Family affair at world championships

WHEN Gina Casey began bringing her son, Cathal, to tae kwon do classes in Labane three years ago, she had no idea what he would accomplish. Neither did she realise that her trips to Labane would take her to Orlando, Florida via Gort.

 

 

WHEN Gina Casey began bringing her son, Cathal, to tae kwon do classes in Labane three years ago, she had no idea what he would accomplish. Neither did she realise that her trips to Labane would take her to Orlando, Florida via Gort.

Both Gina and Cathal recently returned from the United States, where they represented Ireland in the sport they describe as their “passion”. The two brought home bronze medals, in their respective categories, from the World Tae Kwon Do Championships.

Gina is a special needs assistant in Gort Community School. She has worked there for the past six years and although originally from Killeshandra in County Cavan, she has lived in Gort for 18 years. Cathal is a second-year pupil in the school.

“A neighbour of mine was brining her son down to the tae kwon do class and I brought my son, Cathal. I took an interest in it myself. Then an adult class started in Labane. That was before the school moved to Gort. Cathal didn’t mind me doing it too. I was down there every week with him at the classes anyway so he didn’t mind at all,” explained Gina.

For the then 41-year-old, tae kwon do was a totally new experience.

“I would have kept semi-fit with walking and running. At the beginning I was always apprehensive about competing and standing up in front of people, being watched and examined. That is what happens in these competitions. Starting tae kwon do was a good lesson to keep your mind open to trying new things and learning new things and you never know, it could bring you to levels you never dreamt of,” Gina advised.
Preparing for world championships in any sport is tough but winning a medal on the world stage after just three years takes a special dedication.

“Tae kwon do, even though it is a sport, we took it very serious even before we qualified. We both have a strong interest in going up the grades and Cathal is a black belt already. Lisa Connolly, in Gort TaeKwon-do Academy, worked so hard with him and with the training and the mentoring from her, he got there very quickly. I am catching up and have just been graded for a red stripe,” Gina outlined.

“Cathal has done a lot of competitions. I have not done many. There was a qualifying in May in Kanturk in Cork and he went in for that and qualified. The club asked would I be interested in competing too, because I would be driving down with Cathal anyway, and that they have a veteran section. I said I would and started training for that over the summer.

“We were training five times a week but it is well worth it. As well as going to the classes with Lisa in Gort, we would go to additional ones with Shane Fitzgibbon [who also competed with Team Ireland] in Galway. Then we would travel every weekend to the Irish squad sessions, which were in Cork and Kerry mainly. It is a big commitment. But it is something where you say I am going to do something and that is just it. The end result is fantastic,” she added.

“Lisa has been fantastic. She has got me through days I didn’t think I would be able to compete or to throw another punch or to make that step up into the ring. She has been a wonderful support since day one when I started. She is an unbelievable lady.”

As well as improving her fitness, Gina firmly believes taking up tae kwon do has improved her mental strength.

“It makes you realise that you can go that extra mile. As long as you try, give it more effort and make that attempt, you can achieve what you want. There is no point in giving up. I never thought I’d see the day when I would be representing Ireland in anything,” she said.

Gina would advise anyone to take up the sport, regardless of their age or fitness levels.

“It is for anyone and everyone. You don’t have to go to the levels I went to in competition but there is an option there for everyone. You meet a wonderful community of people too. They are all like minded and positive thinking. It led me to a different way of life. It is a passion now at this stage,” she added.
Gina is hoping to go for her black belt next year and for people who wish to start classes, she is full of encouragement.

“The classes are for teenagers and adults. There are people joining all the time. There are more in the kids’ classes obviously but there are a lot of adults interested in trying this out and it becomes part of your life. It is a wonderful thing because it teaches such basic things as respect and courtesy, which are hard to find in this day and age, to kids. It gives them respect for older people and it also teaches older people to have a bit more respect for kids too. The fitness side of it is wonderful. You take things at your own pace so there is no one pushing you to do something you cannot do,” she said.

Gina and Cathal received lots of support from their family, friends and the school community in Gort.

“Gort Community School were great in that they gave us some sponsorship for our trip, as did a few other companies around the country. Then we funded the rest ourselves because my husband came as well. My husband, Tom, has been very supportive, as have Cathal’s brother and sister.”

Gina and Cathal both thoroughly enjoyed participating in the world championships.

“We flew from Dublin and the rest of the group flew from Cork. Then we all met up in our hotel in Orlando. It was unbelievable. It was great being part of a team and particularly taking part for your country. It was fantastic,” she stated.

Gina won bronze in the veteran ladies over 60kg category and Cathal won bronze in the junior, 13 to 17-year-old, less than 45kg category.