Twerps atop the podium

Good morning! The Dungan's had an incredible weekend. As we last left my diary, the Dunganlets were preparing for a Tae Kwon Do tournament in Plano. For those of you that were following Lynley's tweets you already know what a great day we had. However, for those of you waiting to get my official report, my kiddos dominated.

Graham and Sydney both won gold medals in BOTH forms and sparring. This is a pretty significant result as it is the first time that both kiddos have come home from a tournament with double golds at the same time. Furthermore, I must tell you that they also did not win by just a little bit. They smashed the competition...

I have never seen Graham spar better. I think that is largely due to the fact that he listened to his sparring coach, Master Paul, intently and followed his directions superbly. Graham mastered a wicked cover punch and roundhouse which left his opponent on the floor after nearly every point of contact. It was nowhere even close. He was down right fierce. Unfortunately, he did not throw his first back kick in competition. However, in retrospect, he probably was not quite ready.

Sydney was masterful as well. She was faster than I had ever seen her before. In fact, I don't truly ever remember her receiving a kick. She seemed to dodge everything that was thrown. She also fought more cleverly. She did not throw unnecessary kicks and seemed to only kick when she believed that she could score. The helped her conserve more energy. Her kicks were still a bit soft but she seems to be improving with time. It was hard to believe she was fighting someone a full belt above her.

This was the first time that I can ever say that Graham and Sydney truly dominated in a tournament. They were heads and shoulders above the competition. I think that was more of a characteristic of this particular tournament. I do not think they are necessarily this dominant amongst the rest of their age group. With that being said I think this was the boost of confidence they needed before they headed off to state in the next couple of weeks.

It is amazing how far they have come.

Think about it - stage IV neuroblastoma to Tae Kwon Do Gold medalist in sparring.

That is quite an amazing accomplishment.

That is the stuff purpose is made of.