Michael Bols of Mazon medals in Team USA taekwondo competition

Power, speed and acrobatic grace are at play in the choreographed taekwondo moves of 16-year-old Michael Bols of Mazon, who specializes in its freestyle poomsae discipline. This January, he qualified as an alternate for the U.S. national team after competing in Portland, Oregon, and winning twin bronze medals.

Team trials for Team USA are held every year, with an eye not just toward the Olympics, but also the Pan American Games and world competition, said Katie Bols, his mother.

His medal-winning performances led to an invitation to participate in the upcoming Pan American Games.

And while he won’t be headed to those games, Katie Bols said just the invitation itself is an honor, adding, “I’m so proud of him.”

Michael has been training at Lee Family Martial Arts in Morris since the age of 7, and started to formally compete in 2020.

Before taekwondo, he had sampled a variety of sports, but wasn’t happy with any of them, said Katie Bols, recalling how Michael approached her and her husband, Mike, and asked to try martial arts.

“Something inside of me clicked and I knew I needed it in my life,” Michael said of his very first visit to the Lee Family Martial Arts training hall, or dojang.

Today, he is a third-degree black belt and an instructor at the martial arts school, where he works with all ages of students from children to adults, including his mother, who describes him as “an encouraging instructor.”

“I’m always training and always teaching,” Michael said. “I love having the ability to pass [on] this great sport and the great knowledge that comes with it. … I do believe everybody should have the experience of some sort of martial art like this – the gateway to so many opportunities."

Michael credits the practice of taekwondo for also instilling such traits as determination, persistence, patience, loyalty, honesty and self-respect.

“It has taught me so much,” Michael said. “With taekwondo, it’s not just another sport … it becomes a part of you."

The homeschooled student specializes in the freestyle poomsae form of taekwondo, rather than the combative sparring discipline, the latter already an Olympic sport, with hopes that freestyle will join its ranks in the future.

“Basically, [freestyle] is a form you create yourself that has all aspects of taekwondo,” Michael said, citing a combination of flips and kicks.

Among its hallmarks, taekwondo is noted for its airborne spinning kicks and quick hand moves. Michael selects the instrumental music for his routine, which he choreographs in tandem with his coach.

Michael also competes in pair freestyle, featuring a male and female partner. Following their bronze-medal win at the recent U.S. team trials, the pair is an alternate with the national team. The sport is judged, in part, on how in sync the two athletes are.

“I think of Michael like he is my little brother,” his coach and master of taekwondo Yoochan Lee said in an email. “We trained hard for many long hours ever since he was a color belt. There were some tears of frustration, but also many proud smiles and moments of achievement. When Michael started competing, I was so nervous, because it felt like it was me standing on that mat.

“I stood with Michael and watched as his skills improved, and his scores and placements began to rise,” said Lee, who travels with him to competitions. “I was beyond happy! That is why I love teaching taekwondo so much. I enjoy seeing my students grow, and it makes me incredibly proud.”

Yoochan Lee is the son of Changmin Lee, a grand master of taekwondo, whose wife and daughter also help operate the school (facebook.com/LeeFamilyMartialArts).

Because Michael turns 17 this year, it is his final year of competing in the youth division. One of his dreams is to represent Team USA in next year’s world poomsae competition, which means securing a passport is on his agenda.

He’s been training hard since 2020, and Katie Bols recalls his eventual silver medal win in a regional competition following three years of pushing himself to improve.

“It was an amazing thing to see,” she said, calling taekwondo a lifelong, mindful sport.

Michael says a trait he’s proud to have gained is persistence.

“When practice seemed impossible, falling down and getting back up,” he said of the power of tenacity. “More than just fancy flips, it helped me with my strength, with my belief in myself, my relationship with Christ, so much more than I can put into words. It’s something you have to experience to truly understand.”