Taekwondo champ Pauline Lopez ready to pass on her knowledge in martial arts
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After bringing honor to the country, Taekwondo champion Pauline Lopez hopes to pass on her knowledge about martial arts to interested young students.
Pauline, who started in Taekwondo at eight, has been representing the country since 2015. In less than a decade, she has brought about eight medals, including two gold medals from the Southeast Asia Games in 2015 and 2019.
Now, the national athlete has a new goal: encourage kids to learn Taekwondo.
“What I do love about Taekwondo is that it's not just all about kicking. It's more than sports. It's the values that are instilled.
“It's all about confidence, modesty, perseverance, and etiquette. So that's what we bring inside the studio, inside and out. It's how we carry ourselves. We're also martial artists. So, I'm blessed that this is the sport that I put in. In any sport, you learn about these things.”
Last year, Pauline opened her own martial arts school called Shero Taekwondo. She's happy that in less than a year, their students have multiplied about five times more.
"In May, we started very small, with 10 students. I was teaching them by myself. I like small classes to get to know my students well. We started to grow, and now we're hitting about 50 students. We've broken into three classes: beginners, immediate, and advanced. This year, we're starting a competition class,” the female black belter said.
Aside from their regular students, Pauline also granted scholarships to two unfortunate students who are very eager to improve their skills as Taekwondo artists.
"I also have two scholars right now. They emailed me and said they couldn't pay for the rate. It's like they were applying for a scholarship program. I saw their training videos and medals, so I agreed. Why not? They are from Tondo. And I said, 'Your tuition is free if you can be here and take the time out,” she related.
Pauline added, “This is something I grew up with. I never paid for my classes in the States because I was a scholar. It's very expensive in the US. With that background, I want to give back. I want to give others a chance.”
Shero classes are in a module-based program, with 16 sessions for students who want to learn the sport at her gym in BGC, Taguig City. These classes are face-to-face, online, and hybrid (or a mix of both face-to-face and online). Shero also offers private sessions and in January 2024 alone, over six hundred registered for Pauline's Taekwondo class.
Aside from these classes, Pauline also visits different parts of the country to do sparring seminars. Meanwhile, this Sunday, January 28, Pauline will host the MAPATA Taekwondo Championship at the Amoranto Stadium, Roces Avenue, Quezon City.
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