Jeremiah Arce

Professor Rachel Lipscomb

Comp 2

6/8/2026

The Final Match: Gold Medal Round

Referee

Winner… Red!!

The anxious couple of minutes, waiting for the results with my arm being held by the ref. My mind was moving like the Daytona 500 and I felt like I was going to be sick. But relief shoots over me as I hear my parents scream, “Let’s go Poppa!!” “Yeah Jay!!”. 

Red

I prepared for this for months. Day in and day out. Constant mental and physical preparation. Hours on the punching bag and conditioning my body to perform the best of my ability. I was working so hard to the point where I didn’t even think that the result wasn’t guaranteed in my favor. I couldn’t believe I was selected to represent my dojo in the junior Taekwondo Olympics tournament. All it is from here is to fight and hope for the best.

Blue

There is no way I can lose this fight.  The other kid is probably scared. He looks like he is nervous and doesn’t look very experienced. I was literally raised in the home of where Martial Arts originated. After this I might just celebrate with some dinner with my family and relax at home. I’ve been doing this all my life so it should be an easy win.

Commentator 1

These two fighters have been fighting very well throughout their matches so this should be a good one. I love how Jeremiah lures in his opponents so he can land the simple counter attacks.

Commentator 2

Aiden also has been quite mysterious with his attacks as he sneaks in with precision. We have 2 mins until the match starts so who do you guys think is going to win the Taekwondo Junior Olympic gold medal.

Commentator 3

Aiden is a little advanced for his age group so I think he will win.

Commentator  1

Yeah, I agree with him on that one. Aiden is most likely to use the same strategy and Jeremiah has seen nothing like it all tournament.

Red

*Deep breathe*

I got this

Blue

This shouldn’t take long

Referee

Okay fellas. I want a clean match. No hitting below the belt. Bow before and after every round. It is a single point system with timeless rounds. Be safe and have fun. Bow and shake hands.

Both fighters

*Shakes hands*

Referee

Okay go to your sides! Red corner, mouth piece! Blue corner, mouth piece!

Round 1: Testing the Waters

Referee

Fight!

Red 

Bounce, bounce. Keep the guard up. My heart is hammering against my ribs, but the moment I bounce, the nerves fade. Aiden is standing tall, looking relaxed—maybe too relaxed. He comes forward fast, throwing a flashy spinning hook kick. I see it coming from a mile away. I step back, letting the wind of his foot brush past my nose.

Blue 

He avoided that? Whatever, just a warm-up. He’s playing defensive, just like I thought. I press the pace, pushing him toward the edge of the mat with a quick succession of fast kicks. He’s retreating. This is going to be easy.

Commentator 1

Aiden comes out blazing! Striking with incredible speed, putting Jeremiah on the defensive immediately.

Commentator 2

But notice Jeremiah’s footwork—he isn’t panicking. He’s resetting the center line.

Both fighters

*Kicks each other with front kick at the same time*

Referee

No points for either fighter!

The round ends with no points scored. Both fighters return to their corners.

Round 2: The First Blood

Referee

Round 2… Fight!

Blue 

Time to end this. I fake a roundhouse to the body and transition mid-air into a high turning kick to his head.

Red 

He’s lunging heavily. My coach yelled “Counter!” from the sidelines. As Aiden commits to the high kick, I duck my head slightly, slide forward inside his guard, and drive a powerful, crisp roundhouse kick right into his chest protector. SMACK.

Referee

Break! Point, Red!

Score: Red: 1 | Blue: 0

Commentator 3

Wow! Jeremiah timed that beautifully! Aiden threw a high-level attack, but Jeremiah used Aiden’s own forward momentum against him with a textbook counter-roundhouse.

Round 3: Blue Fights Back

Referee

Round 3… Fight!

Blue

Okay, that actually hurt. My ribs are stinging. He got lucky. I need to close the distance so he can’t counter me again. I rush in, throwing a rapid-fire double roundhouse.

Red 

He’s mad now. He’s coming in like a hurricane. I try to block, but his speed is insane. The first kick hits my arm, but the second one clips me right in the ribs.

Referee

Break! Point, Blue!

Score: Red: 1 | Blue: 1

Commentator 1

Aiden answers back! That double-kick combination was flawlessly executed. You can see the experience shining through right there.

Round 4: The Escalation and the Penalty

Referee

Round 4… Fight!

Red 

My lungs are burning. Aiden steps up, looking to push me back again. I fake a retreat, drawing him in just like I did all tournament. He bites. He lunges forward, and I plant my back foot and execute a perfect back-kick right into his torso.

Referee

Break! Point, Red!

Score: Red: 2 | Blue: 1

Blue 

No. No, no, no. I am not losing to this kid. I charge him, desperate. I throw an aggressive push kick that sends Jeremiah stumbling back.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! (The buzzer sounds, signaling the end of the round)

Blue 

I don’t care! Overwhelmed by frustration and adrenaline, my leg snaps out in a vicious, illegal front kick after the buzzer, striking Jeremiah squarely in the face guard.

Red 

CRACK. I didn’t see it coming. I was bowing down and the buzzer had already gone off. My head snaps back, and I stumble to the canvas, stars exploding in my eyes.

Referee

Kalyo! (Separate!) Blue fighter, back to your corner!

Commentator 2

Oh my goodness! A massive illegal strike after the buzzer by Aiden! That is a major violation!

Commentator 3

The referee is consulting with the judges. Aiden is looking at a serious penalty here, it might be an outright disqualification. Jeremiah is getting up, but he looks shaken.

Referee

 Gam-jeom (Penalty point) to Blue! But because the round had already concluded, the point is awarded to Red’s total score. 

Score: Red: 3 | Blue: 1

Blue 

I messed up. My coach is furious, my parents are yelling, and I lost 3-1.

Red 

My mouth guard tastes like copper. My face throbs where he kicked me. 

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Referee

Kalyo! Match over!

The Decision

Referee

Fighters, face me. Bow.

Red 

The anxious couple of minutes, waiting for the results with my arm being held by the ref. My mind was moving like the Daytona 500 and I felt like I was going to be sick.

Referee

Winner… Red!!

Red 

But relief shoots over me as I hear my parents scream, “Let’s go Poppa!!” “Yeah Jay!!”. I did it. The Junior Olympic Gold is mine.

Editor’s Note: I had a concussion after the kick so I didn’t realize that I won.