BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Taekwondo can be a brutal sport, and the
rough experience of having people trying to knock one another
out is exactly what 11-year-old Cloe Lacasse of Azilda
loves.
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Cloe Lacasse got into taekwondo
after watching martial arts movies. |
Lacasse recently won first place at the
Ontario Taekwondo championships in the flyweight
division.
A black belt first poom, Lacasse's victory
has provided a big springboard for another goal.
"It was good to win because now I get to go
to nationals," said Cloe.
"There will be more people and more
competition. I have been talking with my coach, about going to
nationals, for six years."
It's the full-contact, engaging competition
that Lacasse, who started training when she was five,
relishes.
"I like the sparring and competition," said
Lacasse. "You get to fight different people, so it's never the
same."
Lacasse is a determined young athlete.
"Cloe has accomplished what few people can at
her age," said Wilf Currie, Lacasse's instructor.
"Cloe is highly focused, athletic and
competitive. She doesn't like to be beat. Her prowess is what
makes her good. Cloe never gives up, she's unrelenting and has
great strategy."
Lacasse will compete in the national
taekwondo championships in Edmonton July 1.
The opportunity to meet and compete against
the best in Canada is like a dream, especially since she has a
hard time in the north finding willing training partners and
multiple events to compete in.
But Lacasse has a way around it: her sheer
will to not lose.
"I have a disadvantage to others who are in
places like Toronto because they have more competitions and
people," said Lacasse.
"I just have to train harder. The girl I
fought at provincials to win first place had a personal
trainer, but I just wanted it more than she did."
Lacasse got into taekwondo because she loved
martial arts movies and the action involved.
"I started it as self-defence," said Lacasse.
"It's given me more confidence and it's great exercise."
Currie sees a lot of potential in
Lacasse.
"I hope Cloe never leaves the sport," said
Currie. "When she reaches adulthood, I hope she becomes an
instructor because she's so good with the younger kids. She's
my assistant with the kids' classes. Cloe is a wonderful
person."
For now, Lacasse, who represents the
Chelmsford Taekwondo Club will be hard at work each week
preparing for the nationals.
