As cheers echoed throughout the large gymnasium and camera flashes poured from various spots in the audience, Alma Mendoza took her place on the first place platform of her third tae-kwon-do tournament. As a sense of achievement overcame her, she couldn’t help but look at Louis Delarosa, her coach and the man that made this all possible.
Born in Guanyuato, Mexico and raised in San Diego, California Mendoza found it relatively easy to adapt. She had a traditional, yet loving Mexican family and her lack of involvement in sports gave her the time to acquire loads of friends. However, no matter the number of friends that surrounded her, Mendoza was standing in the back of the pack. She was particularly hard on herself, causing a mixture of self-doubt and un-satisfaction to grow inside her.
It wasn’t until seventh grade that she finally found her calling in athleticism and broke out of her thin shell. “When I first walked into the class I felt nervous because I didn’t know anything, but now I want to be there [all the time]” said Mendoza.
It was through her coach Louis Delarosa, who in a sense forced Mendoza to stand on her own two feet. When she struggled with a move or routine, he wouldn’t merely tell her to keep trying and walk away, but stand there and shout encouraging words. As her talent grew, Delarosa tackled and molded her leadership skills. By selecting her as a teacher of a beginner’s class, Mendoza couldn’t run or hide. She took a deep breath and without thinking about her nerves or fears she began constructing the class. Now as her day to teach rolls around, she is laughing and smiling as if the word “nervous” wasn’t even in her vocabulary.
Delarosa sent Mendoza to her first tournament when she was only eleven and had just acquired her yellow belt. With amazing effort and encouragement from her coach, of course, Mendoza was able to land herself in fourth place. Even though she herself was not pleased with the outcome, Delarosa remained with her. “Always supportive” are the two simple words she can say to describe her coach that day. She would only improve with her following tournaments, landing in second and eventually first. Still belts away from gaining her black belt Mendoza was able to gain what many only dream of through the confidence of her coach.
To this day Delarosa is still encouraging her, even outside the gym. From getting her red belt to fear of passing a swimming test, Delarosa is the first to build Mendoza’s self esteem. Mendoza says herself that she probably wouldn’t be the person she is today without knowing her coach.
While away at camp Mendoza will miss the chance to attend an up and coming tae-kwon-do tournament. However, it is not her absence at the tournament that makes her sad, but the fact that she won’t be able to see her instructor. She just wishes that for one day she could be in the gym just talking to her coach.
By: Elizabeth Holve
No comments:
Post a Comment