ALL QUALIFIED FOR 2008 OLYMPICS

NEW CALEDONIA : OCEANIA OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS

The Team with IOC Member Phil Coles (left) and President of the Oceania Region John Kotsifous (right) at the welcome party
Fighters: Amy Ryan and Myself

WE ARE FINALLY HERE!!!! AT THE OCEANIA OLYMPIC QUALIFIERS! It was a long day to get here even though the country is only 3/4 hours north east of Sydney. All the teams are here now...not that there are many of them, but Im sure every athlete will be fighting with their hearts on their sleaves to qualify.

Present on the Team:

Head Coach: Daniel Trenton
Assistant Coach: Tae Ho Uhm
Team Manager: Stuart Lee
Head of Team: Bryan Wilson (ASC)
Osteopath: David Collosimo

Athletes:

Ryan Carneli: u/58kgs
Amy Ash: +67kgs
Tina Morgan: u/67kgs

Our schedule is:

Thur: Training/Relax etc
Fri: Weigh in/Draw
Sat: Fighting:) All 8 weight categories:

I will fill this in after training.....I have to go now:)

My knee's Come back

My knee has recovered from injury, but it hasn't been an easy ride. There are still times it is painful, but the progress I have made in 7 months has been worth it.

Double Day

Today was the first day I had no thought in doing double actions. It just seemed to come. Its definately the first time since the accident Ive been able to do this and Im pretty damn happy with how it held up and my performance. SCARY all the same...but whats taekwondo without all these challenges: big and small.

YAYAYAYA

AOC: BEIJING BOUND NEWSLETTER

Im currently featured in the current Beijing Bound Newsletter = Edition 16. I am talking about career ambitions. You can access through the link below.

http://www.olympics.com.au/News/Gallery/tabid/119/Default.aspx?pageTabID=1002&MediaIndex=1&AlbumIndex=3

OCEANIA OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION

The website for this competition is the Oceania region site:
www.otu.org.au

One Step Closer

The Shadow Team Members present at the camp
Me, Brittney and Jasmine cooling down

The shadow team camp was a success for myself and my knee:))) My little toe that got dislocated had a harder time! hehe But nonethe less Everything is on track and looking very positive. I got selected today for the under 67kgs division to go to the Oceania Olympic Qualification! Amy my bud from WA also got selected in the +67kgs division and Ryan Carneli from Melbourne was selected again for -58kgs. It was a good weekend for us and hopefully we will qualify the divisions for Australia in the next few weeks.

We are now off to New Caledonia on the 28th of November and will fight December 1st. I'm Glad to be back on the matt again!
One step closer to Olympic GOLD...

SHADOW TEAM CAMP

This weekend we will have a shadow team camp in Canberra -- after which the final team for Oceanias will be selected:) Wish me luck! I can't wait to get in the mix of everything again. Insallah all goes well

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Sydney Morning Herald : http://www.smh.com.au/news/beijing2008/fight-goes-on-for-athletes-despite-funding-being-chopped/2007/10/30/1193618884227.html

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TAEKWONDO AUSTRALIA IS NO LONGER RECOGNISED BY THE AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE.

Please see the below article as advertised on the Aus olympic site.:
http://www.olympics.com.au/News/AustraliaNews/NewsArticle/tabid/223/Default.aspx?ArticleID=9645

News has already hit many newspapers, including the age, the herald sun, the sydney morning herald, the abc news and the brisbane times. The link to an article in my home town "The West" is shown below
http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=431769

The age: http://www.theage.com.au/news/Sport/Olympic-bosses-rescue-taekwondo-athletes/2007/10/29/1193618789527.html

The Australian: AOC kicks out Taekwondo body http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22669143-5013406,00.html

The Herald Sun: Olympic Taekwondo Hopes Back on Track
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22669844-2863,00.html

NEWS

I have officially heard that Daniel Trenton is no longer the acting head coach and that new staff are supposably being appointed to fill the positions terminated; head coach, assistant coach, and junior head coach.

As an athlete with enormous success under the current program I am deeply saddened at this loss to our sport and myself. We have not only lost a great leader and a superior coach but we have also lost the pathway to success at the Beijing Olympic Games and beyond.

It is not yet known our programs fate of whether or not we will remain in Canberra at the AIS. However, with no coach to guide us and no training program the end result is becoming blatantly clear. Taekwondo Australia has certainly made it obvious by not signing the proposed ASC agreement that they do not care about the success of athletes, only the success and rise of their clubs.

There is one week to go until a supposed shadow team selection camp for the final Olympic Qualification.

• I still do not know exactly where and when the camp is on. Yesterday we were told in Melbourne and to book tickets, but then not long after receiving that information we were told it might be in Canberra.
• I also do not know the format of the camp
• How to be selected
• Who is attending
• Which divisions are targeted
• WHO ARE SELECTORS?

With less than 5 weeks until the qualification it appears Taekwondo Australia knows absolutely nothing. The elite program has been broken down and our own Assocation do not have a successful back up plan.

All TA have to do is sign the contract the ASC have provided to them that ensures the program in Canberra will be fully funded until the 31st of August 2008! Why doesn't my association want to do that? And why do they not want the best for their countries athletes?

There are now so many options I must deal with and I am bought to tears by what has recently transpired to bring us here. The very thought of me now having to return back “somewhere” without a clear vision of how to make the Olympic qualification team or Olympics is devastating. I am literally, watching my dreams being flushed down the toilet and my own association are the ones pulling the lever.

1) The internal row that cost $1m
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22610182-5013406,00.html

2) Members Plotting a martial arts revolt
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22615909-5013406,00.html

3) Games over, Taekwondo Australia tells star
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22655675-11088,00.html

4) Olympic hopefuls forced to leave base
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22655194-5013406,00.html

COOKING LESSON AT THE AIS

Gary (the AIS dietician) taught us how to cook lasagne, blue berry muffins and beef rissoto. They all turned out very tasty! Now we know how to cook something healthy:)

9AM WITH DAVID & KIM

"Australia's number one Taekwondo athlete, 25 year old Tina Morgan, joined 9am to tell us exactly why she is Australia's greatest olympic hope. This is a great position for Tina to be in considering she recently underwent a rare procedure called allograft surgery, that saw a donor patella tendon transplanted into her knee." CHANNEL 10, FRIDAY 05, 2007

Manchester 1st Olympic Trials

The WAIS supported me in my trip to Manchester to watch the first Olympic trials! I was adopted by the turkish team overthere, and stayed with their team throughout the competition.

Well here is a picture of me and Bahri in Manchester. It is not a city I would chose to visit unless there was a comp. The competition was great to watch and I learnt alot my from division..I have the whole thing on video :) 3 countries that have qualifed for next years Olympics in -67 kgs include, France, Korea and Croatia.

I'm now pumped up and itching to fight again:) There have been so many things I have learnt about the game having been watching on the sidelines. You seem to see it all so clearly when you are not on the matt!

SET FOR 2008 OLYMPICS

HERALD SUN SEP 24TH 2007

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22468699-24331,00.html

4 months 2 weeks

Training more normanlly now:) I am kicking targets and today was the first day I used the banana bag! It feels so good to progress to new things and test my knee out.

My next goal is obviously to progress into sparring:) Looking forward to starting that in a few weeks. I moved around a bit with Ruth today but I didnt push things to the limits.

I'm off to Manchester on Wednesday to watch the first Olympic trials. I'm sure its going to annoy me something cronic because I cant fight in it, but it'll make me hungrier for the December trials and more in tune with the current worlds best fighters. ...oh and of course I'll be cheering..."GO BAHRI GO!"

THE LAST FEW MONTHS...Have been great!

I have been so lazy with updating this site the last few nights, but only because I haven't had internet access at home on hand....but I do now!

...Let me fill you in on the last few months and give you updates on my knee rehabilitation and training! YES IM BACK AT TRAINING:)

And... Full squatting now working my way up in weight: currently it's 60 kilos, Leg Pressing 160 kilos and single 60kilos. hmmm One day at a time...I'm itching to get back on the matt and kick some heads!

Turkey: Filiz and Ali's Wedding

15 weeks and 1 day

This is a pic of me practising bending my knee a month before my full bend was obtained.

I can bend my knee all the way! I couldnt believe it when it happened because it just went up to touch my bum without me thinking. After a few secs I realised what I had done!:) YIPEEEEEEEEEE another milestone conquered!:)

August 3rd

This was my 2nd day of kicking hand targets:) Woooooooooooo! Stand by for video footage! I feel like a white belt having to relearn the basics. Whilst it has come back quickly it is so strange to sometimes stop and think of how to execute something, or wonder how the hell my leg will do it. Thankfully everything is holding up and each day is getting better and better.

Operation Bend SUCCESSFUL!!!

Feeling great, walking great, inside is great!!!!

Support Team

This is a pic of me in my Turkey shirt Bahri made for me from World Champs - It has my name on the back! And he gave me A 2008 Olympic Mascot also!

Right now: Im back in Melbourne this week to see my surgeon Hayden and physio's Randall Cooper and Wendy Braybon. Things have been going really good (for my knee) and Im so happy to report this Friday I will be having my knee bent. ...Sounds a bit strange, but all in all its AWSOME!!! My Knee is nice and strong and am still on track to fighting later on this year and for the Olympics. I am now jogging and squatting 60 kilos!....hmm and my skin folds have actually been the lowest they have ever been! It is amazing how much better my body is becoming from all this training in the gym! I love it!!!!!!!!!!

Lastly, other than my knee, I am going crazy without Bahri! He is my love, my rock, my inspiration, my motivation and all that keeps me going. Canberra might be a great place for my rehab and I appreciate everything people are doing for me but I just miss my man and want to be with him for a few weeks!!!!! I am going nuts and really losing it! Last week I was brought to tears --all week --every day -all day! I havent seen him much this year because of my injury and its eating me up inside. I do not have family support in Canberra and no one realises how hard it is to not only have an injury, but feel so alone. Day to day things improve but it does get monotinous ...welcome my life!

....Anyways I take nothing away from my medical support team in Canberra they are great and have helped me so much. To Martin, Ebony, Em, Lyndall, Tony & Bethany thanks for all your help so far, I really appreciate the lengths you have gone to - for
1) Putting up with me
2) Putting up with me
3) Treating me
4) Pushing me to become a better athlete.

What I have learnt at the AIS

= Do not punch your knee.....it does not break the scar tissue!
= When you get off the chin up machine...there is a step. Miss it and you fall over!
= I could be a good basketball player....but I cant dribble the ball!
= Do not eat like the rowers...my output of energy does not compare to them!

Canberra the last month

Olympic Clothes Fitting

Myself, Amy, Ruth and Caroline just testing sizes

The taekwondo crew have come to Canberra this week for a Shadow Team training camp, Olympic processing and to of course enjoy the weather! Yesterday it was minus 5 degrees in the morning.......YUK!

More to come...to be continued...

Today I LOVE MY KNEE!...But who knows about tomorrow...

This is a pic of me and Ebony (one of my rehab physios). Shes a top person and a fantastic physio! When I have a pic of Martin (my Physio who I go to everyday) he'll be up here too, they are both legends!

Everything is going okay...today:).....I'll tell you about how I feel tomorrow when it gets here....

My knee is progressing really well and my range and movement has increased dramatically the last week. I can ride, I can box, I can grind, I can squat weight, I can drive.... heck I can even stand straight (which is my proudest accomplishment:))

My injury makes me stop and think about the things we take for granted in life everyday. For now, its walking! ...Who ever thinks about how you walk, the actions you take to be able to walk properly and the muscles required to do that!...I know I never did coz its something that comes naturally. But over the last month I have observed and envied all people walking!

A few weeks ago I couldn't even walk. Being able to lift my leg and put one foot in front of the other seemed impossible!!! I tried and tried and I fell over many times and screamed like a baby (seriously,..I have witnesses too!) but I eventually learnt how to lift, how to switch on muscles and I can say with confidence my walking is back! Now, when I walk past people at the AIS I always get good walking comments. It makes me feel great and more confident about my comeback!

I still have alot to do, and am working hard with the physio's and strength instructors everyday. It wont be too long before I'm back on the matt:)

EXERCISE

BAHRI'S FINAL

MY MAN: WORLD CHAMPION!!!!!

hmmmmmmmm Im so excited I can barely breathe!!!

Last night Bahri won the World Championships for Turkey! I've never been more happier for someone in my whole life! He truely does deserve it and thank god for such a great day! He overcame, Ukrain, Tjikistan, IRAN, Taipei, KOREA and Azerbajan to win the gold. My only wish was that I was there to have seen him achieve such a result. .......now I will have to wait until the Olympics to see him achieve, insallah, yet again another 'golden' feat in China.

Physiotherapy

Heyyyyyyyyy its my first physio session at AIS and Shannon from Netball who was rooming for her ankle took this photograph. I'm in my magic blue boot. Its like a massive blood pressure machine:)

AIS life

Well...IM BACK!!!!!!! That is to the AIS for some treatment. I had only been here two hours and I was booked in to see the doc! He freaked me out a little because he thought I had DVT in my calf-- which of course landed me back in hospital to check it out. The house parent in resi's took me down there and thankfully nothing was found:)

I've have met alot of friendly athletes already. It appears to me when we come as a team to the AIS we never meet anyone else, but now by myself its a different story & its great to branch out and meet other people from different sports. I've living in a block of rowing girls (Carly, Martina and Emma are the ones I can remember) together with Sally (swimming) & Patty (waterpolo). The rooms arent very big but big enough to decorate and make it feel more homey! All I need now is my own tv and Im set! hehe

Anyways its back to the gym for me:) Rehab is great but extremely tiring!

WHOSE LIFE ARE YOU SAVING?

REGISTER TO BE AN ORGAN DONOR TODAY. WHOSE LIFE ARE YOU SAVING?

DID YOU KNOW??? == Australia has one of the lowest rates of donor registering in the world!

Well its true and I was shocked to find that out especailly before my op! I was not sure in the days preceding whether I was going to receive the tissue I required. The chances of a finding a suitable donor, registered to donate specific tissue, and be available for me were slim. I believe God was truely with me last week blessing me with such a gift and I thank that special someone who has helped me recover! You are my Pheonix Rising!

I may not have received a life altering gift such as a new heart, a new set of lungs, a new liver or new kidney but I have been lucky enough to be a donor recipient and I am now on a mission to spread the word about registering to become a donor today!

The Australian Organ Donor Register is administered by Medicare Australia on behalf of the Australian Government and provides a simple way for people to record their consent (or objection) to becoming an organ and/or tissue donor. Please visit the below site today and become an organ donor.

http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhealth/our_services/aaodr.htm

DADS BDAY

With an arrow that big....

Alot of padding for three small holes!..I bruise easy..and bleed easy..ufff!:)

.....You'd hope they got the correct leg:)

OPERATION PHOENIX

Here I am with my mum after the operation. Yes I'm slightly out of it!

Two feet back on the ground

My operation on Monday turned out to be thus far successful, thank god, alhumdulliah.:) It was a long day waiting as I was scheduled to be the last op for the evening. My mum came over from perth to help me get through everything and her presence has been a great relief...I don't know what I would have done without her here! She has been so supporting, so helpful and she's been an extra voice inside my head keeping me strong!
Anyways I went into surgery at about 5.30pm. One minute a guy was talking to me about taekwondo and the next minute I woke up in the recovery room in absolute pain and wanting to throw my guts up! That was 8.30pm...the longest minute of my life!

They took me up to my room where I was greeted by my mum, and it was a good thing she was there or else the poor nurse would have had to listen to my non stop babbling about random things (yes totally random). The nurse floated in and out of the room...she initially told me I had a buzzor attached to my wrist and that when I felt pain, i was to press it......---and naturally being in alot of pain...I pressed and pressed and pressed...and pressed....until she came back in shock to see alot of it gone. Anyways... that was the end of my instant pain reliever coz she took it off me!..(Need I say I was extremely dissapointed)!

Mum stayed with me half the evening but then had to go because of hospital rules. I didn't end up getting much sleep that night because of my constant need to throw up. My stomach had ran out of everything, including bile, so the only thing I was throwing up was air! hmmmmmmmm I liken that experience to a dog trying to pee on a tree to leave its scent but unable to because it's empty.

The next day all I could think about was leaving the hospital--I didnt want to be there another second. I tried so hard to get moving early morning but my leg wouldn't stop bleeding and every time I went to stand I felt like fainting. The physio was the first to endure that with me---he walked me about 3 steps towards the door when I said I was going to faint and I barely made it back to the bed before I started being sick again! ufffffffffff I just wanted to go home. So I tried and tried and damaged the carpet with blood and tried some more until finally, about 6pm, the nurses bandaged me up so tight there was no chance I was going to bleed again:)..AND I WAS OUT OF THERE!

To Sum the event up: It was a night I seriously want to forget about, but simply can not!

I have named it "reality Tuesday". It is the day I heard the bad news about my knee and the day when everything began to sink in.

My bid to win the World Championships next month has come to an end and my main focus now will be recovering from surgery I need to undertake on Monday.

It was initially hard dealing with the fact that I can't go to Worlds to fight. I think on Tuesday I cried enough to fill the Murray Darling River and rid Australia of all its water problems! But, what can I say other than -- these things happen, alhumdulliah (thank god), I'm alive and well. I guess it's a blessing in disguise and that god has sent me down this path for a reason. For whatever that may be, I'll be giving my all to recovering strong and being back fighting better than before.

This is a new chapter in my fighting career and I have no doubt the journey will bring forth my true fighting character.

"Negatives are quick to turn into positives if you believe in yourself."

The term BLACK FRIDAY certainly lived up to its name last week for me.It was the 13th of April at 4.30pm when I officially found out the bad news about my injury. I had an MRI retaken in Australia hoping that the results would be clearer and better than the ones I had taken overseas. Although unfortunately, swelling or no swelling, the same results were produced. Now, I have to go back to the doctors to see what the next steps will be.

Resting under the orange trees with Pasa.
Me and my Spidies!!
The Beautiful, cold water we went in. I think I only managed to get in there to help my knee recover, otherwise there would be no way of me going....it was ICEY COLD! Needless to say my love caught no fish:(!!! and whilst there were no fish I was still petrified a shark would come and eat me!

Well I spent a few days in Turkey after the comp, having not seen Bahri and family for along time. He was really sweet and so concerned for me and my inury, I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful bf, alhumdulliah. I had an MRI there and slowly regained walking movement. At first I could not walk up and down stairs, which meant getting to his home at the top took a long - long - long time to reach. But by the end of the week I could get there in 6 mintues.

Bahri has helped me keep a positive mind frame. At times I slip and wonder why this happened...but he reminds me it all happens for a reason and I know that it will only make me stronger and hungrier to succeed! I already want it so much more than before, ---I believe--- and clearly see my goals are possible. A mountain might be in my way, but I am a person who is willing and determined to conquer it. I will climb this mountain and any other thrown my way to reach my goal of gold at the Olympics.

German Open - The Competition Setback

David working on my leg
SWelling from my injury above...

And Brittany trying to hide her swelling from me:) She fought like a champ in both tours regardless of the fat lip she got from Mexico!:)

My German Open campagin didn't exactally go the way I planned it to, then again no injury is planned. My first fight was against Netherlands. - I was winning 4 to (-1) with only 48 secs to go and then it happened. ..........pop -pop....the first time....and pop - pop the second try, my knee just gave way.

I think its time for me to call Alissa Camplin - the Ice Queen.

DUTCH OPEN - SILVER

Gwladys Espague from France and I on the podium. My support team. Thanks (l toR) Andy, Daniel, Taeho and David
The Aussie Team

We just finished the Dutch open in Eindhoen, where I placed 2nd. The comp went from 9am in the morning till 2am the next day. ..and yes I was fighting my final at 2am! It was an extremely long and tiring day, but a successful one non the less. I learnt alot from my experience and pushed past some of the most excrutiating pain I have had in a while. My final was not the best, I tried new things, I tried to fight with two feet but one of them just didnt want to connect with anything (having swollen up in the semi) and part of it felt like a dream. At least I can take this matt time with me to the World Champs and hopefully progress past my mistakes and make the 1st place podium.

Briefly

1st fight: Won against Greece

2nd fight: Won against Germany

Quarter Final: Won against Belarus

Semi Final: Won against Sweden

Final: Lost to France

1 EPEANGUE, GWLADYS, FRA
2 MORGAN, TINA, AUS
3 SOLHEIN, NINA, NOR
3 KYLBORN, LIE, SWE