Samery Moras was ranked 4th in the U.S. for her Taekwondo skills in 2014.
Photo courtesy of UVU Taekwondo Club
U.S. National Taekwondo Team members Samery Moras and Jared Reed are striving to get members of UVU’s Taekwondo club to form a team capable of competing in the National Collegiate Championship in the spring of 2016.
To meet this goal, Moras said that it would take time and dedication, but she thought it was possible.
Previously, Moras and her sister ran the taekwondo club at the University of Utah. Last semester she transferred to UVU where she decided to form another club. She did this with the help of Reed who is enrolling at UVU this spring.
Both Moras and Reed have an extensive history competing in taekwondo competitions.
Moras’ parents, both black belts, began teaching her taekwondo when she was five years old. However, she didn’t begin to enjoy it until years later.
“I didn’t see the value in it until later on,” Moras said.
She said that when she was attending the University of Utah she began to get caught up in the “party scene.” She didn’t like where her life was going so she decided to focus on taekwondo.
“I wanted to be the best I could be. I wanted to see if I could make it on the national’s team in Utah,” Moras said.
To do this Moras began to train twice a day and attend camps in other countries.
Due to her hard work, in 2014 she was ranked 65th in the world and 4th in the United States. She has competed in various countries and is currently a U.S. National Team member and a three time U.S. Collegiate National Champion. She was also named Female Athlete of the Year by the National Collegiate Taekwondo Association.
Reed was first introduced to the sport when he was eight years old and has been training ever since. His main focus is Olympic style taekwondo sparring.
Reed is also a U.S. National team member and a three time U.S Collegiate National Champion. He was also named Male Athlete of the Year by the NCTA this year.
Earlier this month, Reed competed for the U.S. National Team in the World Cup Taekwondo Championship in Mexico.
Although Reed and the team didn’t do as well as they hoped, he said that it was a great experience to be able to compete against other high level athletes from other countries.
With their experience, Moras and Reed hope to train UVU’s taekwondo club to compete at a collegiate level.
Currently, the club has approximately 15 active members and is open to those hoping to compete and those who just want to learn taekwondo.
Moras said that taekwondo is a great form of exercise and self-defense. She also said that it teaches values that are beneficial for everyone, not just those wanting to compete.
“Taekwondo teaches five tenets – courtesy, integrity, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit,” Moras said.
The club meets every Thursday at 8p.m. in room PE 221.
For those interested in joining the club email uvutkd@gmail.com.
