A taekwondo team from Sterling, Virginia, celebrated a major accomplishment Saturday, bringing home the routine that gave them the victory at a competition all the way in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In front of family and friends at their home gym, the TigerDen performance team performed the routine that won them a national competition, and showed off their special bond.
For six and a half minutes, the team puts perfectly synchronized skills, concentration and coordination on display.
“It’s definitely interesting to be a champion. I was – I didn’t think I’d ever be here, honestly,” team member Donovan Tra said.
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It’s the culmination of years of work - work that was interrupted by the pandemic.
“When I joined it was still Covid times, so all the competitions we were doing were online,” Donovan said.
They worked hard, fine-tuning their routine until it paid off. In the past year, the team has won competitions in Virginia, Georgia and Florida, qualifying for nationals in Utah.
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Winning it all is something they’ll never forget.
“I was like about to cry. When we saw the score, we were all so happy. It was just really like, all our hard work has paid off,” team member Melanie Ryan said.
Their teacher, Master Lim, was overcome with joy as the team celebrated together, but perhaps the word “team” doesn’t quite cover how the group feels about each other.
“They’re like my second family,” Melanie said.
“They’re the best friends that I’ve ever had. I don’t know what I would do without them,” Donovan seconds.
