Two local teens make national taekwondo team

By Sean Ammerman

Thursday, Sept. 25, 2008 | midnight

At 4-foot-11 and 85 pounds, Kymberly Buset doesn't exactly strike an intimidating presence.

The Coronado freshman is so soft spoken it's difficult to imagine her dominating the mat in competitive taekwondo.

However, Buset is a fast learner. In three years of martial arts training, she has earned her black belt and risen to the top of the junior ranks.

"I can't let it get to my head because if I do I'll probably start losing," she said. "But I have to watch out for my head because it's usually level with their kicks. It's a disadvantage but I don't let it affect me."

Buset, 14, and Las Vegas resident Devin Neudeck, 16, were the only Nevadans to make the trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from Sept. 5 to 7 for the Amateur Athletic Union Taekwondo Team Trials.

They were also the only locals to make the national team as Neudeck won the male fly senior division (118.9 to 127.6 pounds) and Buset won the female fin junior division (92.4 pounds and lighter).

The two have become close friends training and traveling to national competitions together.

Trainer Terry Blackburn said they are the first Nevadans to qualify for the national team.

"I'm glad no one told us that before or else we wouldn't have went. It was a lot of mental toughness," Blackburn said. "We do a lot of physical training but most of what we do is in the head. You can't go out there and second guess yourself."

Buset qualified for the trials after taking third in July's AAU Taekwondo National Championships, where she lost to Melissa Dang. She had a rematch Dang in Fort Lauderdale, where she came from behind to win.

"It was really cool," Buset said. "I can't wait to go back. I wasn't as nervous as I would normally be because I have faced a lot of these girls before. I did everything I had to do. "

Neudeck, who took second in the national championships, had a major setback when he arrived in Fort Lauderdale.

After training for months for the fin division tournament officials told him he had to compete in the heavier fly division.

"I was fighting a lot bigger guys and I felt pretty uncomfortable at first," Neudeck said. "I was faster than my opponents but I was definitely getting pushed around a little bit."

Neudeck, a third-degree black belt, did not let the new division phase him and went on to have his best tournament.

He defeated Mehdi Farsi, who is seven years his senior, in the finals to become the youngest senior national team member.

"This definitely brings a lot of confidence to my fighting now," said Neudeck, who went from losing in the first round of state tournaments to wining his division at the trials in six months.

Buset and Neudeck will represent the United States in international competitions.

"I was shocked at how well they did, especially compared to these individuals who have been trying to make the team for two or three years," Blackburn said.

Sean Ammerman can be reached at 990-2661 or [email protected].