For my husband Dave who made it possible for me to write this series and Spyro Leslie Clayton and Pho who taught me everything I know about Taekwondo JM To all those that inspire and nurture the best in ourselves PF
CHAPTER 1 Not in a million years did Connor Stark think he would be sparring with his nemesis Wyatt On Saturday morning they were in Master Park's Taekwondo dojang It was where Connor had trained and fought in sparring matches for the past five years He had started learning Taekwondo when he was only four On the walls hung Korean and American flags and murals with the five tenets of Taekwondo courtesy integrity perseverance self control and indomitable spirit The tenets were written in English and Korean Hangul script In the middle of the floor interlocking blue foam squares formed two large sparring rings Around the blue squares red foam squares covered the rest of the floor Connor and Wyatt stood inside one of the large blue squares on opposite ends of it Today was his first Taekwondo class of the new year And Connor was really looking forward to kyeorugi Sparring was his favorite part of Taekwondo Connor 1
had a red belt with a black stripe taped on the end He was one step away from a junior black belt or poom He usually fought teammates one rank below him the red belts because no one else in his class had his rank Except Wyatt was a red belt with a black stripe too But he wasn't supposed to be in Master Park's dojang Connor's Taekwondo team was the Lions At tournaments their biggest rival was the Titans Wyatt's team Connor had sparred with Wyatt in tournaments ever since starting Taekwondo Sometimes Connor won and sometimes he lost Connor would never say it out loud but he knew they were equally matched When Connor showed up in the dojang that morning he got the worst news ever Wyatt had moved over winter break and wanted to be a Lion And that meant Connor would have to see Wyatt in his Taekwondo class three times a week But Connor knew one thing for certain Wyatt was not a Lion Once a Titan always a Titan thought Connor Haley refereed the match She was a poom and assisted Master Park in the dojang Haley was also the big sister of Connor's best friend Nick Haley pointed to the center of the ring Chung she said in Korean It meant blue 2
Wyatt moved as commanded He wore his hogu on the blue side The chest protector wrapped around his body and tied in the back like a really big laced up shoe Haley pointed to a spot across from Wyatt Hong Connor moved to the center of the ring He wore his hogu on the red side Connor and Wyatt stood face to face in their dobok or white uniforms They wore full sparring gear that included chest hand and arm protectors shin and foot protectors and mouthguards Their belts poked out under their hogus And their foam headgear was tucked under their left arms Charyeot Haley said Connor and Wyatt stood at attention with their arms straight by their sides Kyeong nye she said They bowed facing each other And they put on their headgear Haley lunged forward with her left leg Her open hand near her ear chopped down between Connor and Wyatt Junbi Haley left her hand there until Connor and Wyatt were ready They got into fighting stance Connor and Wyatt bounced on the balls of their feet with one leg in front 3
