In the Clinch Vol.5

“In the Clinch”
By Coach Woodward

Welcome to ‘In the Clinch’ Vol.5, an up close, behind the scenes look at the Elite Fighting Team (E.F.T.) of Team Intense Martial Arts (TIMA). With Master Catalasan’s permission and support we will bring you inside the inner workings of the E.F.T. As we begin our descent on final approach to the Junior Olympics in Orlando, Florida.

With the Junior Olympics just 3 weeks away there’s much work to do and little time to do it. We hope you enjoy this blog as we attempt to make you feel like part of our family. Without your support and encouragement none of this would be possible. Today we continue with our 5th of 11 interviews of the amazing kids who comprise the E.F.T. We encourage you to share this blog with family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who might benefit or partner with us in doing what we can to give these dedicated athletes the support they need to accomplish all they’ve set out to do.

Please sit back, relax and enjoy being ‘In the Clinch’ with Sara ‘Google’ Lee.

I recently had the privilege of sitting down with Sara and getting to know her a little better. Sara just turned 14 years old and she’s been with TIMA for 6 years. This is her third year on the E.F.T. Florida will mark her second Jr. Olympics representing TIMA. Sara is a blue stripe (5th gup) in Tae Kwon Do.

Sara, whose nickname is ‘Google’, is respected among her teammates for her black belt brain. That being said, her brain always seems to be one step behind her mouth. Also known for being one of the louder members of TIMA (2 years ago she won Queen of Kihap for her vocal abilities), Sara is not what you’d call the most politically correct member of the team. This makes her very fun to talk to. I present my first supporting fact for Sara’s lack of political correctness and her brain lagging behind her tongue.

Sara studies Tae Kwon Do and Kali. Due to headaches she’s been suffering lately she has been unable to train in Muay Thai due to its extremely rigorous physical demands. I asked Sara which style she prefers. Her response was classic Sara. With her arms raised triumphantly she shouted, “Tae Kwon Do because it’s Asian.” For those who’ve not had the pleasure of meeting Sara face to face she hails from Seoul, South Korea. Her birthplace plays into a larger part of an inspiring story yet to unfold.

Sara identified plank push-ups as her least favorite discipline. “I did the wall like once with the whole team for a few seconds, but I don’t know much about the wall.” It’s rare you’ll see Sara in trouble of her own accord.

Sara listed two tournaments among her most memorable. She said her first tournament was unforgettable as she completed her fight before Guro or a substitute coach could get to her ring. Many of you can remember a few years back when TIMA routinely had 15 fighters at a tournament with only 1 Guro to go around. Often times Willie (Mr. Garcia) or Kim Kaneshiro would fill in if there were more than one of our kids fighting at the same time. This happened more often than you know. Guro has since remedied that situation, but not before it was cemented in Sara’s mind as one of her favorite tournament memories.

The second memory she noted came at the 2008 Jr. Olympics in Detroit, Michigan. This was the tournament where Sara earned her other nickname, ‘The Head Hunter’. This was one of her first tournaments where she was eligible to launch kicks to her opponents dome and she did not hold back. Sara unleashed her own version of Tae Kwon Do’s ‘Heaven 6’. When recalling this match Sara said, “I got to kick the girls head.” She didn’t say ‘kick the girl IN the head’, but simply ‘Head’. Again, Sara manages to steer clear of any hint of diplomacy.

Sara said some of her closer friends on the team are Brooke, Daphne and Marisa. She also identified ‘Blondie’. I asked who that was. She pointed to my son, Austin Woodward, who happened to be sitting nearby and said “The idiot over there who’s failing Korean.” Did I mention that in addition to speaking Korean and English she’s studying Japanese? I hear she also can do some sign language in English and Korean. Sara also singled out Seth Okerlund among her closest friends on TIMA “Cuz he’s my little brother and I adore him”.

Seeking to take advantage of my most brutally honest interviewee yet I decided to pose a question as to date unasked. I wondered if Sara would identify anyone on the team she didn’t like. I told her a smart person would never answer such a question. Sara informed me in spite of her Asian heritage she considered herself only “moderately intelligent”. She then proceeded to answer my question. “I don’t like Rina (Sarina Oropeza) cuz she primps her hair.” She continued, “We’re frenemies.” Did I mention Sarina was sitting three feet from Sara? Sara then turned to Sarina and said, “I think you ok as long as you’re not trying to make me look pretty.” At this point I could swear I saw a glimpse of humanity sweep over Sara. She reached out to Sarina in a heartfelt attempt to assuage the pain she had just inflicted and she uttered this beautiful sentiment, “I don’t abhor you.” Lest you think Sarina didn’t grasp the nature of this conversation she meekly uttered these insightful words,”I think I like Sara more than she likes me”

If you got the sense from the previous exchange that Sara isn’t a big fan of playing dress up you’re right on the money. She’s well known for her lack of interest in ‘Girly’ things. This makes the next tidbit of information so much funnier than it already is. While interviewing Sara’s sister, Esther (a former TIMA member) I learned that Esther loves to play ‘Dress up’…with Sara. Esther said, “She’s my Barbie. I put make-up on her when I’m bored and she hates it.” One of those times Esther was bored came last year at Sarina’s Quincenera. “I liked at my quincenera when she wore the pretty black dress” Sarina said. Esther took credit for that.

Sara had little problem coming up with her favorite memory with TIMA. Not surprisingly it came in Detroit at the Jr. Olympics. “Brooke stole my towel and then I threw her in the pool and jumped in after her.” For those of you who’ve been patient enough to read through our previous features on these amazing kids I’m sure you’re starting to notice a pattern in regards to Nationals. It is an experience that sticks with these kids for a long time. That’s why your support and encouragement are so important.

Here are some fun facts about Sara you may not have known:
Favorite Fighter: Seth. ”He’s fast. He’s half our size and faster than us.”
Favorite Book: Bible, Specifically “Job and Hosea.” “Those two are the most ‘Emo’ stories ever. One guy gets married to a prostitute. The other guy loses his family and wealth and his wife dumps him.”
Favorite Sparring Partner: Brooke or Austin, “Cuz they both challenge me without giving me an inferiority complex.”
Favorite Food: “Kimchi, it’s so fricking good.”
Favorite Movie: (Definitely NOT Twilight) “Ewww. They’re sooo pathetic. The girl’s pathetic and the guy’s pathetic.”
Biggest Fear: “Clowns”

I asked Sara to share something about herself that few people know. “I like making jewelry.” “I take jewelry making classes on Sunday.” Sensing she might have more to hide I asked the question on everyone’s mind. Have you ever received a B in school? ”I got one in 4th grade once in science. That was the first and last B I am ever going to get.” I believe her. Now you know why they call her ‘Google’.

Sara can be a bit guarded at times. I learned a few other things about her I didn’t know from her family and friends. Apparently Sara is an aspiring drummer. She also plays piano, but according to Esther, “She hates it.” Something that came to light which I’m sure Sara prefers would remain in the shadows is her affinity for food. According to Esther, Sara likes food, “A lot. She’s a glutton.”

I asked Sara to name the most influential people in her life. She listed her parents, Guro and Bethany Hamilton. Um, Bethany who you ask? So did I. Sara informed, “She’s that girl that got her arm bitten off by a tiger shark, that surfer.” Not sure what else there is to say about this. Sara included older sister Esther among those people she most looks up to. Esther said she's at the top of this list. Regardless, these two are very close.

Sara said her favorite thing about TIMA is “The family feeling in it cuz it gives me a warm fluffy feeling. But seriously, it’s the place I can go to where people accept me for what I am. It’s really nice.” This statement is all the more amazing when you consider her response to the next question. I asked Sara if she had any scars with an interesting back story behind it. She showed me a scar on one of her left knuckles. She earned this one doing push-ups on the concrete, in the rain at Peak Park during Elite training about a year ago.

At this time I turned my attention to Sara’s teammates, coaches and family to find out more about the sarcastic, politically incorrect, multilingual young lady sitting before me.

The descriptions of Sara from her friends were as varied and contrasting as Sara herself. She was said to be loud, violent, feisty, scary and sarcastic. Yet she was also said to be lovable and sweet. The truth is she’s all of these and then some. Daphne Tober said Sara is, “Nice, very sarcastic, caring and smart.”

Nicolette Beltran was not at a loss for words when it came to Sara. “She’s my best friend.” She’s a “masochist in a good way.” Nicolette also had quite a few stories involving Sara that she was more than willing to share. “When Guro announced she was leaving and Sara saw me cry she said, ‘it might hurt now, but imagine if I punched you’ and then she punched me.” Nicolette continued, “One time we were walking to the Rec and Sara fell straight on her face. She got up and said only God saw that.” Another story went like this. One time Nicolette was eating a lot of candy at a ‘Flick’ and Sara said, “You’re a masochist and you’re going to get diabetes.” Nicolette then told me, “What kind of person says that?” Um, Sara?

Nicolette was on a roll and not about to let up. “She (Sara) called me a crazy dumb blonde.” Then Sara began walking away. She paused, turned back toward Nicolette and said, “I’m kidding Nico, I love you.” Nicolette opined, “She’s secretly bipolar, but I love her anyway. She’s a sister to me. We’re sisters; we were just separated at birth. She’s Asian so something went wrong there. But besides that I love her.” I guess they really are sisters and political Incorrectness runs in the family.

Her teammates used similar language to describe Sara the fighter. Words like, strategic, strong, fast, serious, powerful and quick. Daphne said,”She’s kind of a monster with those headshots. One time a year ago she was fighting me and she threw like 5 head shots in a row.”

Guro had only good things to say about Sara. In and out of the ring she’s very smart. However, in the ring she’s solid and mean with raw power. Outside the ring she’s multilingual, “She never speaks English.” Lastly, Guro is especially impressed with her character describing Sara as one of the teens, “who never gives in to peer pressure.” Guro’s advice for Sara heading into Nationals, “listen to your coach and commit. Be confident.”

Coach Kaihewalu described Sara as cerebral and fearless in the ring. He also said she has the “loudest and most annoying voice on the team, in a good way.” Coaches advice for Sara for nationals, “Stop having headaches.” He said she understands instruction and actually listens to coaches. He said she’s been, “pushing the envelope regarding creativity in the ring and is getting more unpredictable. If she continues to improve in this area she’ll become even more dangerous.”

Finally, it was time to talk to Sara’s family to get the rest of the story. This, however, presented a new challenge to me. Her parents speak limited English, and I have to confess, my Korean isn’t what it used to be. Unfortunately for Sara, this left her older sister Esther as my only family source. To put it nicely, Esther relished the chance to dish on her little sister.

“She’s whipped by me. I think she knows she’s whipped.” Esther was just getting started. “She exists because I wanted her to exist.” Esther was referring to her demands for a sibling prior to Sara’s birth. Apparently she had second thoughts upon Sara’s arrival, “When she was born I ran away because I decided it would be fun to go to a park.” Esther said, “When Sara was younger she used to steal my food.” Esther concluded this hilarious rant by telling me, “Sara gets in the most trouble when she’s disrespectful to me.” After this brilliant diatribe you’d think there were some serious sibling rivalry issues going on here. That couldn’t be further from the truth. In between the funny comments Esther couldn’t help but let her true feelings for Sara come out.

Esther said Sara is, “smart and sweet.” Continuing, “A lot of her friends don’t know how sweet she is cuz she has this tough exterior. All her friends are afraid she’ll kill them.” I guess Esther couldn’t resist one more dig. When it comes right down to it, these sisters are very close. Esther attributes this to their early years in Korea. Sara was born in Seoul, South Korea and came to the United States when she was five years old. Over the years, English, her primary language has pushed some of her Korean to the side. Because of this, Esther said, the sisters can communicate more effectively with each other than they can their parents. For those of you who like to do math, Sara had been in the U.S. for just 3 years when she joined TIMA. She’s now been with us longer than she was in her homeland. Legally, that makes her ours.

Esther closed with this gem. “Team Intense is one of the best things that’s happened to Sara. Except for me wishing her into existence and coming to America.

I hope you enjoyed being ‘In the clinch’ with Sara Lee. By the way, Sara likes to write poetry and short stories. Her work can be viewed online at http://www.inkpop.com/. Type xwannaflyx in the search box. Please check back in a few days when we get ‘In the Clinch’ with Chad Mertz.

For the Team,
Coach Woodward