Taekwon-Do
About Kayla
March 2011
Hi, my name is Kayla Maduk and I just competed in the 2011 ITF Taekwon-Do World Championships in New Zealand. I am so excited to say that I was able to bring back the gold medal for 2nd degree Patterns in the U18 division for Canada making me the Junior Female World Champion. I am equally excited to have also won two silver medals (Individual Sparring and Team Power Breaking) earning me the most medals for Canada. Competing at the World Championships has been the best experience of my life for so many reasons.
More importantly than the medals I learned several extremely important lessons that will help me through the rest of my life. Competing on the world stage means having to make a lot of decisions, have good time management, being able to deal with huge amounts of pressure, staying injury free, making healthy lifestyle choices in regards to food and rest, always being a role model since you are no longer just representing yourself but also your country. You also have to make lots of sacrifices.
However, it also comes with HUGE privileges, and honour. I’ve had the chance to train and compete with the best athletes in the world and be coached by the highest ranked instructors, masters and even grand masters. I’ve had the opportunity to work with sport psychologists who helped me prepare mentally to get me to the next level. I’ve learned that only I can put limits on myself. I’ve learned that there so many things out of your control on the day of competition but it’s how you deal with the unexpected that can make the difference between the gold and the silver medal. Knowing and doing are two very different things.
I have surrounded myself with driven, passionate and positive people. It can be isolating training for an individual sport for endless hours every week. I’ve learned the only way to improve is to push myself to the limits. I don’t take anything for granted. For me, training is what I love to do more than anything. I also love to help other people young and old to improve on their goals in sports. It’s not about standing on the podium (although that was an indescribable feeling and the highlight of my life) it’s about the growth and achieving your personal best. I love to share my experiences with others since I know I can help make a difference for others as well. I am only 15 years but I have had so many unique opportunities through different sports that I know these life lessons can and will be applied in areas including school, volunteer work, coaching, relationships, friendships, work and just day to day living.
I’ve learned that getting out of my comfort zone to do things like public speaking, meeting company owners asking for sponsorship, being interviewed are now things that I like instead of being afraid of. I’ve been surprised with how many people followed my journey to prepare for the World Championships through my training blog. I’ve never felt such love and support by family, friends and even complete strangers. When I first started to write my blog it was for my own personal use but now I see that others are interested too.
I can’t thank all my supporters and sponsors enough for helping me get to New Zealand. Without them, I would not have been able to go. Thank you again.
I would ultimately like to qualify for the National Team for the Next World Championships in Spain 2013 as a 3rd degree. It would be my last year in the Junior U18 division.
I love soccer and I’m currently playing at the Regional Level. The soccer gives me the opportunity to work as a team and be with girls my own age. In Taekwon-Do I mostly train with adult men. With the soccer team I will get to travel a lot as well which is something else that I love to do. I’m not sure where soccer will take me at this point but I’m enjoying every second of it and it’s great to have the variety and cross training.
I am also training with the Ottawa Lions Track and Field Club focussing on Javelin. My next big javelin goal is to win at OFSAA Spring 2012. Although javelin is a new sport for me, it’s a natural fit with my diciplined TKD training habits, my body strength and coordination. I love the fact that you can easily measure your improvement with a distance so you get the satisfaction of the training.
There are so many great possibilities out there so right now I’m just appreciating every door that is opening for me. I hope you follow my progress.
Sincerely,
Kayla
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November 2010
My name is Kayla Maduk and I’m the youngest member of the ITF Canadian National Taekwon-Do Team. I’ve just qualified to represent Canada at the World Championships in New Zealand, March 9th-13th, 2011. Check out www.itfnewzealand2011.com for more details.
At the World Championships I will be competing in:
1. Individual Patterns
2. Individual Sparring
3. Individual Power Breaking
4. Team Sparring
5. Team Power Breaking
I am 14 years old and I’ve been studying taekwon-do since I was three and a half. My most recent sanctioned tournament results include:
Eastern Canadian Regional’s- Montreal March 27th, 2010
Gold in sparring
Gold in Power Breaking
Silver in Patterns
CANAM Championships- Oakville June 5th and 6th, 2010
Gold in sparring
Gold in Patterns
Selected for the Junior Girls Canadian National Sparring Team
Canadian Nationals – Richmond Olympic Oval – British Columbia November 12-13th, 2010
Gold in 2nd dan Patterns
Silver in Power Breaking
Bronze – Sparring
At the Nationals Championships in Vancouver there was a round robin with competitors from all across Canada who had earned the most points over the last year. Points are awarded to the top three winners in each Individual category at sanctioned tournaments.
I competed in the Junior Division ages 14-17 for sparring, patterns and power breaking. Each country is allowed to take their top three girls for patterns and their top three girls for each weight division in sparring to the Worlds. I was also selected by the National coaches to be on the Team Sparring and Team Power Breaking for the World Championships. These are separate divisions from the Individual Events.
In order for me to compete at the World Championships my parents and I need to speak with corporate sponsors and continue a lot of fund-raising events to raise money for my training and travel expenses. As you can imagine the costs add up quickly. Any donations go towards training, seminars, certifications, uniforms, travel, lodging, and airfares. No donation is too small and is greatly appreciated!
If you know anyone that would be able to assist me, please email Kayla@ikicklikeagirl.com
I will be updating this website regularly with my competition results and letting people know how my training is going.
I have dedicated my life to training as well as competing on every school team, city soccer, maintaining good marks and giving back to the community as much as possible. You can read more about my achievements on the other links.
Many Thanks,
Kayla
