Age:
25

Date of birth:
4th June 1982.

Place of birth:
Cardiff.

Occupation:
Gymnasium Manager/Personal Trainer.

When did you start Taekwondo:
1989.

Why did you start Taekwondo:
My dad took me and my two brothers to keep us out of trouble and so we could learn to defend ourselves.

Why do you still do Taekwondo:
Because its part of who I am, my identity. I've done Taekwondo nearly all my life , I couldn't imagine not doing it.

Have you done any other Martial Arts:
I tried mixed martial arts (ground fighting and submissions) for a couple of weeks and found it really enjoyable, but it started to clash with my Taekwondo class times, and Taekwondo comes first.

Other activities:
Weight Training, Playing gigs with my band Blacklisted 101.

What is the best thing about Taekwondo:
The values it instills and the creation of friends that you never seem to lose.

Has Taekwondo affected your everyday life:
Yes, I'm a confident and self-assured person as a direct result of Taekwondo.

Who has inspired you:
A huge variety of people, too many to name. I take inspiration from everyone I meet in one way or another, and in turn hope to inspire others.

Biggest Taekwondo achievement so far:
Reaching the quarter-finals of the Korean Open in 2004 and beating a Korean National Team player on their home soil to get there.

Future goals:
To continue to compete throughout the European circuit for the next few years and produce international standard players from the brilliant kids that I love teaching!.

Other Comments:
I was never a kid who was good at the standard Rugby or Football in school, and never performed that well in mainstream sports. Taekwondo offered me an alternative to these and allowed me to excel. Through Taekwondo I have travelled the world fighting, experienced a huge number of different cultures and made some amazing friends along the way. If you find that the stereotypical sports etc are not for you, give Taekwondo a shot, it might just be what you've been looking for all along.

Date added 28/07/2007.