Matthew Bodnaryk can legitimately say he's at the top of his sport: the martial arts master took home the gold medal at the Canada Open for taekwondo, which ran from October 2nd to 4th. Not only did Bodnaryk win the gold, but he managed to do it while actually coaching two other athletes in different divisions while still competing himself. The Yorkton resident holds a 4th Dan black belt, and is a familiar face as Master Matthew Bodnaryk, at Kees Taekwondo.
"It was a good event, that's for sure," said Bodnaryk.
"Over a thousand participants from over 51 different countries. It's obviously a big, prestigious event, and I had two athletes that I had to coach. One from our school, out of Yorkton, and I had another girl that was from Regina. She had quite a few people that were in her division. We have nationals coming up in January.
"This is kind of our preparation that we do internationally. I'm hoping to obviously get first there too, because then I get on the Canada[ian] team. If all goes well, and I show up for the day, so to speak," he laughed.
Still, he stressed the importance of competition, even if you don't get a medal.
"You still get ranking points. You get more if you win, so you want to get as many points as you can so even if you win at Nationals that they select you and say, 'You know, you're the best individual to represent Canada.'
How does one juggle coaching and competing at an elite level at the same time?
"I've been juggling it a number of years now, where I've been coaching as well as competing," said Bodnaryk.
"Sometimes it does at times get in the way [with officials]. Usually, they're pretty understanding. You just let the official know, 'I'm coaching and competing.' The number one thing is you've got to get your mindset ready. You've got to be ready as an athlete; ready to compete and then a lot of the time once I'm done my competition, I'm running to the change room, getting my shoes back on, and then walking out and cheering on my athletes getting ready to coach."
To compete at a high level, Bodnaryk is straightforward in his advice:
"You've got to be mentally and physically ready for the day."
