 
AQUATICS
Christine is an athlete member of The Curle-Burke Masters Aquatic Club [CUBU] affiliated with The Curle-Burke Swim Club [CUBU] located in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC. The club is in association with United States Masters Swimming [USMS] and Potomac Valley Swimming, and is renowned for producing top Olympians, National and International world class swimmers. She has been swimming since she was a toddler, but discontinued this life-long passion during her high school days. During her years in college, she concentrated on the sport of Taekwondo under the tutelage of Leon Preston, 7th degree black belt, United States Taekwondo [USAT].
Her love and passion for Aquatics, specifically for swimming, did not diminish even though she had not been active in the sport for 22 years. In 2007, plagued with numerous injuries from Taekwondo, she decided to join The Curle-Burke Masters Aquatic Club [CUBU] to make a comeback to her life-long passion. Her goal is to compete in The United States Masters Swimming [USMS] Freestyle events, specifically the 25m, 50m and 100m sprints.
Currently she is training very well and owes her motivation, confidence, and performance level, to her dearest mate John L. Holloway, 7th degree black belt, World TKD Hall of Fame, United States Taekwondo [USAT], and her swim coach Mark Liscinsky, Assistant Coach of the Swimming & Diving program at American University, and ranked in the All-Time Top Ten list in the 50 and 500 freestyle, the 100 and 200 breaststroke, the 200 butterfly and the 400 IM. They both have been tremendous in their encouragement and support.
John L. Holloway, has specifically succeeded in pushing her to overcome her fear of swimming the Freestyle, which has plagued her since her high school days. Her only regret is that she is currently not training as frequently as she would like to with Coach Holloway, in Taekwondo, but intends to make a gradual comeback to the Martial Art in preparation for her 6th degree black belt, in the near future.
Christine intends to dedicate her first competitive swim to John Holloway and her greatest wish is that he will be there to witness it and cheer her on to victory.
CUBU COACHES
- MARK LISCINSKY - Speciality: IM Focus. Assistant Coach: Swimming & Diving Program, American University
- JOE CORONATO - Speciality: Freestye Stroke Technique & Swimming Focus. American University Swimming & Diving Team.
"I was born on the land, but am at home in the water.
It is in the water when I have my purpose, where reliable habits and routines command my body.
Conditioned by countless strokes, my arms and legs settle into a graceful rhythm. Kick, pull, kick, pull, and breathe. I have only one mind-set: To be faster than my opponents.
As time passes and the water removes my senses, I concentrate on making my strokes stronger and more efficient. My mind focuses on practices I have already completed, and visualizes races I have yet to win. Pain consumes me, making me a prisoner of my own thoughts.
With this pain, I cry out into the void where nobody can hear me. Still I swim.
My resolve strengthens as my arms tighten and my legs throb unmercifully. A private war rages on as I swim, struggling to grasp a substance that cannot be grasped. Every breath a treasure to my burning lungs.
I must battle my own body and mind as I push myself towards the end, knowing I alone will be responsible for my successes and failures.
I alone, a swimmer Beneath The Surface."
-- DEDICATED TO SWIMMERS EVERYWHERE, IN THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE --
 
WTF: Taekwondo-Fist Foot Way
Christine is a 5th degree black belt in Taekwondo [6th degree candidate], having trained under the tutelage of GrandMaster Tae Hong Choi of Oregon [9th Dan], and Master Leon Preston [7th Dan] of Washington. She is affiliated with TKD2XCELL, in Seattle, Washington, but currently trains at Gentle East Taekwondo at the Arylawn, Maryland campus.
She represented the State of Oregon in the 1988 and the 1992 United States Taekwondo National Championships, Women's Lightweight Division. Undeterred by the numerous injuries she sustained during her competition years; fractured left radius and ulna and dislocated elbow on two occasions requiring bone grafts; fractured and dislocated jaw [chipped teeth]; minicus cartilage strain; 11 stress fractures on both left and right shins and insteps of her feet, she still persisted in competition, but this time competed in the Poomse [forms] division. As a child, Christine had to undergo open-heart surgery for ASD and has overcome all odds to arrive at a stellar level of fitness through her rigorous swimming training program. She owes this to her swim coach and mentor Mark Liscinsky, Olympic Trials Qualifier, for the 2000 and 2004 Summer Games.
She has dedicated nearly 25 years of her athletic career to Taekwondo in all capacities, as athlete, Instructor and Master-Mentor. Her goal is to attain US National Referee Certification and her 6th degree black belt. Currently, when time permits, she is training under the tutelage of her dear mate, Master John L. Holloway, 7th Dan & International Hall of Fame award recipient.
Taekwondo is one of the most systematic and scientific Korean traditional martial arts, that teaches more than physical fighting skills. It is a discipline that shows ways of enhancing our spirit and life through training our body and mind. It is these very principles that has given Christine the inner strength and determination to persist even in the midst of the many physical challenges that she has had to encounter, what her GrandMaster has always said about her, that she is truly an "indomitable spirit".
Today, it has become a global sport that has gained an international reputation, and stands among the official games in the Olympics.
The World Taekwondo Federation is the International Federation [IF] governing the sport of Taekwondo and is a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations [ASOIF]. The WTF recognizes national Taekwondo governing bodies recognized by the NOC in the pertinent country, one in each country, as its members.
Click on the Video Clip to view Athens 2004
Click to View Images From The 2007 U.S. Taekwondo Open Championships
World Taekwondo Federation - Olympic Rules and Regulations
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