Connor and the Taekwondo Tournament

Connor and the Taekwondo Tournament — page 5

Connor and the Taekwondo Tournament — page 6 — of the other Their fists were up ready to protect their heads or block lower shots to the body Connor had 90 seconds to show Wyatt that he was the better fighter Haley slid her left leg backward She put both of her hands together like she was about to clap And the match started Wyatt danced around Connor on the balls of his feet He put one leg in front Then the other Every time Wyatt changed legs Connor switched too Like a lion hunting Master Park watched Connor and Wyatt from outside the ring The Lions was the perfect team name Master Park's first name Saja meant lion in Korean She was a fourth degree black belt who had won a gold medal in Taekwondo Connor made the first move a roundhouse kick He lifted his right leg with his knee pointed at the target and pivoted on his left foot His right foot whipped around with the top of it aimed at Wyatt's hogu HI-YAH Wyatt slid back on his feet Connor had kicked air Not Wyatt's hogu Connor landed right in front of Wyatt KYA Wyatt punched the middle of Connor's hogu KYA Wyatt landed dollyeo chagi on the side of Connor's hogu The punch wasn't powerful enough to 5

Connor and the Taekwondo Tournament — page 7 — score a point But the roundhouse kick put Wyatt in the lead with two points Connor couldn't believe he had let Wyatt get him first He should've been ready for the counterattack But Connor knew he had to forget about getting hit and stay focused The rest of the round was a blur Switches Punches Kicks Wyatt blocked every move Connor made And Connor blocked everything that Wyatt tried too But Connor saw an opening after he blocked Wyatt's side kick Connor landed on Wyatt's And just like that Connor tied up the match at two The class cheering sounded like a roar The bright lights overhead blinded Connor And he couldn't stop replaying in his head the last time he had fought Wyatt in a tournament They had been tied up near the end of the match And Wyatt had sprained his ankle trying to land Wyatt's back kick had hit air when Connor moved out of the way Wyatt twisted his ankle when he fell to the ground Connor had won by forfeit But the match felt like an unfinished fight rather than a win Focus on this match Connor told himself to the head is my best shot An axe kick to the 6

Connor and the Taekwondo Tournament — page 8 — head was worth three points And he wanted to go for the win The round was almost over It's now or never thought Connor He sucked in air Sweat beaded up on his forehead He was just about to strike Wyatt with an axe kick to the head But out of the corner of his eye Connor saw Wyatt's foot come up toward the side of his head Protect your head Master Park always said Connor's fists were already up near his head His left forearm was right where it needed to be to knock Wyatt's foot away Connor started to throw up his arm in a high block to protect his head KYA Wyatt yelled But Connor was too late Thunk 7

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