AETF reporter
Katarzyna Rozwadowska

Email to KR

Mr Philip Lear from England, V Dan, chairman of Vision Taekwon-Do, AETF Board Member is no longer a single man... How did this happen?

• Could you introduce to us the Lady who stole your heart and tell us something about her?
  Her name is Ellie and she comes from Hastings which is on the south coast of England, she's 23 years old and keeps herself very fit teaching and swinging kettlebells.

• When and how did you meet?
  We met at the sport centre where I teach Taekwon-Do and Korean Kickboxing back in 2007. We were introduced by the manager of the centre as she had just started working there, I didn't think much of our first meeting, but when I started my Korean Kickboxing classes there she came to the first one to try it out and that's where I got talking to her. I then went to see the manager again to get some background information on her, like if she was single etc... and then I built up the courage to ask her out on a date, she said yes and the rest is history. Funnily enough, she was only planning on working at the sport centre for a short time until something better came along... then I came along.
• How did you know she was the only one to marry?
  As all TKD instructors know, the hardest thing when you have a relationship is finding someone who can accept you for who you are and your passion for teaching and practicing Taekwon-Do. Ellie has always supported me 100% with everything I have ever done in TKD, she understands that I travel for competitions, meetings and courses as well as the work that I do with TKD Tigers training instructors around the world. I feel very fortunate that I have her in my life and one of the first things I said to her once we got together is that I would never take her for granted. Everyday I wake up feeling full filled with her in my life and I appreciate everything that she does for me.

• How did you propose to her?
  Was it in some special way? Or maybe she proposed to you? :)
  Ha ha ha, Ellie would never have proposed to me. In fact she thought I would never be interested in marrying her as our life runs at 100 miles (160.93Kms per hour). It was on New Year’s Eve of 2008, we had been together for a year and a half, we were having a party with friends at our house and at midnight I asked her to follow me upstairs as I was concerned about our pet dog who was up there. She came upstairs and then I hugged her and told hr how I felt and how important she was to me in my life, I dropped to one knee and proposed. I had the ring in my pocket all night and felt so nervous leading up to the time, but fortunately she said ‘yes’. Many people said afterwards that I only asked her at that time as she had drunk lots of alcohol... my answer is that like in sparring you have tactics!
• Is she involved in Taekwon-Do?
  I mean does she practise, support or connect with your TKD club?
  She doesn't practice Taekwon-Do, although she does answer the phone for new students and helps with the enrolments, she also prepares all of my TKD accounts and attends all of our social events. She even comes to competitions to help out selling equipment on the stalls. I can imagine there are many other TKD instructors reading this now feeling very jealous!!! Some of the girls from our club who have boyfriends or husbands in Taekwon-Do have got together to create their own group, the TWAGS (Taekwon-Do Wives And Girlfriends), they regularly do events and beauty days together, so that's a great way for the girls to socialise too.

• Where and when did you get married?
  After we got engaged we discussed many ideas and options, we decided we wanted to do something a bit different and get married abroad. Originally I thought we would go to Jamaica or somewhere like that, but Ellie, knowing my strong connection with Malaysia (from my years of training and living there) suggested we get married there. I was completely flabbergasted and couldn't believe what she was saying, as I hold Malaysia so dear to my heart as a second home. We decided to get married on 3rd August on the romantic island of Langkawi just off the West coast of Malaysia. I was also very honoured to have my instructor Master Tan Eng Kiat as my best man on the day as well as having some of my closest friends attend.
• Did you enjoy your wedding?
  Now what is there not to enjoy, we stayed at an incredible hotel called Casa Del Mar where you are treated like a King and Queen, we managed to get an upgrade into their Royal Suite and we had the most incredible weather you could imagine. The day started with the registry office in Kuah (the main town on Langkawi), we then returned to the hotel for a romantic lunch together by the beach with champagne of course. At 3pm the other TWAGS arrived from the other hotel and got themselves pampered in the suite (where I sent 2 bottles of champagne up to) in preparation for the beach blessing. I went off with my friends to their hotel where we went swimming in the pool and just having a few beers at the poolside relaxing. At 6.30pm the scene was set with an aisle created on the beach and Ellie walked out with her dad to a beautiful music track that helped to set the atmosphere. The ceremony finished by 7pm and we had lots of photos taken on the beach during the sunset, then had our wedding breakfast by the sea surrounded by candles as the evening drew in and it turned to nightfall. Yeah, so not a bad experience I guess.

• Did your wedding have a Taekwon-Do element/s?
  Well, I had said that I wouldn't do any TKD whilst in Malaysia during our wedding, but Ellie said that I should still take my dobok with me, so in fact I did get some photos done on the beach with Mr Matt Gibb. But as most of the guys were from TKD, we did sneak one photo in our wedding outfits performing a Yop Chagi, although Felix Kelly's trousers were so tight he could hardly lift his leg, (it's the way these youngsters wear the trousers nowadays). Apart from that, we kept it just about our wedding.
• How would you like to spend your honeymoon (if it is already finished how did you spend that time)?
  We stayed for about 5 more days in Malaysia after the wedding, but spent most of that time in Kuala Lumpur with our friends where we did lots of shopping and bit of travelling towards the west coast where we visited an elephant sanctuary which was incredible, so we didn't have a honeymoon as such as I needed to get back to run 2 weeks worth of Taekwon-Do Summer camps for children in the UK. We are however looking at now going away over the Christmas period and are looking at New York and Miami or we may go to Dubai for some sun.

• Have you already decided who is responsible for cleaning the house and cooking, who is more capable? :)
  Ha ha ha, I hope Ellie doesn't see this. We both work very hard together, I would say Ellie is very good at the cleaning side of things and she does do her fair share of cooking. I actually enjoy cooking and when we were dating I cooked lots for her (I think she thought how lucky she was to have a man who cooked), but I have to admit I probably don't do as much cooking (and cleaning) as I should. I do however do a great job cooking on the barbeque which is where the man’s place is!
• What are your plans for the next few months?
  As most other Taekwon-Do instructors my calendar is now full until Christmas, I have activities, events, gradings and courses every weekend leading up until December. But I am focusing on preparing my students for our forthcoming black belt grading, a TKD Tigers Instructor Update course in Rome and of course the European Cup. Which is why I intend on spoiling my new wife at Christmas time and take her away for an amazing honeymoon that she will never forget.