Monday, March 03, 2008 Just for kicks By Ghea Sinajon St. Theresa’s College
WEARING different hats could prove to be a headache for many, but some got what it takes to juggle several different tasks and do it nice and easy.
Catherine M. Bas seems like your regular second year psychology student, studying hard to get through all her classes in an exclusive school for girls in the city. But looks are indeed deceiving, because one wouldn’t get a clue that she is not as ordinary as what she seems to be. Catherine, after all, is a taekwondo black belter.
A Sagittarian born in 1989, Catherine has been training in taekwondo at the R Power gym at the Cebu City Sports Center since she was 12. She started out learning karate when she was in second grade, a hobby she immersed herself in to learn self-defense techniques. Karate kept her busy for four years until her younger brother, John Mark, inspired her to train as a taekwondo jin. She hasn’t stopped since then, earning the black belt and numerous awards along the way.
Catherine says juggling schoolwork and training activities for the last 10 years or so is not easy, but she still managed to get gold medals in the National Maskara Festival 2006, Vis-Min Taekwondo championship, Regional Taekwondo championship, the Cebu City Olympics in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
Her love for the sport does not end at learning and reaping awards. When she’s not competing, Catherine also teaches taekwondo to kids in the different private schools in the city, and assists during workshops and competitions. She has taught at St. Benedict Learning Center, Bright Academy and at Club Mango. She is also currently handling the taekwondo workshop for elementary students at St. Theresa’s College.
Teaching children aekwondo is not as easy as learning the sport, she admits.
“The tiring thing in teaching the children is that sometimes they don’t listen and they easily forget the techniques. One has to be really patient so you can impart your knowledge of the sport and teach them to execute the techniques,” Catherine shares.
As if she doesn’t have her hands full yet, public service also keeps Catherine preoccupied outside her class and training schedules.
She serves the youth constituents of Barangay Sta. Cruz in Cebu City, where she is the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairman. “I ran for SK chairman because I want to be able to serve the youth in the barangay and help support my family at the same time,” she adds.
Balancing all these tasks and managing her time for her studies, teaching taekwondo, training as an athlete and serving her barangay is no mean feat, but she manages to do everything with determination and commitment.
“It can get very tiring trying to manage my time and be able to practice taekwondo and do my duties and responsibilities as a student and SK chairman. There are times when I come home late from practice and I don’t get to eat dinner or even do my homework. Sometimes I get to sleep really late,” she says.
She is grateful, though, for having her family and friends who inspire her to be good in all her endeavors.
Catherine is currently practicing for the upcoming Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) tournament. She says their team is working and training hard to be able to win in the championship this year.
When asked if she ever plans to give up taekwondo for her other responsibilities, she says she will when it’s time for the more serious things in life, such as getting a stable job to help support her family. For now, she will continue to learn and teach the sport for fun. “Right now, taekwondo is my life!” she adds with a smile.
