NOGALES, Ariz. (KGUN) — There are the American, Mexican, and Korean flags inside a taekwondo dojo named Jaguares Yom Chi, where Master Jimena Romo De Vivar holds class.
It's located just a couple of miles from the international border, in Nogales, Arizona.
"My students come from different backgrounds," said Romo De Vivar.
"I love the discipline," said Mateo Romero, a yellow belt.
"It keeps me active," said Damian Gomez, a second degree black belt. "I stay in shape."
Romo De Viivar is from Nogales, Sonora. Taekwondo may originally be from South Korea, but it's quite popular in Mexico, where it reportedly practice by one point five million people.
"Right now, the sport is going through a really good movement," said Romo De Viivar.
Mexico's success includes two gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, second only to South Korea. And, just last year, Guadalajara hosted the World Taekwondo Championships, where Mexico tied China for the most medals.
"There is a lot to rescue from the Korean culture," said Romo De Vivar. "For me, taekwondo is more than a sport. It's a martial art, and I teach them the values of taekwondo."
Those values include discipline, respect, humility, self-control, perseverance, and going above and beyond.
"For more, it has to do with what you are made of," said Romo De Vivar. "It's more than your talents and skills as an athlete."
Although, Romo de Vivar's students are quite the athletes. Eduardo Rios and Mateo Romero won bronze medals at the national AAU Championships in Florida.
"It meant a lot," said Rios. "It was good."
"I feel really proud," said Romo De Vivar. "It doesn't matter if they brought home something or not. Just the fact that they're here is really special."
Gomez is following in the footsteps of Romo De Vivar as a certified instructor, teaching the values of taekwondo and embracing the different cultures of the flags in the background.
"I say to them all the time that you have to respect where you come from, be grateful for where you are, and be grateful for the values that are being taught," said Romo De Vivar.
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Jason Barr is a sports anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. Jason's stories have won KGUN four prestigious regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for sports reporting. He has also won two Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards for sports reporting. Share your story ideas with Jason by emailing jason.barr@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
