Fort Lee Taekwondo Star Beats Odds, Opponents

Merissa Pico lives in Fort Lee, goes to school at Dwight-Englewood and makes martial arts magic at on Lemoine Ave.

Pico was born in China in 1994, and she has grown into an incredible Taekwondo competitor under the training of the highly successful Master Alvin Bernard. Pico has been training with Bernard since just before she turned three-years-old. Pico was ranked third in the world when she was only 13 years old and made the United States Junior National team in 2008.

Pico has won the New Jersey State Championship for the past nine years and has won the New York State Championship the last few years as well, on top of finishing third at the trials for the upcoming 2012 Olympics. Pico is currently ranked first in the country in her junior division and second in the senior division. The accomplishments make Bernard happy and proud at the same time.

“It’s been a big accomplishment for her and me and the school,” said Bernard. “She’s a hard worker and it’s always good to get students who want to work hard. I work to see my students accomplish what I have accomplished or other people have accomplished. I want them to be the best.”

Pico, who is no stranger to medals and big events, knew she wanted to compete after she saw a Taekwondo commercial, and her Mother got her lessons as a birthday present. It was love at first sight for the competition and the art of the sport. Pico has never turned back and has achieved so much and been to places she never thought possible.

“It’s been a great experience and also humbling,” said Pico. “I’ve been able to travel the world because of it and have been to Turkey, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Amsterdam, all for tournaments.

But none of it seemed possible in 2009, when Pico suffered a serious back injury during competition. It was unknown at the time if Pico would even be able to attend school or walk properly again, let alone compete in Taekwondo. Four months of serious pain followed before surgery was needed to fix Pico’s herniated disk. It was troubling for everyone involved, including Bernard.

“Yeah that was something,” Bernard said slowly. “She’s a tough girl mentally, and it wasn’t an easy road to come back. It looked easy because she’s winning and doing well. We had to almost start from scratch, make sure she didn’t get injured again, strengthening other parts of her body. It’s been difficult but it’s great to see her back.”

Not only did Pico come back, she came back and regained her number one ranking.

Bernard explained that Pico’s schedule is a little bit different and more strenuous than others.

“At her level, she’s one of the top athletes in the United States in her division, so it’s more than just the basic training," he said. "For her, we have to train more than an hour and we have to do a lot more than just working on conditioning. We have to work on the technical aspect of fighting.”

At Pico’s level, she trains three to four days a week, and around tournament time she will train five or six days a week. But moments like competing at the World Championship in Turkey and making the Junior National Team make it all worth while, she said.

With the 2012 Olympics still on Pico's and Bernard’s radar, she also has some major competitions coming up.

Pico will be heading to Buffalo, N.Y. on May 21, when she will be looking to make some noise in the junior regional qualifying tournament and the adult regional qualifying tournament. The event takes place before the United States Junior Olympics in San Jose, Calif. on the weekend of July 4.

Stay tuned.