Liberty University’s Taekwondo team is approaching its 14th season as a club sport and looks to continue growing as a program.
The club has 16 members this season and its roster features many talented student-athletes.
“We have people come in from all different kinds of experience, and I think that’s really the coolest part,” Assistant Coach Julia Bearchell said.
Bearchell said she believes the variety of experience is beneficial to the team’s development.
“People get mentored by people who are their own age but have different levels of experience — there’s a lot of camaraderie in that,” Bearchell said.
The team will travel to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Oct. 10 for its first tournament, with more tournaments planned later in the year. At tournaments they are judged on forms and sparring.
“There’s nothing like getting close with a teammate to the point of literally sparring against them,” graduate student Emily Sloane said. “You get to learn about the person in a whole other way.”
Along with practicing Taekwondo, the team also focuses on developing a tight community that helps strengthen each other’s faith.
“I think the best thing about our team is that we are a group of Christian young people first, and you really get to see that with how we carry ourselves on the mat,” Bearchell said.
Head Coach Tom Childress works to keep the team focused on God, and one of the ways he encourages by opening and closing every practice with prayer.
Childress’ leadership has helped his team improve both physically and spiritually both on and off the mat. Sloane reflected on how being a part of Liberty Taekwondo has blessed her.
“It’s been more than I ever could have asked for,” Sloane said. “I not only got the discipline and the training that I was looking for, but I got a sense of camaraderie here.”
To view the Liberty University Taekwondo schedule and roster, check out the club sports website.
Farwell is a POV reporter for The Liberty Champion.