When twelve young athletes and their “master,” Fredson Gomes, the co-founder from the Modern Taekwondo Center (MTC), returned to Boston last week after competing in the 2026 US Taekwondo Championships in North Carolina along with some 3,300 other participants of all ages, they brought back six new pieces of hard-won silver and bronze hardware in the junior and cadet categories.
From July 1 through July 5, the center’s girls and boys competed in three categories: poomsae, sparring, and breaking, with 11-year-old Dorchester resident Róisín earning silver medals in sparring and breaking competitions.
Her mother, Nicola Grealish, said that time spent at the center has made her daughter “disciplined, focused, polite, and respectful” both inside and outside the dojang (training hall) on Morrissey Boulevard.
Róisín, however, describes herself as “competitive” and said that she had to battle back after her opponent won the first of three rounds.
“My mom kept on saying it’s just for fun, but I really want to do great, and I really want to win,” she said, noting that her opponent “was really ahead of me, and then in the second round I got super ahead of her, and then in the last round I beat her by one point.”
Afterward, she broke 13 boards and earned her second silver medal of the week.
Her teammate Cormac also excels in board-breaking, and he took the bronze medal for shattering fifteen boards in three minutes. He said the trick is “aiming behind the board and not right at it. Act like you’re kicking something behind it and go all the way through, and it doesn’t really hurt. It hurts more if you miss it than if you break it.”
He said that the recognition “means that my hard work paid off and that I was able to overcome some fears and challenges to be able to medal.”
Nora, 11, also favors the breaking category, while her friends Janafrancesca and Reid prefer poomsae. Also known as “forms,” poomsae is a choreographed sequence of defensive and offensive motions practiced against imaginary opponents.
Regardless of what category they were competing in, 12-year-old Niko said the competition and sport in general “shows you, you have to believe in yourself and trust yourself.”
Niko’s father, Rick Fogerty, who first put him in taekwondo at age five, confirmed that it’s done just that and more for his son. He is especially proud of the way Cormac and his teammates support one another.
“Master Gomes has instilled in everyone, the team. When they go to tournaments, everyone shows up in the morning, and they don’t leave until the last person goes.”
For his part, Gomes said, “They’re there for each other, win or lose. The most important thing is they are there supporting each other. We’re not just teaching taekwondo; we’re developing young leaders. A place where they can be themselves, express their uniqueness, and perform under pressure and really go for it, not being afraid to fail.
While winning is great, Gomes added, the journey that comes before and after is even better. “At the end of the day, the medals you’ll put away in some drawer, but their resilience, dedication, commitment, the friendships built, that’s what’s going to last.”
On Wednesday (June 15), the team and Gomes returned to Gallivan Boulevard, where City Councillor John FitzGerald congratulated them on their accomplishments and presented citations to Róisín and Cormac.
“Out of the entire country, this small little group right here in Dorchester, Massachusetts, went down and you guys, no pun intended, kicked some butt,” FitzGerald told the team.
In addition to the citations for the winners, he said, “I got one just for you guys in general, as a group, for cultivating a winning atmosphere.”
Marina Ostrov, who has twin boys on the team, couldn’t agree more with the councillor.
“I think taekwondo is super beneficial for literally all children; it has something to offer everybody,” said the Dorchester resident. “If you need confidence, this is for you. If you need self-regulation, this is for you. If you need to get some exercise, this is for you. Whatever thing it is that you need, you can find it at taekwondo.”
MTC will be accepting new students in August. To get involved, visit their Facebook page.
