By MICHAEL BOYLAN
mboylan@thecitizennews.com

Meagan Constable, a 17-year-old student at Landmark Christian School, is one of the rising powers in the ancient sport of Tae Kwon Do and is looking to make a splash on an international level.

A form of Korean Karate, Tae Kwon Do is the oldest form of martial arts. It is an effective form of self-defense and now an Olympic sport.

Constable is a resident of Riverdale and has been a student of Master Joaquin Bonilla’s at the Oh Do Kwan dojo in Fayetteville since she was 9 years old. She entered her first tournament at the age of 10 and has been a serious student since then.

“Tae Kwon Do really builds a lot of character and discipline,” Constable said. “It also takes a lot of time. I practice two hours a day, five days a week.”

The time spent has paid off. She has been the undefeated state champion for the past eight years and has recently competed in the Olympic team trials where the top two finishers will fight in Sydney. Constable faced two fighters who have been champions for a number of years and are on the verge of going to their last Olympics. Constable placed third but gained respect from the fighters she has admired growing up.

“The fighters she faced in the team trial respected her,” Bonilla said. “Some people would face a 7-year-old with a lot of confidence, but Barbara Conkle (Constable’s opponent) told me after the fight, ‘She kicks hard.’”

That she does. She also shows tremendous patience and uses her opponents’ advances to defeat them. There is a defensive kick called “pada chagi,” which uses the opponent’s motion to defend as well as attack.

Her other strength is that she is not easily intimidated. Constable explains that she knows she is a lot stronger than her opponents.

Olympic style Tae Kwan Do is a form of continuous sparring. Fighters use a combination of techniques in three three-minute periods. It is a popular sport because it takes a short time to gain valuable knowledge, though it may take a long time to master. The popularity also has been rising due to the desire for people to defend themselves and their homes.

Constable’s next big feat will be to win the Junior World Championships in Killarney, Ireland this November. Her sport has taken her all over the United States, but this will be her first time fighting outside of the U.S.

She has recently won the Junior Nationals and finished in second place the previous two years. She is the only Georgia athlete to make the Junior National team and has trained at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
On top of all of her accomplishments in Tae Kwon Do, Constable runs track and swims for Landmark Christian and has been an assistant instructor at Oh Do Kwan. Constable was the first first-degree black belt promoted to instruct. She is currently a second-degree black belt. She is also going for her driver’s license this weekend.

As a fighter, Constable believes she needs to be more aggressive and attack more often. Bonilla says that, at times, she can be “too nice.” She has knocked two opponents out in her career, but typically she goes for the points and that is it. Over time, she will get more aggressive, but she often feels bad if she hurts somebody.

Her goals are to remain a good role model for the students coming up in the sport, win the Junior World Championships, compete on the collegiate level, make the Olympic team and to continue doing what she loves. Her advice to those who want to follow in her footsteps is to “Love the sport, because it is physically challenging, be willing to spend the time to learn and master the craft and remain disciplined.”

Her sister, Layla, is following that advice and, according to their father and Bonilla, she will be the next champion.

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