Taking on taekwondo

Liberty taekwondo team has successful year of competitions, takes home gold

Liberty University’s taekwondo team has been sparring its way through competitions throughout the 2016-2017 school year.

Most recently, the team competed in the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association (NCTA) in San Diego, California April 1-2.

Freshman Thomas Siff took home a gold medal.

Liberty University’s taekwondo team officially became a club sport in 2012 with fourth-degree black belt Jesse Wilson as the head coach.

Serving as his assistant coach at the time was Tom Childress, who inherited the team from Wilson in 2015.

“I have only been in taekwondo since 2012 when I became the assistant coach of the team, but I had studied Kung Fu for over 30 years,” Childress said.

“When Coach Wilson initially asked me to help with the team, his condition was he had to teach me taekwondo.”

Since he became head coach, Childress has led Liberty’s taekwondo team to a
second-place finish in the men’s and women’s overall at the first Pan American Taekwondo Union university championships last year.

“I fully believe that taekwondo can be used to help develop the individual physically, mentally and spiritually,” Childress said.

“After being the assistant coach for three years, I was thrilled to be offered the head coach position. It is an honor to be a part of this program.”

Liberty’s taekwondo team practices three times a week in the Wiseman wrestling room.

Their main focus at these practices is Olympic-style sparring as well as self-defense training and other requirements for belt advancement.

Practices incorporate all rankings from white to black belt.

According to Liberty’s Club Sports page, Liberty’s taekwondo team has competed for Olympic-style sparring in the NCTA, the Atlantic Collegiate Alliance of Taekwondo and the Eastern Collegiate Taekwondo Conference.

Liberty’s taekwondo team is also a member of the USA Taekwondo organization.

“I truly love watching the growth of the young men and women from their freshman year to their senior year,” Childress said.

“We even have students return to the team as graduate students.”

Liberty’s taekwondo team consists of 28 team members, ranging from white to
black belts.

Team captain Michael Personius joined the team as freshman in 2014.

Personius learned of the team’s existence during College For A Weekend when he met a team member on the hall he was staying on.

Personius is now a third-degree black belt.

“My favorite part of the taekwondo team here at Liberty are my teammates,”
Personius said.

“I love spending time with them whether we are training in the dojo or hanging out outside of practice.”

Team member and third-degree black belt Sadie Newton also joined the team her freshman year at Liberty.

Nelson, who has practiced taekwondo since she was seven years old, first heard of the team from a friend’s mom who came across the team’s page on Liberty’s website.

Once Nelson caught word of this, she decided to come to Liberty just so she could become a part of the taekwondo team.

“Even before joining Liberty’s team, taekwondo meant everything to me,”
Newton said.

“Taekwondo gave me a place where I felt wanted. I had a home at my old taekwondo school and now I feel at home on this team.”

Newton, now a junior, gives all credit to Childress for pushing her to believe that she was good enough and that she could accomplish whatever she put her mind to.

“One of the biggest things I have learned from being on this team is to believe in
myself,” Newton said.

“My freshman year, Coach Childress started working on getting me to believe in myself and that really stuck with me.”

“Coach Childress never gives up on me and is always there to talk and not only that, he would do anything for any of his athletes,” Newton said.

“He has had a huge impact on everyone on this team and he continues to be an inspiration to us all.”

For more information on Liberty’s taekwondo team and how to join, students can contact Head Coach Tom Childress at chilscrew@gmail.com. Signups are

limited to the first two weeks of the semester for beginners.

Students who already hold a taekwondo rank of green belt or higher may join at any time.

“I hope our program not only provides an outlet from the stress of academia, but helps build a community of support,” Childress said.

“We stress ‘team,’ and we also stress building each other up and relishing the
success of others.”

Runyon is a feature reporter.