Two local students from Kim's Taekwondo Academy placed in the AAU National Taekwondo Championships June 28 through July 3 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., including one that won Gold.

Angel Whiteman of Genoa and Tre Mettie of Graytown qualified for Nationals by winning age-group gold, silver or bronze medals on May 1 at the AAU Ohio State Championships in Columbus. Both local competitors are trained by Kim's Academy owner/instructor Master Saemter Kim.

Whiteman, 18, who took silver in patterns at the Ohio State Championships, is a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. She has been training for nearly 13 years.

Mettie, 11, won gold medals in both sparring and patterns at the Ohio State Championships. The fifth-grader said he was “happy and surprised” he won two Golds. Both were even more pleased to place in Florida.

Whiteman started TDK when she was seven and it has been almost 12 years since. She started at a different school before arriving at Kim’s in October 2009 because her father, who passed away earlier that same month, wanted her to train at a WTF school, and she says she wanted to honor him.

In early 2010, she attended three tournaments, winning Gold at the first two and Silver at the state qualifier for the nationals.

“Nationals were so scary. There were seven girls in my division and they were all amazing athletes,” Whiteman wrote in a letter about her experience. “I went out and did my best and won Gold. Walking into nationals was simply outstanding. There were 2,800 people there. My heart was skipping beats but I knew I was ready. Stepping into the ring my heart was beating so fast I couldn’t have counted the beats even if I wanted to, but once I started I got into my zone where it’s just me and I went all out.

“I did my ‘poomse’ five times in order to win against all the other competitors. By the time I was done I was exhausted. I’d never been so happy before,” Whitman continued.

“Standing on the first place podium was amazing. So now I am first place 18-34 champion. Huge thanks to Master Kim and also to my mother (Mary Whiteman) for all the help and support. Dad, this was all for you. I am my father’s daughter.”

Mary Whiteman, Angel’s mother, added, “(Master Kim) expects only perfection when it comes to skill and technique. No one is promoted unless everything is right as he says there is no honor in receiving a promotion you didn’t deserve.

“Angel looks to him for guidance on what looks right and what doesn’t. There is a big difference in being taught by a Korean instructor. There are no short cuts and this prepared Angel for national level standards.”

Mary said Angel will now being training for next year’s competitions by attending local and regional tournaments.

Mettie wrote a letter, also, about his experience at nationals. It all started, he said, when Mary Whiteman noticed his skill during a seven-month training stint at when he was in his first seven months of training.

“She noticed right away I had potential. I look to her as my mentor. I look up to her thru tae kwon do. We have formed a special bond that has made us a family. She trains with me and pretty much keeps me in line and focused,” Mettie wrote.

Mettie and Whiteman came to Kim’s Tae Kwon Do Academy in September, 2009. He was a Blue Belt when he first arrived.

“I will admit it was a little overwhelming at first,” Mettie said. “Here, I was this Blue Belt coming from another federation and coming from another school and basically starting from the beginning. I had to learn all these new patterns from White Belt up to my current color belt. The sparring techniques seemed different, kicks were different, some even had different names and I knew only Ms. Whiteman.

“Master Kim worked with me a lot in class and started working on my ‘bad habits,’ as he would say, corrected them and I have successfully moved up a full rank in color to a Brown Belt,” Mettie continued.

Mettie attended two World Tae Kwon Do Federation tournaments in Ohio prior to the state championships in Columbus and national championships. He brought home medals in both, including Gold and Silver places in both patterns and Olympic sparring. At the state championships, he finished with Gold in both categories, and and he placed in both at the national championships, including a Bronze in Olympic sparring.

“This year was all about learning and just getting the experience,” Mettie wrote. “Competing at a national level is no joke and next year I want the Gold. It is exciting, amazing, and terrifying wrapped up all into one competing at this level and I’m just so happy to have had this opportunity.”

Tre’s mother, Lorna Mettie, added, “Master Kim is an amazing martial artist himself and I’m proud to have him teaching my son. My son left a winner and came home a champion.”

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