{"id":62041,"date":"2026-01-30T22:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T02:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=62041"},"modified":"2026-01-30T22:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T02:00:00","slug":"inner-strength-tkd-athletes-ready-to-shine-at-nationals-on-home-mats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=62041","title":{"rendered":"Inner Strength TKD athletes ready to shine at nationals on home mats"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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WELLINGTON:<\/strong> Competing at a national championship is always special. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doing it at home is something else entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the opportunity in front of Inner Strength Taekwondo, which will send 11 athletes, many of them first-time national competitors, into action at the Canadian Taekwondo Championships, running Feb. 5\u20137 at the Halifax Convention Centre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For athletes Raya Porter and Ronan Sinclair, the chance to fight for national titles in front of a home crowd is both exciting and motivating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m just really excited to have the chance to keep fighting and hopefully earn a team spot this year,\u201d said Porter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are a lot of advantages competing at home, and I\u2019m proud to represent Halifax.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sinclair echoed that sentiment, calling the event a rare opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of local competition at this level,\u201d he said. \u201cHaving a tournament of this calibre here makes me really happy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I get to show what I can do in front of my home crowd.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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(Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Ronan Sinclair stretches out for a kick. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Both athletes are aiming high, with podium finishes and Team Canada selection on the line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Preparation has been intense, with the team training six days a week, pushing themselves physically and mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHopefully gold,\u201d Porter said with a smile. \u201cBut most importantly, just going out there and fighting my best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the hometown setting, neither athlete sees added pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t believe in pressure,\u201d Sinclair said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s something we put on ourselves. I just go out there, fight my fight, and give 100 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Athletes compete on fight night. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That mindset is something Master Helbert Porter, head coach of Inner Strength TKD, works hard to instill \u2014 especially with a roster that includes several national rookies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are always nerves,\u201d Master Porter said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe key is learning how to use them. Instead of saying \u2018I\u2019m nervous,\u2019 we teach them to say \u2018I\u2019m excited.\u2019 It\u2019s about controlling that energy and trusting the process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Veteran athletes like Porter and Sinclair play a leadership role, helping newcomers adjust to the pace and intensity of national-level competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe lead with our training, our intensity and our experience,\u201d Sinclair said. \u201cBeing a team and supporting each other is the most important thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Ronan Sinclair makes contact. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The stakes at this year\u2019s championships are high. National titles can lead to selection for Pan American Championships, World Championships \u2014 with junior worlds set for Uzbekistan and cadets heading to Brazil \u2014 and even Junior Olympic qualification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis year is big for us,\u201d Master Porter said. \u201cIt\u2019s a process we follow every year, and I\u2019m confident our athletes are ready. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Now it\u2019s about getting them on the mat and letting them do what they do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Inner Strength TKD, competing at home is more than just convenient, it\u2019s a chance to showcase the program, the athletes and the growing strength of taekwondo in the Halifax area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about enjoying the experience,\u201d Porter said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor some, this is their first nationals. That alone is something to be proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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A kick is landed. (Healey photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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WELLINGTON: Competing at a national championship is always special. Doing it at home is something else entirely. That\u2019s the opportunity in front of Inner Strength Taekwondo, which will send 11 athletes, many of them first-time national competitors, into action at the Canadian Taekwondo Championships, running Feb. 5\u20137 at the Halifax Convention Centre. For athletes Raya […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":62031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,21],"tags":[10219,2,50,3600,224,4462,3689,143],"class_list":["post-62041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-sports","tag-canadian-taekwondo-nationals","tag-fall-river","tag-halifax","tag-halifax-convention-centre","tag-inner-strength-taekwondo","tag-raya-porter","tag-ronan-sinclair","tag-wellington"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=62041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/62031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=62041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=62041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=62041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}