On October 4, 2017, Austin helped Victoria don a dobak for the first time. She had been watching Austin participate in Tae Kwon Do for years and was eager to try it herself at the same dojang, where all the instructors had watched her grow up.
Over the next 4-plus years, Victoria would continue to grow. She would overcome obstacles on the way to her black belt testing that Austin did not. There was a foot fracture. COVID-19. A change in ownership. Through it all, Victoria remained committed and this week culminated in her testing for her black belt.
We are so very proud of how hard she worked over these many years, but even moreso for how she really devoted herself to getting prepared for this test. She was often attending softball and Tae Kwon Do on the same night. She would make the difficult decision to prioritize Tae Kwon Do over softball. She practiced daily, either at home or the dojang. She would work on a routine with her partner, Mason, and then start from scratch to redevelop another after receiving feedback from her instructor. She sought out advice from Austin to help her improve her forms and gain greater confidence. Through it all, Victoria just kept working. She kept practicing. She didn’t give up.
And when the day finally arrived … she was ready. Her forms were the crispest of all the black-belt candidates. Her sparring was outstanding. Her board breaking was strong. She nailed it!
