What an achievement! And the headline says it all! Oldbury student Claire Dudley was awarded Best in Grading exactly 6 months following the birth of her daughter this year!
Lockdown and training at home has been a struggle for all students. Persevering against all odds, students of Oldbury TAGB Tae Kwon-Do managed just that – training every week on Zoom in their own homes determined to be promoted to their next grade as soon as possible. Claire had the additional challenge of training through her latest pregnancy.
Claire started training just before the COVID-19 pandemic with her partner Marek and two children Marshall, 7 and Lola, 5. Going into the first lockdown before the family could even take their first grading did not stop them though – following the first lockdown Claire and her family returned to Tae Kwon-Do, with the exciting news she was in the early stages of pregnancy. Claire completed her first grading achieving an A pass at 3 months pregnant, which is a fantastic achievement.
Having a baby did not stop Claire from training, in club or at home throughout the second or third lockdowns. Claire and her children took to Zoom every week learning new patterns, techniques and doing fitness exercises ready for the reopening of club and their next grading. Even after giving birth in January of this year Claire continued to train on Zoom supporting her children.
When sports clubs were finally allowed to reopen in May, following government guidelines, Claire and her family were some of the first through the door raring to go. Their perseverance, determination and standards had not waivered once during the pandemic and this was shown in their return to training.
Finally, in July – exactly 6 months after giving birth – Claire stood infront of Grand Master Paul Donnelly, 9th Degree Black Belt to take her 2nd ever TAGB grading. Sharp movements, patterns and accurate techniques did not go unnoticed by the TAGB Grand Master. Not only did Claire achieve an A Pass grade, but she also was awarded “Best in Grading” by GM Donnelly. Singled out for her strong performance.
To say that this is amazing is an understatement – a superhero of a mother! Claire, Marek and now 3 children join us 3 times a week at our Dudley and Oldbury Taekwondo clubs excited to train and always putting in their best efforts. We cannot wait to see this family grow and develop. Whilst all pregnancy stories are different, Claire’s story shows us how determined and unstoppable mothers can be!
