Taekwondo expands in high schools

By Jodiann Gayle 

Organisers have  shifted the high school Taekwondo League to fit into the school year while increasing participation simultaneously.  

Hydel is the newest addition to the team line up for this year's eighth staging of the Mckay Security Taekwondo High School Championship.  

The St. Catherine based institution joins  Wolmer's, Kingston College, Jamaica College, St. George's College, Calabar and Cornwall College, the six schools participating for the last seven years. 

Director of the Jamaica Taekwando Association, Joleen Masters, says their ultimate goal is to expose schools across the island to the sport. 

“Some people are still, I guess because of a lack of information, believe that martial arts is violent so they do not embrace it," Masters said. "But since we had the World Cup in Montego Bay, those who watched got a taste of what it can be and that it is not what they thought it would be. So we are hoping to get other schools on board with this venture,” Masters explained.   

League Director, Jason McKay noted the major difference of the league this year. 

“The primary difference in this year’s programme is that we are now fitting it into the school year versus the martial arts calender year. It is another step into formalizing Taekwondo into the formal school structure,” McKay commented.   

Olympian Kenneth Edwards highlighted the long term benefit from such a programme. 

“I believe what it will do for Jamaica in the next two to three years is that probably we will see more Olympians coming out of this programme because of the large talent base that we are nurturing,” Edwards highlighted.

Pan American Gold medalist and Jamaica College student, 16 year old Taj Hewitt, noted the benefits of such a programme for young boys. 

“Young boys want to fight but yet still they have to know that you cannot fight in schools," he said, adding: "But you must know how to defend yourself. ...You must know how to be disciplined in school to know who is your senior and who is your junior and have respect for all of them,” Hewitt said.   

Chief instructor Master Peter Lue, pointed out one of the main challenges to the league since its inception. 

“The first challenge that we have is to get more coaches, more qualified coaches. So we prefer to start very small and work our way to more qualified coaches. 

Some people were asking about (the) girls schools and co-ed schools, we cannot do that until we have more qualified coaches,” Lue noted.   

The tournament kicks off Saturday morning at Utech and continues until the school year ends in June, with contests to be held once a month.