SNOWING IN KOREA:)

My foot after comp..yikes!
Its snowing!!! Jas ans I
:)Finally got ruth!:) hehe

Its snowing in Korea...yesterday when we finished training we were welcomed by the snow outside. It was falling quite heavily and I'm so excited to finally see it fall. It snowed all night and when we arrived to morning training today the whole oval was white! Its B-UTIFUL and absolutely FREEZING!

GORILLA MONKEY DANCING - ELECTRONIC STYLE!

What it looks like from the distance. It has a very old style about it. The head guard protrudes in front of your face and sits just above your eyes making it difficult to see. The ears have no breathing room which I think is dangerous if you get hit in the head. The Australian Team that went across to fight. Jasmine, Kylie, Tina, Katrina, Ryan, Safwan, Burak and Adam.

Well its official! The new wtf electronic scoring system competition was ineffective!...We all looked like gorillas dancing in the ring, and the winner..-the best dancer of them all! hehe. With the new system it is so hard to score points but very easy to punch, depending on the lucky-dip draw of which chest guard you got. Some could score by just touching it with you hand, others you could punch as hard as you wanted with your knuckles and nothing would show. Everyone didnt know what to expect and the whole game changed. Everyone just wanted to punch on in the clench (we looked very strange to say the least) and with the foot protectors no body could keep there grounding. Oscar Salazar...Silver medal olympic games. ...Lost Within 30 secs of the fight! The other player scored 7 points punching....but it wasn't really punching it was a tap with his hands. Afterwards Oscar stood on the court tapping his own chest guard with his hand and scored 5 points!!!....How can a system be made where you can hit yourself and score points for the other player....VERY CONTROVERSIAL!

They changed the rules a bit. The 4th round sudden death could go as long as you want as long as someone had a 1+ reading, they were the winner. If you were -1...that meant you had to still get to 1 to win. One match seriously had a 20 minute sudden death and the coach wanted to throw the towel in but wasn't allowed too!!! The girls were out of breathe, puffed and had to stand apart from each other to get there energy back. As you couldnt sit down or take a break they had to fight on. As no body could score points they had to double check alot that the computers were still on and runnning because what we recognised as points, nothing registered!

It was a joke and the biggest laugh..!!:) But Im proud to be a part of it non the less. It was definately an experience to which I hope next time the system has improved and becomes more fair to everyone and true to the nature of taekwondo. I fought against China and was winning 4-1 in the last round. By with my own error China scored two more point quickly and I couldnt stay on my feet, so I lost 3 kyongos...(1/2) points. (YES AND THEY TOOK 2 FULL POINTS OFF ME...HOW DOES THAT WORK???) hmmm

They changed the rules on the second day and took out the gloves, but the competition was still so boring and nobody seemed to favor the system at all. No body new what scores were scores. If you hit soft, you had a point, if you hit hard, you didn't, even if you hit the head hard you may not score the points! Push kicks were the most effective of them all.....:S

There is alot of work needing to be done and proabably alot more that could be said about the system but I will leave it as that! I do not feel this system will help raise the profile of Takeowndo in the world. It was so boring and has only made a mockery of our sports very foundations.

TOP 5 things I will miss and won’t whilst overseas in March

I thought I'd make a wonderful list, full of my top 5 miss + wont miss items. Here's what I came up with before we head off on Thursday....(I'll let you know the next five when I'm over there...)

Things I miss whilst overseas.....

1) My mum...I always miss my mum!

2) Fresh vegetables! ...Its hard to find them in Korea ! Rice + Beef will be the best bet most nights. ....which is probably safer than my cooking anyways

3) 80c Licorice logs from the local 7 eleven! mmmmm

4) My wardrobe (especially my shoes!)....we only have a max of 20 kilos overseas for 5 weeks...and 5 kilos is already the bag!

5) oohhhhhhhh and my washing machine!!!!!!

Things I won’t miss whilst overseas...

1) Working

2) Driving.....!!!!! Training is too far away and there’s too much traffic!

3) Our training hall

4) Healthy choice meals...I love to cook....but I can;t!

5) 5) Mobile...I love it, but I hate answering private numbers

Anyways there you have it :) Only two more days to go and I'm so excited to be heading off

again for hopefully - another successful tour, insallah.

Studying again & Korea Test Event

WOW The last week has been so busy and can you believe it after 6 years of uni study I am back into the books!! This time however at tafe. I have now got a scholarship with William Angliss Institute in Melbourne. I am studying full time in an Advanced Diploma of Tourim Management course (specialising in Sales/Marketing/Promotions)! In one week I think I have seen more of Melbourne than I have in the whole 4 years I have been here. My course has taken me to various attractions, workplaces and great beaches:) I have travelled on a ferry (with the dolphins swimming by), rode the puffing billy and visited some....less know places, like Drysdale! (You could call me ignorant;) but when your involoved in a world of taekwondo all you know is where to go to training and how get home:))

Now that I have completed my first week internal I can now study flexibly because of my hectic training and travelling schedule. Next week, 8 of us are heading over to South Korea for the electronic protector test competition (OLympic Weights). To my knowledge at least 20 countries are participating, some of which include: China, Korea, Taipei, Turkey, Japan, Russia, Mexico, Phillipeans, Greece, Italy, France and Spain. The electronic protector taekwondo event is very important for the WTF as it will determine, after the test event, whether to use the electronic protector system at the upcoming 2007 World Taekwondo Championships and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

After this event, other aussie members will join us to train and then we will head to Europe for some of the Opens (Dutch/German). I will keep you posted on the weekly events and happenings!!!!! Wish us luck!

Korea Protector Comp (www.wtf.org)

GIRL Team:
Jasmine Branca (-49kgs)
Kylie Treadwell (-57kgs)
Tina Morgan (-67kg)
Katrina I (+67kg)

BOY TEAM
Ryan Carneli (-58kgs)
Safwan K (-68kgs)
Burak Hassan (-80kgs)
Adam Underwood (+80kgs)

Coach: Daniel Trenton

ONe Step closer to another DREAM FULFILLED.....

Thanks Tony for everything!
My gorgeous AFL (Hawthorn) vest! (hehe)...It Kept me cool!
Kylie, Kristy and I after winning
Before my last fight with Caroline!

We had the World Champ selections in Sydney last weekend. I fought the Welter category again, 63 - 67kgs. It was a successful day and even though I didn't show my true fighting self, I did what it took to win against Carmen Marton 3 fights - 0. Having secured my place on the team, I can now focus on achieving my goals at the World Champs - China in May.

GOALS:

1) PERFORM WELL ON THE DAY - (bringing out the good stuff!)
2) ENJOY THE MOMENTS IN THE RING AND OFF
3) & lAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST....WIN GOLD!:) Thats a dream needing to be fulfilled!

Attached are some photos from the day that just past. The AFL vests were sponsored to us from the Hawthorn Football team, so I thank them and Tony Hewitt for all his Support that day and in the lead up. Also to Caroline Bartaseky, a good friend of mine, former Olympic Athlete, and qualified Psychologist! I wish she was still fighting and on the team but I can't have everything I want, so I want to say a huge thanks to her for coming and giving her support, it made me so happy!

The Heat Takes its Toll!

I have been a bit slack reporting things that have happened because I don’t have internet at home just yet, and sitting in the car, down the road, using my internet in this heat isn’t exactly pleasant for me! Melbourne has been unbelievably hot of late, (36 degrees+) and training in the South Melbourne Hall has really put us all under pressure physically. But of course as athletes we must adjust in these uncomfortable circumstances so that in competition everything will, insallah, come naturally and good for us. Either way I look at it, Ruth and I can’t complain at training because it is actually cooler there than our rooms in our house. Our fans were working overtime that day a 1/3rd of the power went out in Melbourne…..and it was because of our fans, Melbourne went without power! SORRY MELBOURNE BUT MY ROOM is a SAUNA!!!! If you think its hot outside….my room is hotter!!!!! WALLA BILLA!!!!!!!!!!:))))

This week is Australian Open week. And I definitely took the time out to go watch Roger in action. J He is so inspiring!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every time I watch him I learn more about, “the game of an athlete” and how one athlete can execute a game to perfection. I stayed at the open most of the day and followed Roger’s match with Wayne Arthurs (what a champ) and Martina Hingis with her partner (Kelly Osborne???) hehe .

Back to business and its 2 weeks till the selectionsJ Training has been intense, fun and all about getting everything fine tuned. The plunge pools have been the highlight of my weeks!!! I’m looking forward to hitting the matt and taking up the challenges!

NEw home

Do you think this couch will make it up the stairs....??
hmmm I guess not today!

The taekwondo gang now have a new home in Ascot Vale Melbourne. The house is pretty cool, its very very big and looks very much like the Brady Bunch home. There are 6 bedroom, 2 balconys and an overgrowing garden. We still have alot of things to move in and are waiting for the TV's to come....I never realised how much I missed tv until now:)/...Actually I think I am just missing watching tennis on tv ... January is a great month to watch it. ROgggggggggggggggggggeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr! I;m his biggest fan...and will def be at the Australian Open this year to see him play! Well I am getting off the topic of our new home, soooooooooooooooooooooooo ...once everything is set up Ill you tube it on here! I love my new room! It has an awsome view of the city !

We have been trying to move this couch into my room. It is so much heavier than it looks! ....We still havent managed to get it up the stiars!!!!! We will prevail!!!

Three weeks to go till selections!!!!!!! And counting down:)

2007 ...World Champs...Olympic Selections...Its all Happening!

HAppy New Year everyone! I hope you guys are happy to see the new year and embrace all the obstacles to come as much as I am:) I'm back in Melbourne and already back into training for the World champ selections! Only a month to go so looking forward to that : Smash Day Feb4 in Sydney:)
Insallah all goes well and I win the comp and then the World Title in Beijing! One step at a time:) I'll be fighting Welter Weight (63-67kgs) again so it will be nice to back up my last World performance.

Anyways.........I have to get ready for another day of hard training! Till Next time!

xxx