Cassie Court (2nd right) celebrating her Black Belt achievement.

When I first joined World Taekwondo at Blackwood Training Centre in 2018, my daughter Zahra had already achieved her First Dan Black Belt and was on her way to her Second Dan.

Like many parents, I sat in the foyer waiting for her to finish training, either working on my laptop, chatting with other parents, or grabbing a coffee. I was encouraged to join by Zahra, other parents who were training, as well as Master Wahid and Instructor David.

"As an older person, I sometimes struggled with injuries but was always able to modify my focus during class to continue progressing."

At that time, I hadn’t exercised in more than 10 years, and I thought it was time for that to change. I had already established friendships with other parents, and the strength of those friendships grew as we trained alongside each other.

My initial motivation was to gain strength, fitness, and flexibility—World Taekwondo training certainly provided that opportunity. Through regular training, I slowly but surely worked my way through the belt levels. Some months I could only train a few days due to work, but I never stopped; I kept showing up.

Working towards the Black Belt required a commitment to training more frequently—4 to 5 days per week. I found it challenging to carve out time, but I persisted with the support of my family and fellow members.

Focus, repetition, and showing up for class were key to being ready for the day—along with the support of my daughter Zahra, who provided feedback on my technique, and training partners Phatcharin and Mark.

I want to thank the Black Belt members of Blackwood and Crafers Training Centres, who supported me throughout my journey.