Andrew Chops His Way to State Champ

Senior Andrew Olson began taekwondo at eight years old. When a close friend of his encouraged him to visit a class, he fell in love and has been working on his craft ever since.

Working more than four hours each day on his stances, Andrew acquired his first degree black belt the summer before freshman year and his second degree last year.

“Martial arts is definitely an art,” said Andrew. “Like any art, it takes time and dedication to get good at it.”

Leading up to his big tournament in Melbourne, Florida he practiced his different forms and built his stamina.

“It was a bigger tournament than I was used to, I had to practice my black belt form and my bow staff form even more than I ever did before” he said.

During the tournament Andrew was tied for black belt forms and knew he had to focus more, doing so he won!

“I ended up winning the vote by getting two out of three” he said.

Being in taekwondo for the better half of his life, Andrew explains how much it taught him about discipline, patience, and built his confidence, advising others to try it out.

“Stuff doesn’t come to you instantly, it takes time and practice and a lot of it, ” he said “so come in with an open mind and make sure to enjoy yourself”