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Sunday, June 1, 2008
Teaching more than Tae-Kwon-Do
Central Indiana, IN
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By: Anthony Mock
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Photo(s) By: John Wright
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Many people think of Tae-Kwon-Do as a violent activity. Some think that it is an art form. Very few, though, can take something that is part poetic grace and part deadly combat and turn it into a vessel for helping people.
John Wright, a practicing martial artist for nearly 25 years, has found Tae-Kwon-Do to not only be an instiller of discipline, but a way to give underprivileged children the confidence that they need for success in school and in life.
“A lot of times these kids come from tough backgrounds and all they need is a push in the right direction,” said Wright.
Wright has seen his program, the Confidence Club, endure numerous triumphs and several hardships since its beginnings in 1985. The club started in the basement of a local church with fewer than 10 children. After a short amount of time, the club grew and was expanded to include any willing participants of the children’s families.
Since, the club has bounced around from senior citizen center, to church, and even spent a couple of years in a former Veterans of Foreign Wars headquarters. The one constant throughout, though, has been Wright’s message of hope.
“The Confidence Club is about saying no to drugs, alcohol and gangs, and saying yes to a clean mind and body,” said Wright, sighting the club’s mission statement.
The original idea of the Confidence Club came from Wright’s father through his brother, Jeff. In Wright’s words, Jeff was “kind of a stinker, turned model citizen overnight.” It was this abrupt transformation, coupled with his father’s thought that martial arts would be beneficial to many children if they had access to it, that sparked Wright’s love of Tae-Kwon-Do and inspired him to dedicate his time to the training of underprivileged youths, both on and off the mat.
Wright, having practiced Tae-Kwon-Do since the age of 10, began teaching others in 1990. Though still a teenager himself, he shouldered the responsibility of the Confidence Club with the same kind of determination that had allowed him to master his sport.
“I think that’s why it worked so well,” said Wright of the Confidence Club’s success. “I could relate to them because I was just barely ahead of some of them and had gone through some of the same things they had.”
In 1991, Wright led his club into the competitive side of Tae-Kwon-Do. Often, Olympic-style matches would be scheduled nearly every Saturday, giving his pupils a chance to test their skills against elite competition.
In nearly two decades, Wright has helped several talented young men and women develop under his wing. He’s tutored numerous state champions, had a handful of athletes join the U.S. National Team, and spent 1993-2004 coaching the Indiana State Tae-Kwon-Do Team.
Wright’s most decorated pupil is Johnny Kidd. Despite a rough, sordid upbringing, Kidd had transformed himself into a Tae-Kwon-Do prodigy at a young age. By 15, he had even attained a bronze medal in the Senior World Championships and received two separate grants from the Indiana Sports Corporation for future Olympians.
Kidd’s career was hampered, however, by a staph infection. A serious surgery on his spine had doctors believing that he would have difficulty walking again, let alone competing in martial arts tournaments. Still, Wright stood by Kidd, supporting and encouraging him at every turn.
“I stood behind him 100 percent on whatever he wanted to do,” said Wright. “He was an elite athlete, and the doctors didn’t really know that.”
After three months of hard work, Kidd returned to the Tae-Kwon-Do mat. A year after the surgery, Kidd earned himself a spot on the AAU National Team and was given the opportunity to represent the United States overseas. It was then, after a miraculous comeback, that Kidd ended his fighting career and followed in his teacher’s footsteps.
“I was relieved,” said Wright of Kidd’s retirement. “Seeing him go through everything and then step back on the mat, there was always the fear that he could be hurt.”
With the cooperation of the Indianapolis Public School (IPS) system and the positive word of mouth emanating from people who have been helped by it, Wright’s program has ushered many talented athletes to success. The Confidence Club has had up to 100 members and 22 hours of practice time a week spread over six days in its prime, but currently it is generally limited to one night a week.
The club has fallen onto lean times recently, citing economic factors and tragedies such as Hurricane Katrina and the attacks of September 11, 2001 for the lack of funds. Being a volunteer organization, the club relies on the support of charitable donations in order to function, most of which have been directed to the aforementioned disasters.
True to his principles of hark work, determination and discipline, Wright has always sought financial support through service. The members of the club have done such fundraisers as variety shows, spaghetti dinners, bingo nights and inter-school martial arts tournaments.
Wright likes to choose these routes not only for the sense of accomplishment that orchestrating events can produce, but also show his students what they are capable of through hard work.
“A lot of [sponsors] want to hear the sob story,” said Wright, “but I want [the students] to focus on more positive things.”
Despite the financial difficulties, Wright has managed to keep the club active and keep a positive influence in the lives of those he mentors. Aside from just helping kids achieve success in martial arts, some of Wright’s proudest moments are watching his athletes take the lessons they’ve learned from Tae-Kwon-Do and apply them to other aspects of life.
Wright has seen children come from the worst of backgrounds and has helped them into college, the military and the workplace. His main concern now is keeping the club open so that other children will be able to benefit from it.
“The thing that I really want to know,” said Wright, “is that when I decide to hang it up, the doors will still be open.”
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