Achi news desk-
Winnipeg girls and women of all ages were able to get some free training from Olympian Taekwondo on Saturday.
Resounding cheers could be heard among the kicks, blocks and punches of dozens gathered in the Park Tae Ryong Academy dojang led by Park Skylar Paris, who is traveling to France.
“I wanted to do an event like this for a very long time, and get all the girls and women in my community together in one place,” said Park.
“Taekwondo has given me so much confidence and the ability to dream big, which is a big theme in the event (today). I wanted to share those things with other girls and women in the community.”
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Park said it was her way of repaying Winnipeggers after they rallied around her with pride and encouragement following her loss at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“It really showed the power of the community that we have here in Winnipeg, and so on this next Olympic journey towards Paris, I realized how important the community is, and having them by my side,” he said.
Park’s father and trainer, Jae Park, said he has been training his daughter all her life.
“Skylar had verbalized her dream at the age of six or seven when she was interviewed by the media. He said, ‘I want to go to the Olympics.’ I think that was always his goal,” he said. “When she was maybe around 15, 16, we realized that maybe this was a huge possibility.”
The person who is going to the Olympic Games for the second time, said that she dreams of more than just performing on the international mats.
“I wanted to go to the Olympics and win a gold medal for Canada,” he said. “I think part of the messages today is don’t be afraid to say those goals.”
Park said she wanted to encourage the girls in the dojang today to dream big, remembering back to that first interview she had almost two decades ago.
She said she wants them to know that their goals are “possible with hard work. But also to remind them that you are going to fail many times along the way.
“He knows the road is very windy all the way. But keep persevering through it and you can achieve those dreams. “
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