Chelsea Oda's Biography

      My name is Chelsea Page Oda and I am 18 years old. I have proudly been training with American Martial Arts Academy for over 4 years now. Being an only child, my family may be small, but it is just as strong and supportive as all the bigger families out there. I have a loving mother, Jackie Oda, and an inspiring, supportive father, Marshall Oda. My main hobby is of course Tae Kwon Do. Outside of the studio, I enjoy being outdoors more than anything. Frequent fishing trips with my dad are my favorite. I would describe myself now as a very strong, determined, focused person. Although before I started training in Tae Kwon Do, that wasn’t the case. I used to be very shy and had almost no confidence in myself whatsoever. Tae Kwon Do has been a very inspirational and life changing factor in my life.

I started training in Tae Kwon Do the summer before I started high school. I had been dedicated for over 8 years in ballet and stopped training in middle school because I found that I was happy dancing anymore and it wasn’t something I was doing for myself. I remember my dad always telling me how his grandpa was a black belt in Judo but never really considered martial arts for me. One day we were driving down Cochran and we saw AMAA. I decided to check it out. Before I could blink, I was already given a uniform and began training the next day. I remember the first day was GRUELING! I thought I was going to die. Next thing I knew, I was a purple belt, then green, then blue, and look where I am now.

I stayed in Tae Kwon Do because it was something for the first time in my life that I was doing for myself, and actually found out that I was somewhat decent at it. It wasn’t like dance or piano lessons, where I dreaded going every day. I found myself wanting to be at the studio all the time. I think the main thing that kept me going was that there was always something new to learn. You never reach a certain height and just stop because there is nothing else. Even black belts still have things to learn which is great because there is a continuous flow of strategy, philosophy, technique, and conditioning to be learned.

My favorite part of Tae Kwon Do training would have to be sparring. When I first started, I have to say that was my least favorite, but past the years, it has grown on me. Sparring is something that everyone can do if they have the right mind set. No matter how long have you been sparring, or how many tournaments you have competed in, it is something you will never fully develop a comfort zone for, which is actually a good thing I believe.

There is something about the surrounding atmosphere, the crowd screaming around you, and all the excitement in general that gives you this huge adrenaline rush that is almost indescribable. Once you step on the mat, all you do is give it your best and don’t hold back because what do you have to lose? That nervous feeling that I got in my stomach at every tournament is what kept making want to go back every time. Sparring also is what made my most defining moment in Tae Kwon Do. The time I will always remember was one of our friendship tournaments in 2007. I remember I was terrified with my match up because she was a black belt and a lot heavier than me, and I was only a colored belt. I knew I couldn’t back out, so I gave it all I had. It was hard, and frustrating, but that only gave me more incentive to keep going and not lose. I ended up beating her and I couldn’t believe it. I was very tired and exhausted, but smiling because I felt like all the training I had done had finally reached its climax in my career. I will always cherish that friendship tournament in my heart.

I have to thank my dad for all the support he has had for me all these years. Whether I had success, or made bad mistakes, he was always there to encourage me and believed in me that I was capable in doing anything. To see the look on his face cheering me on at tournaments almost put tears in my eyes. It made me feel like I was on top of the world. Modern Day Knights was also a huge factor of inspiration to me. Intense training from Master Kwak and Instructor John made me a stronger and better competitor. With their encouragement and dedication to my training, I accomplished more than I ever had in my Tae Kwon Do career. Going to National Qualifier in Fresno was something I never believed I would ever do, and thanks to them it’s something I will always remember. And of course, if it wasn’t for Instructor Kim’s painful side-splits, no one would have ever pushed us, and we would have never developed the flexibility we needed to make our techniques that much better.

Tae Kwon Do is a major part of my life now. Without it, I would still lack the confidence to become a successful person. I always tended to look on the negative side, and never believed I could do anything. But now, I know anything can become accomplished if one puts their mind to it and believes in themselves. That is the most important thing, is believing in yourself. You could have a million people telling you that you can do it, and believe in you like no other, but in the end, it all comes down to you and whether or not you believe in yourself. I am more aggressive towards the things I believe in and determined to reach all of my goals now. A black belt isn’t something that isn’t just handed to you. It’s something you have to work for continuously and you must put in all that you have to reach your goal. Reaching a goal is one of the best feelings in the world.

After achieving my 1st dan in Tae Kwon Do, I want to continue and hopefully go for a second degree in the next few years. It’s something I just can’t give up once I get my black belt. I still have the drive and determination now as I did when I was a yellow belt. There is so much more to be learned following my 1st dan; I can’t wait for the experience that follows with it. The journey to my black belt was great, but I believe the journey after my black belt can be even better.

Thank you Master Kwak, and all the instructors who have dedicated their time every day to help us through everything and being there for us when we needed them the most. Without you guys, I for one wouldn’t be who I am today.