Gilroy resident Matthew Owen, 11, completed a grueling three-day test to earn his black belt in Taekwondo on June 14.
Owen’s Taekwondo journey began in the spring of 2021, attending classes up to four times per week at Full Circle Martial Arts in Gilroy. In the last year, Owen has competed in two regional competitions, where he earned silver and bronze medals, according to his mother, Esmerelda Owen.
“Matthew started training with me at age 6; for five years, he has trained hard not only at the studio, but at home and while on vacations—always finding time to practice and sharpen his skills,” said Kwan Jang Nim Brianna Trumpp, owner and master instructor at Full Circle Martial Arts. “Even at his young age of 11.5, Matthew has shown the dedication and perseverance it takes to achieve your black belt.”
Academics are just important to Owen as sports. His favorite subject is history, and he wants to be a history professor when he grows up.
“We are so proud of Matthew,” said his dad, William Owen. “From an early age, he took to reading, especially non-fiction and anything to do with the Titanic, World War II, historical figures and so much more; we are learning from him!”
In addition to Taekwondo, Owen enjoys baseball, basketball and video games. He does not own a cell phone, nor does he have social media accounts.
“You only live once and have a short period of time to hang out with your buddies at my age,” Owen said.
Owen said his dedication to Taekwondo has not always been easy.
“There were a lot of times that I just wanted to stop,” he said. “But it was the support and extra push I received from my parents that made me come back to my goal of achieving a black belt.”
Owen will start seventh grade this fall at Monte Vista Christian School. He will continue to train in Taekwondo, looking to advance to a second degree black belt. Part of his ongoing training includes supporting Full Circle Martial Arts as a floor assistant in lower-level belts and being a judge during belt testing.
Learning and mastering self-defense skills is one thing, but society’s increasingly violent sporting events also serve as bad examples of how boys, and even girls, can behave towards one another.
Society’s increasingly violent sporting events serve as bad examples of how boys, and even girls, can behave towards one another.
Boxing was bad enough as a violent professional sport, but then came ultimate fighting championship events that use barely covered knuckles and even bare knees for knock-out blows. And yet the fighting match producers legally sell live-viewing tickets to eagerly excited individuals and commercial-time slots to legitimate business advertisers.
Also disturbing are the overly-eager onlookers.
Social settings should remain peaceful, or at least non-violent, if every party shows the other due respect. And, of course, everyone follows the basic rule: Only a physical first swing will justify a returned swing. And, similarly, a verbal assault is merited only when in response to one.
I believe this is the far more civilized approach to social/human conflict. Conversely, those people who will hit someone without any real, i.e. physical, provocation should do some serious psychological self-examination.