#37: ITL Annual Report 2023: Gian’s Message And Thanks
When I returned to taekwondo, I felt the weight of many expectations. None greater than the fear of somehow letting down my teammates in one way or another.
More than anything, I wanted to give my athletes the best opportunities possible. Why? Because I guess you could say that our dreams are practically the same.
With the end of the year nigh, now would be a good time to stop and look back. Let us see how far we’ve come together.
1 - It All Started with a competition
After two months of training, I took a handful of athletes to the Brussels Indoor A Class competition to get a feel of where we stood. Alycia ‘Aly’ Cassar, Michela Scerri, Jean ‘Ninu’ Schembri, Robin Zammit and Marija Nikolikj took part in the event and their performance blew my mind.
We returned with 4 medals and a wish to go further.
2 - We ramped up our training
We hit the ground running with two training camps. One with Mahroo Khomrani and another at the Greek Olympic Centre. Others joined, but on both occasions, our athletes were regarded as the best performers.
They were hungry and we needed to give them more.
We added more sessions, divided our groups and recruited more fighters with smart (but subtle) marketing campaigns. Moreover, we created a good vibe amongst ourselves. One that gave us the incentive to achieve great things together.
The ITL also created a new team of three to five-year-olds. For many years people told us we can’t teach kids that age. But thanks to coach Ela, we are now doing it with one of the cutest bands of brothers I have ever seen. What’s more? They have all now become great friends.
In February, we hosted the Malta Taekwondo Association’s first local training camp, which I directed along with coach Ditmir Vodinaj.
As the months passed, we also hosted camps with other renowned coaches: Hadi Mostaan (IRI), Giannis Ivan (CYP), and Steven Turner (UK - twice).
On a personal level, I would like to thank Steven personally for his time, care and advice to me as a coach and athlete.
3 - We Embraced The Big Stage
We hit the President’s Cup (G2) in Turkey and came back with Bronze medals. We bagged a few wins in the Belgian Open (G2) and narrowly missed the podium by a single point. That didn’t deter our athletes in the slightest, because they later went to Albania (E1) and came back with gold medals.
Did we stop there? No. We went to Serbia (G1) and claimed five medals. We got another silver and bronze in Montargis (FRA) during the European Solidarity Games. Oh, and another two silver medals in the Albanian G1. We then got a gold and bronze in the Swedish G1.
By November, we returned to where it all began: in Belgium, and returned with another four-medal haul. Three gold and one bronze. Two from veteran medalists (Michela and Dwayne). And one from an ITL debutant (Kieran Vella).
It was here that I managed to become Malta’s first-ever Master’s player (for Kyorugi/Sparring). I won and that made me happy. But what really made me happy was the acclamation I received from my kids, seconds after the fact. That will go down as one of the happiest moments of my life.
We had one athlete storm to a sixth-placed ranking in Europe in her height category (Michela Scerri). She also got a SPORT MALTA nomination for ‘The Sportswoman of the Year’, along with another ITL member - Anna Vassallo - who got her second nomination for ‘The Official of the Year’.
Come December, both Alycia and Michela bagged a Malta Olympic Committee award for their athletic prowess. Two prestigious awards in one year.
As a small side note, Anna got her nomination for having elevated taekwondo (in Malta) to its current level. And if you still have something to say about that, then you have some required reading to do.
Two athletes led the fray in our competition scene this year. With pride, I commend both Alycia and Michela for their efforts. We have asked a great deal of them and time and again they show us that they’re made of iron.
This year, with eagerness, we will have a new generation of athletes (fresh cadets and juniors) entering the warzone, teeth gritted. We’ve even promoted some kids to our senior team (because they grow up so fast!)
4 - When The Going Got Tougher, So Did we
The first time Maltese athletes competed in a European championship, it left me concerned. I wondered whether we would ever be able to mix it up with the big countries. The ones with all the funding. The ones with the infrastructure needed to create champions. How could a band of ragtag athletes - from a pool of around 100 players - ever make a dent?
In time I was silenced by my own athletes. On the continental stage, we won against major countries like Germany, Slovenia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Switzerland. National teams that would, and have historically, overpowered us.
Not only that - but in the first-ever Kids European Championship, the ITL claimed gold and silver. This was a tear-shedding moment for me because it was the culmination of months’ worth of blood, sweat and tears shed deep inside those four red walls in Santa Venera.
For so long, I had thirty young kids work so hard to achieve a dream many thought was just that. A dream.
To be fair, there was a time when we would compete abroad and not be too hopeful. We - as coaches - wouldn’t even take up a suit because we were so sure we wouldn’t make a semi-final. But low and behold, our hard work humbled us.
Hopefully, the European Taekwondo Union Vice President can arrange for some finely trimmed suits for us to use in the coming years.
5 - We created Leaders
A good few years ago, I was introduced to a quiet boy with little belief in himself. Today, this boy has not only become an integral member of this team, but a coach too.
It is with great pleasure and honour that I now call this young lad - Brayden Micallef - an assistant coach of the ITL.
Thanks to him, our young kids have grown from a combative and technical standpoint. Together, we have seen the successful promotion of 78 belts, including a record grading of 36 members in one day.
I would like to commend the efforts of another boy who joined us in January this year. This 16-year-old kid walked into our gym and wiped the floor with me on the first day. I remember walking up to this guy and saying: “Ħalletjni mbellaħ illum (you left me in awe today)!”
His response? “Meh… ma tantx ħassetni tajjeb. Stħajt, ngħidlek il verita (I didn’t feel so good. I was a bit shy, to tell you the truth).”
This boy - Fergeson Galea - spent the next seven months living in our gym. He texted - me day in and day out - to meet and train out of hours. He jumped into the MTA test matches and competed with me, Mamadou, Saydou Diao, and international medal winners from other local clubs and improved, seemingly by minutes.
Eventually, he won a silver in his first-ever international tournament. A competition that had him fight up his class due to a lack of opponents. He won his fight but suffered a broken wrist. An injury that had him pull out of the final.
A couple of months later, he became the first athlete in Maltese history to compete in a G1 as a yellow belt. He faced a European champion in his first graded match. And when I told him his opponent was a European champion prior to the fight, I was met with the following response: “Imbilli? (So?)”
He ended the year on a high note, defeating three black belts in the Malta National Open to claim the title of National Champion (-55kg). One from France, one from Italy, and one from Malta.
6 - The Dojang Is Now A Martial Arts Haven
Once broken and cast aside, our very own premises has been made into one of the best training centers on the island.
From its design to its equipment to its up-to-date Occupational Health and Safety (OHSA) issuance. We’ve installed cameras, added punching bags (amongst other things), a calisthenics corner, a point-scoring-system section, and appropriate lighting.
We’ve even opened a parking lot for parents and gym-goers to come by on busy evenings!
In accordance with the ITL’s new design and colour scheme, the club also launched its own range of KWON kits, t-shirts and merch.
KWON items can be accessed from the club’s very own online platform. In fact you can do so by clicking here.
Oh and by the way, we’ve also included several different disciplines of martial arts. Fighting sports such as Muay Thai, Tango Soo Do, Aikido and Self Defense can now be practiced at the ITL dojang.
7 - We’ve Branched Out
As a licensed non-formal education provider, the ITL has lived up to its name and branched into various schools across Malta. From Chiswick House School to St Edward’s College to the National Sports School itself.
Speaking of the ‘National Sports School’, it is important to note that our club has two young, promising cadets making strides on the international front. Robin Zammit and Jean Schembri are two other soldiers who have proven themselves locally and abroad. Next year is their year, and they will have new challenges to rise to.
It’s worth mentioning that Jean even has a G1 international medal to his name.
Schools aside, the ITL also launched the Taekwondo Refugee Team. The first of its kind. Thanks to the Taekwondo Humanitarian Aid, we were able to help one of our athletes - Mamadou Balde - live his dream by competing in Serbia, Sweden and Belgium.
Slowly but surely, we are creating a ‘league’ of young martial artists who have now discovered taekwondo with hopes that they too would embark on their own competitive journey in the name of their country.
8 - Our Local Performance Cannot Be Ignored
When the Malta Taekwondo Association announced its monthly test matches (amongst other events), the ITL was the first to answer. Always.
Not only did we have - without any shadow of a doubt - the highest recorded attendance of athletes in MTA-sanctioned events. But we had some of the best results too.
Children
Merobika Abdela (played 6; won 5); 83% WR
Dwayne Micallef (played 9; won 7); 78% WR
Emma Lautier (played 6; won 4); 67% WR
Dailen Barbara (played 7; won 4); 57% WR
Cadets
Michela Scerri (played 6; won 6); 100% WR
Alycia Cassar (played 8; won 7); 88% WR
Jean Schembri (played 8; won 6); 75% WR
Brayden Micallef (played 9; won 5); 56% WR
Juniors/Seniors
Gianluca Barbara (played 9; won 9); 100% WR
Mamadou Balde (played 3; won 2); 66% WR
Fergeson Galea (played 8; won 4); 50% WR
And what about the National Open? Well… once again our results speak for themselves. Not only did the team field almost four times more athletes than the next local club, but said athletes were quick to rubberstamp their dominance.
Fighting against locals as well as Italian and French athletes, ITL achieved six gold medals. The most of all clubs in the competition.
The following ITL athletes won their groups:
Fergeson Galea (Juniors/Cadets -55kg)
Michela Scerri (Juniors/Cadets -46kg)
Kieran Vella (Kids -21kg)
Zach Zammit (Kids -24kg)
Luca Falzon (Kids -36kg)
Matteo Cassar (Cadets -37kg) B
And let us not forget our athletes Emma Lautier and Brayden Micallef (uncontested in their categories) and Tyas Mifsud Calleja and Robin who won two exhibition fights against international opponents.
9 - I have a team that inspires me, and a team that has now become family
I cannot forget to thank my fellow coach Ditmir and his wife Ela, to whom I owe a lot. In terms of inspiration, friendship, trust… and the odd adventure we find ourselves locally and abroad.
Till now there has been no challenge we have yet to overcome. But we have yet to see how we’ll all fare in our next grading, where we’ll be forced to show everyone our Poomsae skills.
I came to know Ditmir properly during a turbulent time (as far as taekwondo goes). But I’ve always felt our friendship wasn’t an accident. It’s almost as though the universe has its way of conspiring to help one find hidden fortunes when such a thing is needed.
Forget championships and medals. These things come and go. ITL is now a family. I have made so many wonderful memories this year… and they are worth more than gold, silver or bronze.
This club was, is, and always will be open to anyone who wants to be a part of it. It’s more than a martial arts club.
It will help you level up as an athlete and a person. It will train you to have an iron mindset. Moreover, it will bestow upon you, friends for life.
It’s not about fighting, but about becoming the best version of yourself. And let’s not forget, part of that means spurring our friends on to their successes too.
I could go on, but I’ll stop here. I would like to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2024. To more challenges, because they force us to rise.
Thank you to all our students, because of the trust you give me.
Thank you to the parents of the club, for the support, the company and the good times we have in and out of the gym.
Thank you to all the coaches. Your work is invaluable.
Thank you to all the athletes. From the beginners to the veteran competitors - you should be proud of what you’ve accomplished this year. I refer not only to our local athletes; but to our brothers and sisters from lands afar who find their way to our club whenever they fancy a trip to Malta.
Thank you to the Malta Taekwondo Association, and especially MTA President Anna Vassallo, whose efforts this year were almost entirely athlete-centric. Without them, neither we nor any club would have had such success this year.
I would also like to pass on a separate thanks to Andre Scerri (Events Coordinator of the MTA), for his selflessness and undying help whenever it was needed. And often-a-time, it was.
Finally, thank you to my wife Kimberly and two kids - Noah and Mila - who are a pillar of support to both me and the club behind the scenes.
