Taekwondo club cleans up at No. Cal tourney
On April Fool’s Day two weeks ago, the UCLA Taekwondo team
journeyed north for the UC Open tournament at UC Berkeley, an all
day event that brought together over 500 competitors from around
the state, fighting at all belt levels.
When all was said and done, there was no fooling with the
Bruins’ performance at the biggest meet of the year. The UCLA
contingent brought home a medal count that rivals many performances
by the United States at the Winter Olympics. Seven of the nine
Bruins that competed medaled, racking up a total of four golds and
three silvers. More impressive still is the fact that, because of a
cut-off point at the belt of blue, most of UCLA’s fighters fought
one belt level higher, going from green to blue in their respective
weight classes in order to compete  they still brought home
the goods.
"The team was ecstatic and just charged up. This was the biggest
and most popular competition. They couldn’t believe what they had
accomplished." said coach Scott Di Lalla. "I was speechless at the
end. I knew they were going to do pretty good but they definitely
passed my expectations. This was a tough tournament because there
were a lot of competitors and a lot of Berkeley judges. (The team’s
results) made every sacrifice worth it."
Judging was a concern going in because, in Taekwondo
tournaments, scoring is done in much the same fashion as a boxing
match. During a bout, which consists of two 90 second rounds,
landed hits are tallied to produce a winner and it is easy for a
hometown judge to forget to tally hits that arrived. But all in
all, Di Lalla was fairly impressed with the officiating.
In a tournament where so many competitors shine, it is hard to
single out any one effort that stood above the rest, but coach Di
Lalla did acknowledge the efforts of black belt Ben Webster "for
his contribution as an assistant coach in the preparation of the
team."
Also, Jack Chen, who did not compete at this tournament because
he is preparing for the Nationals in Houston on April 19. Chen won
the finweight division at the Cal State Championships, thus
qualifying for the Nationals. With Taekwondo becoming an official
Olympic medal sport in the year 2000, after three demonstration
Olympiads, Chen will be looking to represent the United States, and
Di Lalla favors his chances.
"If he keeps winning the way he is, he will have a great shot at
pursuing the Olympics," Di Lalla said.
The UCLA team now faces a rigorous tournament schedule, as
"springtime is the season of competition," Di Lalla said.
In this sport, where competitors gear up with a full complement
of chest, leg and head protectors for the full contact bouts in
which landed roundhouse kicks can be heard across the room, the
Bruins will be among the cream of the crop.
If you are interested in joining the team, practices are held on
Monday and Wednesday at 6:00 in the Men’s Gym.