YGT Ali Golchin I AM, I Can, I Train
Ali Golchin sent us this video of his gym and training skills. The World is full of incredible people doing martial arts making theirs and our world better. We celebrate you Ali Golchin. He can be found on Instagram; @specs_fitness
“My name is Ali and I was born 3 months prematurely, as a result, I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a condition which impacts certain areas of the brain, resulting in muscle tightness, limited range of movement and, in my case an inability to walk, or at least that’s what I was told. I have just started training in Kendo.”
“Growing up for me was extremely tough, kids my age would see me differently and I was bullied quite badly throughout primary school. I wouldn’t say that was the hardest aspect though, the hardest thing was watching other kids running around and playing while I couldn’t no matter what I did, I would always feel left out. It destroyed me, I felt like I was powerless to do anything. I remember going to my neighbors’ karate class and being forced to leave soon after joining, my dad pulled me out of the class and told me that this was not right for me. I was in tears; I could not understand what had just happened. I was desperate to be treated equal to everyone else, but somehow nothing seemed to go my way.”
“This is a recurring problem in today’s society, even with people becoming more tolerant a lot of people with a disability seem to be written off or judged without any attempt to get to know the person behind the condition, rather than just the condition itself. Even today, when I go out or do an activity, I get many people who stare at me constantly, its pretty uncomfortable and really confuses me considering there are many people with various disabilities out there, most of whom just want to be treated normally like everybody else. The last thing they would want is to feel left out of society. Unfortunately, especially with younger people like me, this tends to be very common.”
“This brings me on to something I feel very passionately about, the use of the word disabled. The word disabled implies that someone cannot do something, whether physical or mental. As human beings, all of us have things that we can and cannot do. This begs the question, if one person cannot walk and one person is not academically intelligent, are both people disabled? People are all capable in different ways. I believe that a more appropriate word or words would be differently abled, as this does not have such a negative undertone attached to it. I think that this could potentially be the first step of many which could contribute to an even more tolerant society in the future.”
“Ever since I was a boy, I have always been obsessed with Japanese history and culture. I am currently learning the language alongside my university studies. This is what influenced me to start kendo at our university club (University of Kent Kendo Club) this October.
I always knew that kendo was a massive part of Japanese culture, but more importantly, I realized that it is not common for people with physical impairments to take part in it. This inspired me to start kendo because I saw it as yet another barrier to overcome but, more crucially I saw it as a way to yet again inspire and pave the way for others. The best thing about our dojo is that I am treated as an equal; I wear the same gear as everyone else and am expected to train just as hard. I believe that these same values should feed into society. I hope to become the first wheelchair kendoka to compete in the UK at some point in the future. We are currently working on adapting the rules to allow this and this is new for the kendo community as a whole. I am certain that with hard work and perseverance, it will happen.
This is yet another barrier in my journey that I will overcome and I want to be a beacon and an example to others. I hope that with my journey I can change views on what it means to have a disability, and show that when you believe and work hard, impossible becomes just another word.”
Special Thanks:
I would like to thank all my family and friends for believing in me throughout this journey. Thank you to all my friends who were there to pick me up after every mistake at football, thank you for pushing me and being there for me constantly during my year in Iran. Without you guys, this would not have been possible. I hope I have made every one of you proud.
Lastly, I want to thank all my instructors at UKKC and the committee for giving me the opportunity to do kendo and use it as a platform to pave the way for others. Know that I will always be grateful and I appreciate all the input from everyone. I hope I can return the favor.
The World is full of incredible people doing martial arts making their and our world better. We celebrate you all.
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