CAMAGUEY.- Every day when the sun is about to rise, Professor Aliesky's seven children begin to put together the blue puzzle in the yard of Milexys Muñoz's neighbors. Then start the action on the tatami. Perhaps because of the usual routine, no one imagines the international repercussion of the kicks that resonate in the depths of 10th Street in the Bellavista neighborhood of Camagüey.
In the light of the press, the three medals of little Maily Hernández are now coming out in international online events of Poomsae, the choreographic modality of taekwondo. The two subtitles and the crown that this 11-year-old girl has reaped constitute the pioneer link in a chain of triumphs that the Taewondo athlete from Camagüey have built via the Internet in times of COVID-19.
The efforts of the EIDE Cerro Pelado group of coaches, headed by the young Aliesky Darce, has kept the practice of Korean martial art alive with due compliance with health protocols at each stage of the pandemic.
The practice sessions by age (pioneers and schoolchildren in the morning, and youth and seniors in the afternoon), and the interest in inserting the best students in virtual competitions are summarized so far in 11 medals and the recognition of specialists and teachers from various countries to the quality and consistency of the so-called Lobos de Camagüey.
Maily has become the supernova that everyone talks about, because the silver obtained in the championships called from Buenos Aires and Havana, and the gold in Tabasco, Mexico, have made everyone wonder where that simple place that they see in the videos os.
“Everything begins here, on the little piece of land that the neighbors lend us. There is no need to wake her up, she knows that around 6:00 a.m. the teacher arrives, and a few minutes later the rest of the boys. Taekwondo means everything to her and we do whatever it takes to keep her so passionate, ”Milexys, her mother, told Adelante, who, due to the complex epidemiological situation, ensures that she occupies her time safely.
Leobert Escalona's bronze in Havana and Jennifer Miranda's first place in Tabasco, in the school category; the golden metal of the youth Erika Ladrón also in the Mexican event, and the first category crowns of Alejandro Arencibia and the members of the national team Rafael Cantillo and Pedro Escalona in the contest organized from Argentina, complete the spoils.
To ensure that the preparation of their disciples does not stop, the trainers have created a WhatsApp group to methodologically organize each week. These EIDE students, who are joined by others, continue their development from home and today they have become a Cuban taekwondo power recognized by the national federation.
New online Poomsae contests will be called soon, for which Professor Aliesky has "honed" his students.
“They have the discipline, which is the first thing to achieve what they set out to do. They are all talented, especially the younger girls. I am sure that they will achieve great things, because we are serious at work and we have the support of the family and the school ”, commented the specialist in the new modality.
When we said goodbye there was a few seconds of silence, and he immediately boomed the voice in Korean that made the athletes jump from their place and take their positions, with their guard up. The smiles that hijack the masks give them away the sparkle in their eyes.
Maily and her friends are happy about the tapestry, perhaps the key to the international success of her spectacular choreography.
- Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez