Another Taekwondo Story

I did a post some time ago about Taekwondo achievement, something that someone achieved against the odds.

I believe that we need more of those stories, the kind of stories that brings hope and inspiration.

Being involved as a supporter and spectator of Taekwondo brought me into contact with some of the 

students and supporters of ATA South Africa. 

On Easter Sunday I had the privilege to attend the prize giving ceremony of the ATA SA Masters Camp. 

Two of the presentations stood out to me that day, the one was the Masters Award to CJ for his contribution to Taekwondo and the other was the Grand Master Crystal presented to Anecke Viljoen, from the Traditional Taekwondo Academy.

This post will be about CJ Engelbrecht from Iblackbelt Academy.

Like I said before, not everyone are equal in sport, some excel as a result of natural talent, some buy into it (unfortunately true in today's world, especially high profile sports) and then there are some who work four times as hard to achieve something.

I was taking some photos at the Masters Camp ceremony when CJ's name was called out to receive a special award for his contribution to Taekwondo. He got up and proudly received his reward. I saw the surprise and tears in his mother's eyes as he accepted his award. 

Someone listened, someone took notice and someone saw how he rose up to the challenge and excelled.

CJ recently graduated to Black Belt status

CJ is soft-spoken, humble and at first glance he looks just like a shy teenager. CJ is 15 years old this year, 16 in December, but CJ cannot read or write.

Some weeks after the event I asked Adri (his mom) about it. Here is her story (translated and paraphrased)

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CJ was different from birth. 

From about 15 months he started getting seizures, and was in hospital for a long time, most of it in ICU. The doctors performed a lot of tests and medical trails but could not find anything specific, therefore they placed him on Epilim to control the seizures. Once the seizures stabilized he was weaned off the Epilim. 

CJ reached his childhood development milestones well after the norm, but we initially placed him in mainstream schools. We had a lot of interaction with the teachers, with neurologists, spelling therapists, speech therapists and all the other development and educational therapists that you could think off, but no one could get a breakthrough or get clarity on CJ's condition. We eventually put CJ in a private school with much smaller classrooms and individualised tuition, but even with that, CJ could not learn to read or write. It is something his brain cannot comprehend.

He was eventually placed in a school for specialized tuition but he did not progress at all, he actually regressed, but no other school was prepared to assist us because he cannot read or write, I always got shown the door. At some stage the special school (government) gave him a document from the Department of Education stating that he is not required to receive further formal schooling as he is deemed unteachable. I decided to keep him at home and grew his Taekwondo. 

He started at age 3 with Taekwondo and that was, and still is the only activity that he really enjoys.  There was one time that he wanted to give up, but he persevered and carried on. He learns visually, he learns by seeing and doing, and he has an amazing memory. Once he learnt a form or movement, he does not forget it. AND he learnt the forms from instructors perspective, a mirror image, and he excels at it.

At competitions he takes part in the Special Abilities division because he is too slow for the normal division. However, he took the normal Black Belt testing and did everything the other students did and he passed! He is very proud of his achievement and it is giving him a goal, a future of sorts. I am taking him with me to the kindergartens to help with the instruction.

He has a knack with the kids and they always look for him the day that he is not there. Taekwondo is the one place where he can meet other people and make friends and socialize because he is not in school. It is my dream that he will find a niche, a place where he fits in and can make a living for himself, and at this stage ATA (the American Taekwondo Association) is providing him with an opportunity to grow and be himself through their Special Abilities program.

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I have met CJ, and like I said, he is a soft-spoken, kind-hearted guy. There is no indication that he cannot read or write.

Reading and writing are the basic skills we require in our one-dimensional, one-track-minded academically snobbish world.

But who is to say that the academics are right? A lot of our ancestors could not read or write, and yet, they were good farmers,iron smiths and the like. It is our modern society that forces us into boxes, into classifications and places us on different levels of the social ladder. CJ cannot read or write, but look what he achieved in Taekwondo thus far, that is an achievement much greater than obtaining a Doctors degree. 

It is an achievement that says: "If I can do it, everyone can!"

CJ recently graduated to Black Belt status

It is sad to see that there are still people that think others with disabilities are retarded or morons, and speak to them as if they are speaking to children, having a total disregard for their mental ability. 

Everyone that encountered Stephen Hawkin for the first time can be excused for thinking he is capable of nothing. However, this guy has achieved much, despite the fact that he cannot talk anymore. He is a professor and theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge.

Then there are also people like CJ, whose disability is mostly "invisible". People with invisible disabilities are also discriminated against, they are also disregarded, only because the disability is "invisible". They are disregarded and their performance in life, sports and academics seen as poor or mediocre, only because their struggles are not visible. People close to CJ and those from a distance most often don't realize than CJ and others with "invisible" disabilities are working hard and their performance and growth are phenomenal even stellar, given their circumstances.

And for that, CJ, I salute you and applaud you and others with "invisible" struggles, and I hope for a world where there is acceptance and understanding!


Some Quotes

Growing up in a group home, and with an undiagnosed learning disability to boot, the odds of success were not on my side. 

But when I joined the high school football team, I learned the value of discipline, focus, persistence, and teamwork -  all skills that have proven vital to my career as a C.E.O. and social entrepreneur.

Darell Hammond

Dyslexia, though, made me realise that people who say 'but you can't do that' aren't actually very important. I don't take 'no' too seriously.

Richard Rogers

Creativity is the key for any child with dyslexia - or for anyone, for that matter. Then you can think outside of the box. Teach them anything is attainable. Let them run with what you see is whatever they need to run with.

Orlando Bloom