Blackbird At Junior Team World Trials
Blackbird, second from right, and her PCT teammates – Contributed Photo
Blackbird and her coach Ryan Formosa will be joining teammates Emilee Berdan, Lauren Anderson, Urvashi Thongam and coach Mark Warburton from Petrolia TKD forming team PCT.
Blackbird, a rookie to the juniors category (15-17) at the National level, will be competing in the -59kg (light middle weight) division. Her toughest opponent will be against a Quebec athlete, Chynna Poon-Odjik, in her final year of juniors.
“There’s no doubt that this Quebec athlete is talented and will have a drive to finish her junior career off strong, finishing in top spot,” says coach Ryan Formosa.
“Jewelian’s confidence, performance, and drive has been on a steady incline since the Pan Am Championships,” added Formosa, about Blackbird who won bronze at the Pan Am Games in Mexico recently. “With this and the continuous progress we’ve been making in training, I am confident Jewel’s can finish on the highest podium level.”
Blackbid is a student at Wallaceburg District Secondary School.
The winner of the Team Trials this weekend will represent Canada at the 2014 Junior World Championships in March in Chinese Taipei
Master Ryan Formosa and Master Mark Warburton have both just been certified through TKD Canada and National Coaches Certification Program as National Level coaches. There are no other National Level coaches in Chatham, Sarnia, Windsor or London. They are 2 of 3 certified coaches in Southwestern Ontario; the third is a master instructor from Lambeth.