All-Army Taekwondo team Head Coach Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fennell, left, a U.S. Army Reservist from Savannah, Georgia, gives advice to 2015 All-Army Taekwondo team member Spc. Albert Lee, of Tucson, Arizona, by way of Fort Hood, Texas, during a rest per...
Spc. Albert Lee, of Tucson, Arizona, by way of Fort Hood, Texas, attempts to score against his opponent in the blue gear during the 2015 USA Taekwondo National Championships held in Austin, Texas, July 8. Lee's team members, from all over the world, ...
AUSTIN, Texas -- As hundreds of the nation's top taekwondo athletes gathered here to compete for the title of "National Champion" July 8, one competitor stood tall with the weight of Fort Hood and the U.S. Army on his shoulders.
Spc. Albert Lee, a signal support specialist with the 207th Signal Company, 1st Cavalry Sustainment Brigade, and native of Tucson, Arizona, was the sole representative from Fort Hood on the All-Army Taekwondo Team, competing at the 2015 United States of America Taekwondo national championships.
"It's awesome!" said Lee. "I really don't know what else to say. It's an honor and I'm really glad I got this opportunity to compete with the Army team."
Lee, along with seven of his fellow team mates, just finished the All-Army Taekwondo Team trials held at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, where active duty, Army National Guard and Reserve taekwondo athletes from all over the world were invited to showcase their skills for a chance to represent their unit, and the Army, in national and international competition.
"They did well," said head coach, Staff Sgt. Jonathan Fennell, referring to the team's national's performance.
"They got out there, they were able to compete, they were able to defend themselves, and they were able to score," added the mobilized reservist from Savannah, Georgia. "So essentially what we trained for over the past two weeks, we made happen."
Results notwithstanding, being a Soldier-athlete is unique and comes with its own distinct challenges and pressure.
"It's a little overwhelming at times," said Lee, a first time All-Army team member and first time nationals competitor. "There's a lot of pressure because the Army has such a long history of competing at such high levels, so people expect a lot out of you. It's a little over whelming at times.
"Being in a sustainment brigade we're really busy so it's hard. You're tired from work and PT and all that, so it's rough," added Lee. "At the end of the day you don't want to practice but you just have to push yourself to do it."
Those challenges aren't restricted to just the athletes.
"Being in the military is a unique challenge," said Fennell. "Instead of having my athletes year round, they're in the Army. They may be deployed at times, they have their own jobs, and they have to train a lot of times on their own throughout the year, unlike other athletes. When we finally get them, we only have them for two or three weeks."
Although Lee didn't medal, the rookie appreciates the opportunity, and has shown he has learned from the experience.
"I'm not as experienced as some of the other guys on the team," said Lee. "I could have been more aggressive and engaged more. This is the first time I actually had the opportunity to fight someone my size so I think I should've taken advantage of that and been more aggressive.
"I'm just glad I got the chance to experience nationals for the first time and hopefully I'll grow from it," he added.
Fennell, a former Army and Armed Forces team member and world medalist himself, went on to say that they have high hopes for the team this year but it's more about rebuilding the team and securing its future.
"We have a good plan set in place for next year but this could be a growth year," said Fennell. "It's a brand new team. A lot of veterans left two years ago, so pretty much everyone on the team this year -- this is their first time on the team.
"I want to grow the program over the next couple of years. I want to have Soldier athletes in the U.S. team trials and I want some world medals over the next two to three years," he said.
The team's next stop is the world military games in the Republic of Korea during October, where they will face national and Olympic champions from more than 100 nations.
"We fight towards the end of the games so hopefully we'll be able to watch some of the other sports compete," said Fennell. "But towards the end of the games, it will be time to put the game face back on and represent the U.S.A."
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