BILLY HARRIS: KIDS IN THE COMMUNITY
The boy with his future in his hands To look at a smiling Alistair McManus, you’d never think that standing before you is a seriously competitive young man whose hands and feet are lethal weapons. Ali is a red belt in WTF taekwondo, and trains with such dedication that it surely won’t be long before he achieves his goal of a black belt. Before we go on, here’s a quick lesson in taekwondo. Belts are gained in the following order: white (entry level), yellow, yellow with green tip, green, green with blue tip, blue, blue with red tip, red, red with black tip, junior black belt. Each grading consists of performing sets of patterns (poomse) that demonstrate strength, control and technique, and free form sparring. The poomse is a set of pre-determined moves (taegeuk). Each belt level has a different taegeuk. The number of moves for each taegeuk increases with the belt level. For example, taegeuk 1 (when grading for yellow belt) has 16 moves, taegeuk 7 (grading for red belt) has 30. The athlete is tested on taegeuk not only for their belt level but previous taegeuks. For example, when Ali was grading for red belt, he needed to demonstrate taegeuk 7 and any other taegeuk (1-6) that the examiner asked without a single mistake. If you understood all that, well done. Now imagine having to do it. Ali’s record of achievement in the three years since he started taekwondo is a wonderful example of discipline, skill, focus and butt kicking. He’s entered 10 sparring competitions, winning nine gold medals, including three New Zealand national golds in 2012, 13 and 14, one North Island Open gold (2013), and five regional golds. The one time he missed out on gold, he brought home silver from the Rodney Open earlier this year. Far from being a disappointment, it was one of his best achievements. He’d just turned eight and was up against Phoenix, a boy one belt higher and two years older than Ali. The Ponsonby Primary boy gave his older adversary a great match before going down by just one point. Ali’s form has brought him to the attention of the national team selectors, who say that if he maintains his passion and keeps up the training, he’s on the right path to earn a place with the New Zealand junior taekwondo cadet programme by the time he’s 11, which is the youngest age you can be selected. Ali’s drive and commitment to taekwando and rugby continue to surprise his parents. If his taekwondo training clashes with a friend’s birthday party, the training takes priority. He also pays attention to his diet so he can be stronger and faster. And every opportunity he gets at training, he spars with an older, more experienced opponent to improve himself. Even with the protective gear on, the hits hurt. This is what his teacher taekwondo master Dafydd Sanders, a 4th Dan black belt, says of Ali:
Okay. Maybe not. In reality, eight-and-a-half-year-old Ali is just a normal kid, who when he’s not training four times a week with taekwondo, likes talking, being sociable, Percy Jackson and Tom Gates books, reading the sports pages in the paper, and playing rugby for Ponsonby. He’s been in coach Hugh Cotterill’s team for three years, with a group of boys who’ve come together from different schools and developed a strong bond. Ali is fortunate to have several positive role models in his life. He lists his heroes as his parents, Coach Cotterill, Master Sanders, cousin Christian Fromont, who looks after him at family functions, and uncle and ex All Black Richard Fromont, because he’s just so cool. So what’s next for the Kwondo Kid? To be a junior black belt, earn a place within the New Zealand junior taekwondo cadet programme, compete at the junior world championships, and one day the Olympic Games. That’s quite a handful. But if there’s anyone who can make a fist of it, it’s Alistair McManus. (BILLY HARRIS) F PN
“Ali is a very disciplined and focused student who has a lot of dedication. He’s worked very hard for three years now and his work and dedication show in his results. He doesn’t just rely on his talent, he always works to improve himself and gets better with every training session. He has a very bright future ahead of him.” If you’re thinking that some time down the track, when the Year 4 lad from Ponsonby Primary has morphed into a moody teenager, that he might tell mum or dad where to shove it when they ask him to clean his bedroom or put away the dishes, it’s not likely. His father Iain used to do Aikido - watching dad practise was what started Ali’s interest - and his mother Annabel is a taekwondo black belt who used to compete during her teens. By then his five-year-old sister Hannah, herself a green belt in taekwondo, will have climbed the ranks and know her way around a dojang. Don’t know about you, but with all that martial arts in the family, I’m picturing a scene at the breakfast table when an argument over the fibre content of the cereal gets way out of control. Within moments eggs, fruit and toast are flung like weapons across the room. Ali chucks the salt and pepper shakers and peanut butter jar at his dad, who calmly catches them and puts them in the pantry as fast as they’re thrown. Hannah delivers a flying kick over the table at mum, who ducks under it Matrix-style before tying Hannah up with last night’s spaghetti.
92 PONSONBY NEWS+ November 2014
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