Pinay, 15, joins Canada’s team

Pinay, 15, joins Canada’s team

9th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship, Mexico

By Mila Astorga-Garcia

A 15-year old Filipino-Canadian, who brought honors for Canada at the recent 2014 PANAM TaeKwonDo Games, is joining the Canadian team to compete at the 9th WTF World Taekwondo Poomsae Championship, Oct. 30 to Nov, 2, 2014 in Mexico.

Maria Alvie Dela Cruz, a second dan taekwondo black belt holder, specifically won for Canada the bronze medal as fourth placer in the TaeKwonDo Poomsae (Pattern) for Women Junior Individual (aged 15-17 years old category). Competition at the PANAM 2014 Games last Sept. 12-14, 2014 held in Aguascalientes, Mexico. First and second placer were Mexico, and third was the United States, which shared the bronze with Canada.

DELA CRUZ, right, at the PANAM 2014 Games in Aguascalientes, Mexico, Sept. 12-14

The Grade 11 student of St. Roch Catholic School in Brampton, goes back to Mexico next month, this time, to represent Canada in the prestigious World TaeKwonDo Federation’s World Tournament, where she and her team will compete with the best TaeKwonDo athletes from all over the world.

The WTF’s global membership, as of March 2014, has more than 200 countries, making it one of the largest international sports federations under the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“I’m really excited to compete for Canada as this competition is technically the equivalent of the Olympics for TaeKwonDo,” Dela Cruz tells The Philippine Reporter in a phone interview.

Asked what she does to prepare for it, the determined martial arts sportswoman, who is 5’1” tall and weights 48 kilograms says: “I focus myself, I discipline myself to train everyday, and to practice more.”

Since she was a little girl, Dela Cruz wanted to learn martial arts and go into different kinds of sports. Encouraged by her father, who felt learning self defense would do well for her daughter so she can protect herself when the need arises, she was enrolled in taekwondo when she was nine at the Honrose School of Martial Arts.

“At first, I just tried the sport, but later I came to like and enjoy it. And when I could see that I was good at it and better than others, I focused on taekwondo, instead of the other sports I was in, which were swimming and badminton,” Dela Cruz says.

Photos courtesy of Alvie Dela Cruz

Before the 2014 PanAm Tournament, her impressive accomplishments this year include:

• Gold Medalist at Canada Open (Montreal)

• Silver Medalist at US Open (Las Vegas)

• Silver Medalist at Canadian National (Toronto)

• Gold medalist at Ontario Provincial Games (Mississauga)

Dela Cruz, who wants to be a medical doctor someday, makes sure she does not neglect her studies, although she admits she misses a lot of lessons when she goes on trips for her competitions. “But I still catch up with lessons, and I think academically, I’m performing very well,” says the teen, who feels fortunate to be in a supportive school and to have supportive mentors and parents.

She credits her TaeKwonDo instructor at RhonRose Martial Arts, Master Alexis Aguirre, and her coach, Master Bhajan Mann for her training, and her parents, Alvin and Melinda Dela Cruz, for all the encouragement and support for her success.

Right now, Dela Cruz’s father is trying to raise funds for her daughter’s World Tournament competition in Mexico, which like the Pan Am Games, is a self-funded event. This means the athlete will have to shoulder almost all the expenses, including transportation, hotel and accommodation, the tracksuit and uniform, according to Alvin Dela Cruz.

What TaeKwonDo Canada provides are the training fa cilities, the trainor, coach and facilitation to make sure the athletes are officially registered in the event, he adds.

He is thus appealing to anyone to support his daughter, who is proud of being a Filipino-Canadian representing Canada at the tournament, where she and the rest of the 17-member Canadian team will compete against the world’s best in taekwondo in the prestigious World Tournament. After all, he says, his daughter is just a student and would therefore appreciate any financial assistance or sponsorship for the event.

Dela Cruz thanks all those who sponsored his daughter for the PanAm 2014 games, namely: Master Alexis Aguirre, Tresman Steel LTD, RhonRose Martial Arts, Brampton Dental Care, Kennedy Optical, Pam Daniels and Family and Friends.

For the fundraiser, Alvin Dela Cruz provided his contact number, (647) 204-6179, and email address alvintdcruz@yahoo.com