By Tim Gudmundson
Three BYU students recently won medals at the Utah State Taekwondo Championships and a medal at the 25th National Collegiate Taekwondo Championships. Carloyn Clark, Marisa Beebe, and Melany Moras are now preparing to participate in the 2001 Championships to be held in Fort Worth, Texas on October 20-21.
The three students, members of the BYU Taekwondo Club are training at Amy”s Martial Arts Studio, which is an international organization specializing in Martial Arts. It is located in Orem.
They hope that by doing well at the 2001 Championships in Texas they will be able to fulfill their dreams of competing in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
The BYU Taekwondo Club started its activities two years ago and was founded by instructors Burton Sparks and Melany Moras. Moras is the current club president. Under her direction the team is achieving great success and molding champions.
Moras has been involved in Taekwondo for fourteen years and has won a bronze medal at the Pan American games. Now she says her dreams are to go to the Olympics. She is a three time Utah state champion and is an internationally-renowned competitor. She recently was part of the World Taekwondo Festival held in Korea and is pictured in the promotional advertisement of the World Taekwondo Festival 2001.
As president of the BYU Taekwondo Club, Moras invites all BYU students to participate in Taekwondo. There is much to gain for one who engages in Taekwondo. According to Moras, it provides a chance to develop mentally, spiritually, and physically. She says it is a perfect complement to the intellectual activity for any student.
Taekwondo leads to increased physical fitness, self-confidence, and emotional control. It is also a good way to learn self-defense. Anyone interested in more information about Taekwondo classes can contact Melany Moras at 362-8219 or 765-1039.
