Meet Park Kwang-Soo

Korea's Eminent Champion and Sportaerobics' Consummate Athlete!

Park Kwang-Soo, born on Sept. 9, 1974 in Seoul, Korea, is the youngest of five children; he has two elder sisters and two elder brothers. Park claims he was a very shy child. He started in the third grade to take gymnastics. It wasn’t until he began to take aerobics as a young adult that he felt his personality grow and develop more confidence, at which time he became more outgoing.

Park Kwang-Soo’s main occupation to date is as an instructor. At this moment, he mainly teaches students who are wishing to go to the University of Physical Study. "By teaching these students, " says Park, "I am able to provide professional-level instruction for many youne college-bound adults, but I also teach beginners as well." Though now taking time off from his graduate studies toward a degree in Physical Education, he will be returning to school in 2005.

Park Kwang-Soo is a four-time gold medalist champion of the Individual Male category of the Suzuki World Cup in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2002, and holds the record for most number of gold medals in this category to date.

Now a husband, he happily married Kong Hyo Jung, his 2003 Mixed Pair’s partner, on Nov. 30, 2003.


Interview with Park Kwang Soo (PARK):

IAF HQ: How did you start/find out about sportaerobics? And how did you begin?

PARK: I saw a TV program of an aerobics competition and that’s how I found out about the sport. A friend of mine recommended that I try to compete.

IAF HQ: How did you enter your first aerobics competition?

PARK: I immediately thought that aerobics athletes performing on the stage ‘looked so great!' I thought that I would surely be able to perform like that if I trained hard. I started to do aerobics because I wanted to be an aerobics athlete.


IAF HQ: How and why do you continue to compete?

PARK: I am not sure why you ask me this question. I like this sport and I want to continue as an athlete for as long as possible, for as long as my physical condition—my physical abilities—will allow. I want to be an athlete who is always challenging himself and one who brings "fresh" ideas as an athlete to everyone. I‘ve been training with these concepts in mind.


IAF HQ: Did you consult a coach, how did you compete in the beginning compared how you compete/prepare now?

PARK: When I started, I had no coach. Then I met Ms. Lee Jung-Ah when I was training to compete at the FIG World Championship in 1995. I am very happy to have met her. She’s been coaching me ever since.

IAF HQ: What else do you do in your life, other than aerobics?

PARK: At this moment, I haven’t got enough time to do much other than aerobics! To take a day off and relax at home is the one other thing I really enjoy!

IAF HQ: What was your first experience or impression of aerobics like?Å@

PARK: It was great fun. When I exercise, I am happy. That basic feeling hasn’t changed at all since the first time I participated.

IAF HQ: What do you like about competition? What do you love the most about sportaerobics?

PARK: About competition: I love it! It always renews and regenerates me. I feel that I can express myself on the stage. It is hard to say in just a few words, but performing itself has a strong and mysterious appeal for me.

IAF HQ: What is the hardest thing for you in your training?

PARK: The hardest thing is to express the new routine as given to me by my coach. To express the choreography while considering and performing not only the elements but also the transitions precisely is very hard, always.

IAF HQ: At what point in your career (or in the preparation of a routine) do you feel the most nervous or apprehensive?

PARK: While preparing the routine, the hardest challenge for me is in the creation of transitions. For instance, to create and perform one element, its transition, and then connect it to another floor element, and then return to a standing movement smoothly, is HARD. And to maintain my physical condition and wellbeing through this pre-event process is another difficult challenge for me. The possibility of sustaining an injury before a competition makes me very nervous.

IAF HQ: How do you feel at the moment you enter the stage? Do you recite any prayer or mantra or use any form of a good luck charm? Any special ways you’ve learned about how to concentrate?

PARK: At the moment I enter the stage, I focus on and try to imagine the feeling I want when everything is finished. When I am back stage waiting, I am saying to myself to ‘do my best, do my best,’ but after I go out on the stage and begin, I am literally ‘thought-free.’

IAF HQ: How many days do you train a week? How long do you train a day?

PARK: I train six days a week, five hours a day.

IAF HQ: What was the biggest mistake you ever made during your performance, or what was the biggest challenge in one of your routines, and how did you manage it?

PARK: The biggest mistake I ever made occurred at the FIG World Championships in 1998 in Catania, Italy. I was feeling huge pressure because it was the third FIG event for me and I wanted to win the title again and make it three consecutive FIG gold medals. After the routine I watched the TV monitor of my performance; I found that I looked so nervous and that I was exuding literally no confidence throughout the routine. It was very tough, but I can say now that it was a tremendously good experience.

IAF HQ: What was your favorite routine? And what was your greatest moment?

PARK: My favorite routine was the one themed "Elvis Presley" that I performed in 1999. I loved the leotard, the music, my hairstyle; I loved everything!

IAF HQ: What do you dislike the most about competitive aerobics/competitive sports?

PARK: I love the sport so, simply, I don’t know…. I focus on what I love about it.

IAF HQ: What do you think is the most important thing you do to prepare for a big event?

PARK: The most important thing is certainly my training. I focus on the event itself, but awareness of my body’s condition is my top priority, i.e., controlling my foods, drinking enough water, making sure I get enough sleep, these are all very important aspects of how I prepare. When I cannot sleep well, I cannot train well. For me, a shortage of sleep is out of the question.

IAF HQ: What other athlete do you admire most? (sportaerobics athlete or other world athlete?)

PARK: I admire Tiger Woods, the most. He works hard always, even though he’s already become a top player.

IAF HQ: What goal do you have for yourself overall, in your life?

PARK: My goal is to work hard, to purchase a big and comfortable house, and to have and establish a happy homelife!

IAF HQ: What advice do you offer to new (younger aged) athletes?

PARK: 1) First, to believe in yourself, to have confidence in yourself and take pride. It’s all necessary and helps you mentally to compete; 2) To train by setting your sights high; 3) Remember that only those people who work hard can achieve their aims in life; 4) And know that those individuals that analyze with their eyes and think with their minds can get solid results with their training.