What Lead By Example Tae Kwon Do Has Done for Me
Hello. My name is Mary Ann Latko Groetsema, and I proudly represent Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do at Fair Oaks.
What Lead By Example Tae Kwon Do has done for me.
When we moved from Illinois to Virginia in 2004, I knew I needed to find some way to help the family settle in and become part of a community. I also knew that I had two boys who would soon be teenagers and I wanted to make sure the connections we had with each other continued. Once, several years ago, when Joel and I were running, he said something to me that has continued to remind me of how important it is to find connections. Joel said, "We are not like other families. Other parents take their kids to soccer games or basketball games and watch them play. We do things together and I like that." Joel and I had taken a tae kwon do class at our local YMCA and liked it. So I began looking for a place where we could study tae kwon do together here in Virginia. I found Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do.
This one of those "things" my sons and I do together that has helped cement the relationship between us. Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do has helped me accomplish what I set out to do three years ago - find a way to help my family connect to our new community and stay connected to each other. The relationship I have with my two sons, Joel and Aaron, has grown and remained strong - even though they are now both teenagers. Plus I have developed friendships with other students and parents.
I may have started at Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do as a way to help Joel and Aaron feel a part of our new community, but that is not why I am here today, getting ready to test for my black belt. I did not envision myself as earning a black belt when I started at Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do three years ago. I was not someone who you would consider "athletic" or "competitive". I am not an "outstanding" tae kwon do student. Memorization of the combinations and forms takes me so much longer that Joel or Aaron. At times I thought I would never earn that next stripe. The back of each of my belt cards is filled with instructor comments, usually in very small writing.
I am here today because the instructors, my fellow students at Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do, and my sons showed me that with perseverance, practice, and persistence, I can achieve more than I had ever imagined. They all truly lead by example. I am stronger both physically and mentally than I ever had been. And I am about to complete a goal that three years ago, was incomprehensible to me. I am here today because the instructors, my fellow students, and my sons helped me environs achieving my black belt as a goal that I want to achieve for me.
I will be 53 years old this month, which means I currently have the oldest student at Lead by Example Tae Kwon Do. I am also the proud parent of two Tae Kwon Do boys sir!
- Mary Ann Latko Groetsema, 1st Degree Black Belt