Midway though her Jung Yul form, sophomore Chloe Kallaos prepares to extend her leg to the side. To earn her third degree blackbelt, Kallos has to perfect this form. “[We’ve] gone back to four classes a week for every group. It’s been a little easier, and it [definitely] conflicts less with [other activities],” Kallaos said.

Chloe Kallaos – Taekwondo

Emma Iswarienko, Staff Writer

Dressed in a white dobok uniform adorned with a monogrammed second degree black belt, sophomore Chloe Kallaos trains at ATA Martial Arts for four hours each week.

Kallaos began training when she was five years old after her mom and brother inspired her to begin martial arts. Now, taekwondo has become a major aspect of her life.

“My mom [encouraged] me to do [taekwondo] because it would have been free for our whole family to do it if I did it too. So she pulled me out of gymnastics to do it,” Kallaos said.

Even though Kallaos did not want to learn taekwondo at first, she fell in love with the sport and has been participating in it for 10 years, even earning a second-degree black belt. She persevered through online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues her training today.

“It’s a little tough to train in a mask just because you do a lot of high intensity [skills], especially with sparring, which is something that COVID-19 has impacted a lot. You’re kicking and punching each other, and you couldn’t exactly [do that] in a pandemic, especially in the earlier stages,” Kallaos said.

For Kallaos, taekwondo is more than just an activity; it has allowed her to keep her mental health in balance.

“I gained a lot of self-confidence and discipline for myself. It was also just a fun way to get some physical activity,” Kallaos said.