Have you seen these athletes?

There's some rock stars out there.

Let's talk, sir.

I will live with perseverance in the spirit of Taekwondo, courtesy for fellow students, integrity within myself, and to become a black belt leader.

Welcome to the Ata Nation podcast.

Ata Nation.

Welcome back.

Episode 137 of the Ata Nation podcast.

It is great to be back with you today.

My name is Senior Master Hayden and I am your host here on the ATA Nation Podcast.

We might have some new listeners out there because we have done this super cool thing and partnered with the ATA brand ambassadors.

The ATA brand Ambassadors, great people.

We've had quite a few of them on the show before.

But the younger brand ambassador, the youth ambassadors have been highlighting athletes throughout ATA Nation on their social media, just helping to bring some of these athletes into the limelight so other people can see them and be inspired by them.

Not everybody can be a brand ambassador, we know, but they're helping to shine some light on some other people so we can see all of the great talent in ATA Nation.

So we partnered with them and they are have been doing this athlete of the week.

Now, we're a little behind here on the ATA Nation podcast, so we're going to use the next week or two to catch up.

We are actually going to get some bonus episodes that are going to come out where we are interviewing all of the athletes that have come out so far.

And then we are also going to be then releasing episodes each week of the ATA Athlete of the Week that the brand ambassadors are introducing.

So I'm super excited about this.

It's really cool.

Let's get to our first ATA Athlete of the week special guest interview.

Special guest interview.

Hey, ATA Nation, we've got another one.

One of our athletes of the Week with us today.

This is Ms.

Hallie Reeves.

How are you today, ma'am?

I'm good, sir.

How are you?

I am fantastic.

Thanks for asking.

So first, tell us, where are you from?

What school do you train at?

Who's your instructor?

I'm from Pensacola.

ATA Martial Arts.

My instructor is Senior Master Carol.

Our Chief Master instructor is Chief Master Palmer.

Excellent.

Very cool.

I was just talking to.

I just had a message from Senior Master Carol the other day.

Great guy.

So you got to be one of the athletes of the Week.

That's pretty excited.

What did you think when they announced that you were one of the athletes?

I was super excited.

I was like, it was awesome.

I was super honored to have that title.

It's super cool.

I think it's well deserved.

So as an athlete in ata, what is one of your favorite, like when you go to tournaments, what's your favorite event?

Can you pick one?

Oof, that is a really tough question.

There are so many events that I really like to do.

If I had to choose one, it'd probably be Extreme Forms.

Extreme Forms?

You're an extreme Forms person.

What?

Like, we know you like them all.

They're all great.

I agree.

But if.

If you were gonna have to say, okay, of all the events this tournament, you're not allowed to compete in one, there's one that you're not allowed to do.

What event would be like your.

Your.

The one that you have to cut if you had to cut?

Sparring.

Sparring.

Not a sparring person.

What about, what about combat over regular sparring?

Do you like combat more?

Yes, sir.

I love to do combat.

Yeah.

So right now, no Team ATA USA for you yet, huh?

We're gonna stick to the extreme creative stuff right now.

Sounds good.

Hey, you love the extreme and creative stuff.

What about that?

Do you really enjoy?

I just like, I enjoy performing for people and just giving people entertainment.

That's one of my favorite things to do.

No, I love that.

That's super cool.

I love, you know, getting to see these young athletes get out there, show off their skills, show that confidence when they do it.

That's really cool.

So what would you say to, you know, there's another kid in class who's like, I don't know about this extreme thing.

It's kind of.

It scares me a little bit.

I'm just not sure.

What kind of encouragement would you give them?

Well, I would tell them that trying isn't like, just give it a try, maybe you might like it and maybe it's not scary as you think it is.

I mean, it could become one of your favorite things to do.

Exactly.

Exactly what?

Hey, speaking of trying something, how did you.

How.

First of all, I forgot to ask, how old are you right now?

I'm 10 years old.

10 years old.

Very good.

Okay.

And what rank are you?

I'm a first degree black belt.

First degree black belt.

Very good.

So how did you get.

How did you get started in Taekwondo?

So that's a great question.

I come from a very athletic family.

My mom and my dad played a lot of sports.

They even had a martial arts background.

I tried T ball and soccer, but I didn't really like that.

I tried swimming, but I was too young to compete and I've already reached all my goals, so it got really boring.

But then my mom Found a taekwondo school in Jacksonville, Florida, and from day one, I was really passionate about it.

That's awesome.

So kicking and punching it just something that you were like this.

This is the way to go, huh?

Yes, sir.

What about favorite kick then?

What's your.

What's your favorite kick to throw?

Whew.

That was a really tough question.

I have a lot of favorite kicks.

Well, I would say I like difficulty a lot, so my favorite kick would probably be the 540.

Nice.

Oh, I love it.

That's super fancy.

What about if you had to pick a favorite weapon, what would you go with as your favorite weapon?

That is between the bo staff and the nunchucks.

Those are like.

If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the bo staff because I love throwing around it and just, like, doing all these amazing tricks.

It's just super cool to do.

Bo staff is a great tricking weapon.

I totally agree.

Well, as one of the athletes of the week that the ATM brand ambassadors have been picking, what does it mean to you to be an athlete that goes beyond the belt?

Well, to me, being.

Going beyond the belt means learning everything you can go in Taekwondo.

And I'm not just talking about the punches and the kicks.

I'm talking about the life skills like confidence, self esteem, self discipline.

I always try to help my instructor who has cerebral because he always does everything he can for us without excuses.

I always try to inspire others to do the same.

I love that.

That is just a fantastic example of going beyond the belt.

Well, we want to congratulate you as one of the athletes of the week.

And, you know, just thank you for being a great example out there for other young people across ATA Nation.

We really appreciate it.

Thank you, sir.

I love inspiring others to keep going.

Awesome.

Thanks so much, ma'am.

You're welcome, sir.

It was an honor being on ATA Nation podcast.

Thank you for having me.

Awesome.

Well, that was a great interview.

We love featuring these athletes and that's why we have another awesome athlete for you.

Here we go.

Ata Nation, really excited to have with us today Ms.

Elizabeth Morsh.

She has been one of the athletes of the week that the ATA brand ambassadors have been highlighting.

How are you doing today, ma'am?

I'm doing good, sir.

How about you?

I am fantastic.

You're out in California.

Tell us, where do you train?

Who's your instructor?

I train at world class martial arts here in California, and my instructors are chief Master church and Senior Master Church.

Very cool.

Excellent.

We love the churches.

They do an amazing job out there on the west coast.

So I actually just right before watching this or right before coming to record, I watched a video of your performance for world champion in extreme.

I think it was Extreme weapons.

Might have been Creative.

Creative weapons.

Excellent.

So what year was that and what was that like for you?

That was last year.

And yeah, that was a crazy experience for sure because I've, you know, I've been in top 10 for I don't know how many years in a row now, but I've never won.

So that was my first world title.

You know, winning in a tiebreaker with having, you know, incredible competition, it was, it was, it was definitely nerve wracking for sure.

I'm sure.

And that you are currently in the 15 to 17 year old third and fourth degree division or second, third degree division.

Excuse me?

Second, third degree division.

Was that what that one was last year?

Yes, sir.

Oh, that's a tough.

That's a tough division.

Yeah.

That's awesome.

Congratulations.

So what got you started in martial arts?

Well, my older brother actually started before me and then, you know, I loved watching him so much.

I was like, mom, please let me do this.

So she eventually let me do it and now then, you know, about a year later she joined and then during COVID my dad started.

So the whole family does it.

Yeah, the whole family trains now.

Anybody else in the family have a world title?

My brother has two and my mom has two.

Okay.

Okay.

I was gonna say it'd be cool if you got one before your brother and you can rub that in a little bit.

Him and my mom beat me, but, you know, it's cool.

I was, I was, I was really happy for them that year.

I know, it was really exciting.

Very cool.

Is creative and extreme.

Is that your thing?

Are there other aspects of competing as an athlete that it really draw you in as well or is that your main thing?

I obviously really love creative extreme, but I've also, I love sparring.

I love traditional.

So I really love all of it.

I'm on Team USA for sparring and so.

And yeah, I just, I really love all of it.

There's, I really, you know, a lot of people, like, they kind of tend to focus on one versus the other, but for me, I just, I'm so invested.

I love to do all of it.

That's very cool.

Have you been to the athlete development camp in Little Rock?

Yes, sir.

I've been two years now, going this year as well.

Oh, very cool.

What would you say to somebody who's thinking about it?

I would Say, go do it, because it's a lot more fun than you think it is.

Like, there's so much, there's so much parts to the experience of it that, you know, going there, staying, you know, kind of like in the dorm situation, not having your parents around, staying with people of your own, of your own age, you know, it's really exciting.

You just get to go there and spar.

It's really fun.

It's a great bonding time.

Nothing bonds you like sweaty T shirts and trying to die on the field while senior Master Isaacs runs you up and down doing stuff.

Yeah, running up the hills was definitely.

An experience for sure.

What does it mean to you to be an athlete that goes beyond the belt?

For me to be an athlete that goes beyond the belt, I think it really means that I feel like a lot people get so caught up in getting either next rank or getting a title or getting the world championship that people tend to lose what martial arts really is.

And it's about the discipline, it's about the respect, it's about the communication.

All of those life skills that have really impacted me so much in my life in taekwondo, in school and everywhere.

I feel like those have made a difference.

And I feel like it was that journey because it took, it did take me.

You know, I was a martial arts as a martial artist for nine years before I got my first world title, individual title.

And that really made it, you know, in that moment, so much more worth it to me versus maybe when I would have gotten, when I was younger.

So I feel like it was really that journey of, of having to work for it and having to, you know, it was a struggle to work for.

I feel like that, to me, that really went beyond the belt where I had, where I learned to, I really learned to work hard.

I learned to have that respect and that discipline to keep, to train every day to keep going, not to get, not to give up.

Yes, to me, that was the most important part.

Oh, that's, I love that message because so many people, you know, you know, they got that, they've, they've tried for world champ or whatever.

Two years, and I'm like, two years?

You just got started?

I mean, yes, there are people out there that get it their first year or get it there, you know, and the, but there are so many stories of amazing athletes that take years and years and years, and it just, what you become in the training for that is so much greater.

Yes, sir.

I, I, yes, that's, that's definitely, for me, the important part Excellent.

Now what, what kind of goals do you have for your future?

You know, you're a, an athlete that's working hard out there, got a world title, you know, what are you looking at as your future goals?

Whether it be rank instruction, tournaments.

What are you looking forward to?

Well, I'm looking forward obviously this is my last year as a junior black belt.

Next year I go up to 1829, which is, which is pretty terrifying for me.

But I also be because I just got my third degree this year, so I'll still be second, third degree next year.

So that makes a little bit better maybe.

Oh yeah, that's a little, it's a nice little leveling up one.

And then you hit that fourth and fifth grade, 18 to 29, which is like yeah, something.

Yeah.

So I'm, I'm looking forward to, you know, this is my kind of celebrating my last year, you know, get, get some more titles.

The goal, well, the goal is always to win everything, but you know, that's always what I'm working for.

And then, you know, and then obviously keep training as a third degree.

Eventually a couple years get my fourth degree.

And recently I've been instructing at my studio.

You know, I really love teaching so that's been, you know, hoping to gain to work more days.

It'd be really fun.

That'd be awesome.

What you are.

When did you said you started?

Nine years ago.

So how old about where you start did you start?

I was seven, turning eight.

I think I remember I started right before my eighth birthday.

I think I remember taking class on my eighth birthday, so.

Oh, that's awesome.

I was like a white belt.

It's like my third class.

Oh, that's cool.

And obviously teenager now.

We have a lot of people in the ATA that, you know, the teenage age is an age that we don't have a lot of people that are like starting as a 13 year old.

You know, we've got a lot of teenagers but they started like you, you know, seven, eight, whatever, and kept going.

If you were going to speak to a young lady out there that's 12, 13, 14, you know, and is like, I don't know about this martial arts thing.

What advice would you give them to be like, hey you know what, come check this out.

I would say definitely go for it.

You know, my, my brother started when he was 13, my mom started when she was, I don't know how old she was, but don't tell.

Better I'll tell.

You know, she was really young but.

Good answer.

But you know, definitely anyone in that range.

I would definitely just recommend go for it.

You know, you never know what you're capable of until you try it.

And it's.

And I feel like that's the great thing about martial arts.

You can start at any age and you can get.

And you, and you know, you can get first degree second, 3:30.

You can just, you can.

There's always somewhere you can go.

There's always somewhere you can always something new to do.

So I would say, I would just say go for it.

You know, try, don't, don't get discouraged because you will see people who are, you know, 12 years old and have how many world titles and be really good at martial arts.

So that could be just.

And that will be discouraging.

But you can't let yourself down.

You know how many experiences they have and you're.

You'd be just starting out and I think, you know, you never know how good you can get.

Yes.

So I would say go for it.

I love that.

Awesome.

Well, we really appreciate your time today.

What do you got?

I.

You guys got a classy tournament coming up, I think at your.

Your school.

So going to compete at that and then nationals.

Will we.

Are you heading out to Fort Worth?

Yes, I will definitely be at Fort Worth and I think next weekend I'm going to Grand Massacre so's tournament champions as well.

Oh, out in Pittsburgh.

Yeah.

Very cool.

Awesome.

You might see some of our guys out that direction as well, so.

Awesome.

Well, ma'am, we really appreciate your time today and especially thank you for just being a good role model out there of an awesome athlete going beyond the belt, of course.

Thank you, sir.

Another great interview.

These athletes are great.

Make sure that you are following them out on social media.

Check out all the ATA brand ambassadors.

Follow them.

We've got some new ones coming.

The application process I believe is closed, but I'm sure they'll be announcing some new brand ambassadors.

So these athletes of the week will be continuing.

We are going to be featuring another set of athletes later this week.

So this is what you need to do on your favorite podcast player.

Make sure you hit subscribe.

Okay.

So that could be the Apple podcast feed.

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Over.

I don't know what other podcast feed you use.

I used a random one, so make sure you're subscribing.

We'd love if you shared it with a friend out on social media.

ATA Nation.

We're going to be featuring these awesome athletes and maybe someday you on the ATA Nation podcast.

Now, as of the time of this recording and the time it drops, there is only five days left to register for Spring national.

So make sure you get registered.

You do not want to miss the awesomeness that will be spring.

Spring Nationals in Fort Worth.

I'm excited.

This is the first time I am going to the Fort Worth Dallas Nationals.

I haven't been there since they moved it out of.

Where were we before spring?

Oh, Las Vegas, I believe was the last time.

I don't know.

So Fort Worth, Dallas, we're going to be there.

You might see the podcast there.

We might be doing some interviews, so that'll be super awesome.

Don't forget to get registered.

Lots of amazing seminars there as well, so don't miss those.

That's going to wrap it up for us today.

Again, new episodes, a couple of bonus episodes coming and we're going to be ignoring our bi weekly schedule for a little while as we get some awesome interviews with these athletes.

Stay tuned, get out there and go beyond the belt.

If you listen to the audio only, you know there's a secret part at the end.

Or if you don't, then that's your fault.

You don't stay to the very end.

Some of my favorite podcasts have secret parts.

If you're watching us on YouTube then you know if you stayed to the end.

Congratulations.

You're awesome.

We would love a rating and review.

Maybe hit the subscribe button on YouTube or your favorite podcast player.

That would be amazing.

Hey guys, take care.

We'll talk soon.