New Caney High School sophomore Megan Thompson started martial arts training in Jan Orndorff?uary and in only 10 months developed her skills to a level that won her multiple medals at the World Kickboxing and Karate Union International Championship help in Albir, Spain in late October.
“In May, we went to Indiana to try-out for a spot on the USA National Team which competes in the championship,” Thompson said. “There were eight members chosen for the team, and I qualified to compete in six out of the seven martial arts divisions.”
Of the six categories in which Thompson competed, her favorite form is Chinese Wushu, which combines gymnastics, dance and karate. Thompson’s performance in Wushu’s two subcategories, soft style and freestyle, earned her a silver and gold medal in the competition. In addition to her individual awards, Thompson’s team won a bronze medal in team form freestyle.
“We all put in a lot of effort,” Thompson said. “We trained hard and worked hard to perfect our technique and build strength. In the months before we left, I was practicing six days a week.”
Winning three medals at the international competition was no easy feat. Teams from all over the world participated in the championship.
“Russia, Ireland, England, Germany, France, Czech Republic, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Nigeria, Canada and that’s not all of them,” Thompson said. “That’s only a small portion. There were tons of people competing.”
Thompson does not consider herself very outgoing, but during this first experience outside of the United States, she had no problem making a lot of new friends.
“It was so great,” Thompson said. “I made so many new friends. It was nice to see everybody, learn about where they come from and hear their different accents. It was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to do it again.”
Thompson looks forward to participating again and plans to continue honing her martial arts skills so she can deliver another outstanding performance in next year’s competition.
Courtesy of: The Observer