and T-ball at
a young age, but those didn’t stick very well. It
wasn’t until my son started to take tae kwon do
classes at a local ATA (Always Take Action, a
global martial arts organization) school that
he fully began to understand the meaning of
sportsmanship and integrity in sports.
It was that move into tae kwon do that
launched our family journey into sports. For
my oldest, it wasn’t just the physical aspect of
learning a new sport, it was also about making
new friends and helping others along the way.
Now, five years after he first stepped on those
training mats and one first degree black belt
later, he has not only learned valuable self-
defense skills, but also wonderful on-the-mat and off-the-
mat conduct, as well.
For my son, it isn’t just about training himself, it’s
about making sure everyone who wants to learn gets the
opportunity. He is a student instructor now and some
days, enjoys that more than the actual training itself.
Competitions aren’t about placing first, second or third, it’s
about having the most fun and enjoying time with other
like-minded kids.
It isn’t just my oldest boy, either. My younger son
is probably more sports-inclined than his brother. If
given the opportunity, he would play just about any sport
at any time. He loves to be on the field, on the tae kwon do
floor, on the court and more.
PHOTOGRAPHY
Courtesy of Gretchen Pahia
