Martial artist places second at nationals, has eye on Olympics

By Kristina Chiapella

TJ Leising has several opponents in mind that he literally cannot wait to kick around.

For some people, your junior year as a mechanical engineering major might be more than enough to keep you busy. This is not the case for Leising, a black belt Taekwondo martial artist.

While Leising admits it can be difficult to balance school and training, Taekwondo has become an essential part of his daily routine.

"If you're able to allocate your time well enough, then it's doable," Leising said. "It just means maybe you won't go see a movie on Friday, but you're able to go train or go to a tournament. It's definitely worth it."

Taekwondo, a Korean martial art and combat sport known for its use of kicking techniques, emphasizes the leg as the body's most powerful weapon.

Leising, who was introduced to the sport when he was 10 years old, studies the World Taekwondo Federation style of fighting that is also practiced at the Olympics.

"Realistically, I'm probably top four, maybe top five heavyweights in the nation," Leising said. "Any national level thing or any team trial, you're going up against literally the best guys in the country, and it takes everything you got in order to hang with them."

On April 26, the 33rd Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships was hosted at Stanford University. This marked Leising's biggest college tournament yet.

Out of an estimated 300 to 400 participants, he took second place in the men's heavyweight division.

The competition was the biggest Taekwondo tournament on the college circuit, and it feeds directly into the Collegiate National Team trials.

If Leising wins at the team trials, he will move on to the Collegiate World Games in Belgrade, Serbia.

Although Leising represents Santa Clara as a martial artist, he trains and competes with the Stanford Taekwondo team. He practices five days a week at Stanford for one to two hours in addition to his own daily cardio workouts.

Santa Clara sophomore Glennis Coursey watched Leising compete at the Collegiate National Taekwondo Championships and was wowed by his skills.

"He is an amazing, talented and accomplished fighter, but he would never brag about what he has achieved," Coursey said.

"When he was in the middle of one fight he turned his back on the guy he was fighting, spun around and kicked him in the head," Coursey said. "The noise it made was insane, and you could tell that kick had so much force. The guy fell to the ground and actually had to be taken away on a stretcher."

Leising has competed internationally in Korea and Japan, and won first place at a competition in Taiwan last July after knocking out his opponent with a well-placed kick.

Right now, he is focused on his next big goal -- getting on the Collegiate National Team.

"There's a tournament in two weeks I have to win. It's against everybody that medaled at Collegiate Nationals," Leising said. "I'm feeling pretty good. It's within grasp."

The team trials are scheduled for May 17 in Denver. If he wins, Leising will become the heavyweight representative for the U.S. college division and begin training for the Summer World Games.

While every athlete might harbor secret thoughts of Olympic gold, for Leising, the reality might not be out of reach.

"For me, it's a huge dream," Leising admitted. "I recognize it's a long, long hard road. At least right now I'm not able to make that commitment with school, but maybe down the road."

Aside from his dreams for the future, Leising's favorite part about the sport is the people he trains with and the physical high it brings him.

"When it's all said and done, what I'll remember most about Taekwondo -- it won't be necessarily first place, second place, that kind of stuff," Leising said. "The memories of the team in Taiwan, hanging out in the stands with friends who came to watch, those are the things I appreciate the most."

Contact Kristina Chiapella at (408) 551-1918 kchiapella@scu.edu.