…there is always the keeping of the mats.

Those drafted to painstakingly pull out each mat manually and stack them in neat piles may never say so, but the backbreaking task is one that is no one looks forward to.

But it’s a crucial one, nonetheless. After all, it literally signifies the end of a successful taekwondo competition. Said competition could never be held without the mats, after all. Poomsae athletes would not have the friction and support needed to perform their pattern, and kyorugi players would not have a surface to safely fall on.

But perhaps most importantly of all, it gives those who are keeping the mats the chance to get to know others also involved. It could range from gossiping about a player handsomeness, to simply exercising some teamwork and lifting up a load of mats together.

At the same time, if wanted, a person could use the time keeping the mats to digest the events of the day in a relatively quiet manner. To use the therapeutic motions of pulling out mats and bringing them back to designated piles quietly, to think over what happened over the course of the day, and how actions and decisions could be improved.

There may also be a quiet feeling of fulfilment involved, in that you’re able to help keep the mats because the event has drawn to a successful close, and everyone is now able to go home after keeping the mats in a restful manner.

Written by Victoire Morier