Lorelei Chamberlain - Taekwondo Career 2008 - 2012

 Lorelei Constance Chamberlain enrolled in Taekwondo classes with Pro-Taekwondo in Gainesville Florida, shortly after moving from Bella Vista California to Gainesville Florida in 2007.  Lorelei rapidly began to excel in her mastery of Taekwondo and began attending tournaments.

Once Lorelei had proven her acumen and natural aptitude for Taekwondo, and expressing her wishes to participate in the 2016 Olympics, an Olympic grade instructor by the name of Raphael Rodriguez was hired to train Lorelei.

In 2011, Lorelei and her father moved from Gainesville Florida to Trinity so that Lorelei could complete her High School Education at River Ridge High School and could train at Trinity Taekwondo Academy in Port Richey Florida.

Taekwdondo Center For Excellence:

• TKD Tournament Team 2013 - PRESENT

Joined Taekwondo Center for Excellence:

• January 2013 - Having confirmed this school has sent students to Olympic competition, Lorelei was enrolled and immediately set out to train and test for her Blackbelt. 

Trinity Taekwondo Academy

• Sparring Team 2011 - 2012

Joined Trinity Taekwondo Academy:

• June 2010 - After Master Raphael Rodriguez coached her during regional tournament and helped Lorelei receive Bronze at her first Jr. Olympic competition.

Pro-Taekwondo Leadership Team:

• Full membership/Outstanding Leadership Team award - December 2009.
• First leadership member to work nightly (16 to 20 hours per week)

Pro-Taekwondo Black Belt Club:

• First orange belt to be invited to Black Belt Club.   September 2008.

Pro-Taekwondo  Master's Club:

• January 2009.

Pro-Taekwondo - Honors:

• Best Attendance, Best Attitude, Most Improved, Best Effort, Best Student (first to receive this award).

Joined Pro-Taekwondo:

• April 2008, after attending a Parents' Night Out event with Kim Slevin.

Belts:

• Yellow - June 2008
• Orange - August 2008
• Green - October 2008
• Purple - January 2009
• Blue - April 2009
• High Blue - July 2009
• Brown - September 2009
• High Brown - December 2009
• Red - March 2010
• High Red - May 2010
• Poom - July 2010

Tournaments:

• International Open - Disneyworld FL (September 2012): Forms 2nd Place; Sparring 14-17 Black Belt: Bronze, Sparring 14-17 Color Belt: Gold, Sparring Blackbelt 18-32: Bronze.
• National Championships (June 2012): Sparring 14-17 Bronze, Sparring 18-32 Gold.
• Junior Olympics (June 2011): Sparring 14-17 Gold.
• Junior Olympics (July 2010): Sparring - bronze; Poomse - 6th
• National Qualifier-Daytona (May 2010): Sparring - gold; Poomse - silver
• 2010 Florida State Championships (March 2010): Sparring - silver; Poomse - gold
• Team Taekwondo 2010 Winter Games (February 2010): Sparring - gold; Poomse - silver
• Taekwondo Grand Prix II - Bradenton, FL (September 2009): Sparring - gold; Poomse - bronze
• 2009 Florida State Taekwondo Championship (May 2009): Sparring - gold; Poomse - silver
• Team Taekwondo 2009 Winter Games (February 2009): Poomse - bronze

The South West Florida Classic Taekwondo Championship - 12/01/2012 Fort Meyers Florida.

Lorelei C. Chamberlain (15 years of age), Red-Black Belt, will be competing in The South West Florida Classic Taekwondo Championship on December 1st 2012, in Fort Meyers Florida.

 

Lorelei C. Chamberlain has been interviewed by Gainesville Sun and WCJB TV20 “Spotlight on The Family” prior moving to Port Richey. Lorelei’s dad, a single father, readjusted their lives in support of Lorelei’s pursuit of the Olympic dream, and in August of 2011, he moved Lorelei from Gainesville Florida to New port Richey Florida, specifically so Lorelei could train at Trinity Taekwondo Academy, the only local Olympic grade training facility teaching traditional Taekwondo.

 

In 2010, during her first competition in Jr. Olympics, and being new to tournaments, she won the bronze medal. However, since that time she has been a gold medalist and in 2011, Lorelei won gold medals at Jr. Olympics, Sunshine State Games, and Florida State Championships.

This year (2012) Lorelei won gold medals at Friendship open and at National Championship in Dallas Texas, and also in the 2 nd annual International Open held at Disneyworld, Orlando Florida.

 

At the age of 15, Lorelei now attends River Ridge High School in New Port Richey Florida where she maintains a 4.3 weighted GPA in AP and Honors classes. Lorelei was invited to become involved in Air Force Jr. ROTC and she has been invited to numerous Air Force Honor Societies.

 

Lorelei has volunteered 300 hours with charitable organizations such as The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, The Knights of Columbus Council 6109, and C.A.R.E., Inc., to help feed the hungry and house the needy. In September 2011 and 2012 Lorelei volunteered to participate in the St. Jude Kick-A-Thon, to help raise money for the children of St. Jude Medical Research Hospital.

 

Lorelei has travelled to Rhode Island, to attend a special boot camp held by Olympic Trainer Juan Moreno.  Lorelei will be visiting staff and administration of the Olympic Training Center in Colorado in 2013.

 

Lorelei will be competing The South West Florida Classic Taekwondo Championship on December 1st 2012, at WCT Gymnasium 12801 Commonwealth Dr. #15 in Fort Meyers Florida 352.642.4523.

A Pasco student of Tae Kwon Do has Olympic ambitions

NEW PORT RICHEY — Lorelei Chamberlain is one powerful 15-year-old.  As the River Ridge High School sophomore took to the mat Tuesday at Trinity Tae Kwon Do, she prepared for the Southwest Florida Classic, a tournament this weekend organized by master Toby Oliver of Fort Myers. Only six of the best schools in Florida have been invited, an opportunity for Chamberlain to showcase her signature power in the Korean martial art of self-defense.

"Her power is her biggest attribute," Trinity TKD master Rafael Rodriguez said. "When she spars with someone and they attack, only to get hit by one of her counters, they think before they attack again. It's a big strength for her on the mat."

Originally trained by her father, Chamberlain was known at tournaments as the girl without a coach. She made her start at competitions without anyone to argue her case with officials or give her instructions when she was on the mat. Then one day she fought one of Rodriguez's proteges and immediately wanted to train under the young dojang master.

"I saw that a lot of his students were winning and then I met him when I fought a girl who is now one of my friends," Chamberlain said. "I started talking to him and wanted him to be my coach. It's important to have one because you can't speak for yourself in these competitions. He pushes his students pretty hard sometimes, but it's great to have the support of this academy because it keeps me motivated."

She has gone on to become a state champion, national champion and Junior Olympic gold and bronze medalist in tae kwon do, the sport that has captivated her time and energy for the last five years, beginning in California. Eventually the family moved to Gainesville so her mother, Tanya, could attend the University of Florida. Last year, as Lorelei devoted herself to training at Trinity TKD, she and her father moved to New Port Richey to save themselves the drive.

Lorelei Chamberlain brings dedication to everything she does, maintaining a 4.3 weighted grade point average at school and also participating in Air Force Junior ROTC.

Now she has set her sights on a lofty goal. As a result of her success at the Junior Olympics in 2011, she hopes to make a run at the 2016 Olympic Games set for Rio de Janeiro and will visit the Olympic Training Center in Colorado next year to meet coaches and see the facility.

James Chamberlain, 46, has steadily helped her along the way. As a kid in California, he studied Hwa Rang Do, another Korean martial art, and used his knowledge of the sport and what makes a good dojang to hunt down the best options for his daughter.

"One thing master Rafael (Rodriguez) does that I really like is that he ends each session with meditation," James Chamberlain said. "I think this is by far the best traditional interpretation of tae kwon do that I've been able to find anywhere."

For Rodriguez, the importance of having students with goals like Lorelei Chamberlain's is important. After two years, they are still getting adjusted to one another when it comes to competition, but he already sees in her the potential to fulfill her dream.

"Lorelei is definitely capable of anything," Rodriguez said. "She's at every tournament we go to and is very open to trying anything I ask of her. She listens really well between rounds. We've still got some things to work on, but over the last year she has really come a long way. As a coach you want students that are committed like her because the training pays off, and I don't have to worry about her safety in the ring — she knows what to do."

Reprinted from Tampa Bay Times Article By David Rice, Times Correspondent - David RiceTampa Bay Times In Print: Thursday, November 29, 2012

http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/a-pasco-student-of-tae-kwon-do-has-olympic-ambitions/1263726