MARS — Rachel Honchorek got involved with Tae Kwon Do almost by accident.

Her success in the sport has been anything but.

The Mars High School sophomore — by virtue of winning a silver medal at the USA Tae Kwon Do National Championships in July in San Jose, Calif. — will represent Pennsylvania on the USA Tae Kwon Do Junior International Open B Sparring Team this weekend.

Honchorek will compete in the age 15-17 female welterweight division at the U.S. Open Tae Kwon Do Championships Sunday in Orlando, Fla.

The 10 gold medalists from the 2014 national championships compete on the “A” team while the 10 silver medalists are on the “B” squad.

Honchorek's father, Mike, is a certified Tae Kwon Do instructor and will accompany her as her coach.

Honchorek has been a student of Master Robert Zang's school in Marshall Township, Allegheny County, for eight years.

“So much goes into sparring,” Zang said. “Rachel has very good technique, and she's extremely competitive.

“There is a mental approach to this, too. It's like a chess game. You have to plan your attacks and be prepared to counter-attack,” Zang said.

Honchorek's father said a friend used to meet Rachel as she got off the bus each day after school in second grade.

“His kids were involved in Tae Kwon Do and Rachel started going with them to their classes,” Honchorek said. “After a while, instead of just sitting around and watching, we figured she might as well take it (classes), too.

“Once I saw the interest she had in it, I started going with her and got involved,” he said.

He got so involved that he became an instructor himself, going through the necessary seminars and training to become certified.

“Master Zang has 200 to 300 students in his school and four children of his own,” Honchorek said. “He just doesn't have the time to travel to these major events.

“Being able to go with Rachel, to help coach her and study her opponents, has been a lot of fun for me,” he said.

Rachel stands only 5 feet 2 inches and often faces girls 5 feet 9 inches or taller.

“It's harder, but the taller girls usually aren't as strong as me because we're at the same weight,” Rachel said. “I'm not intimidated because I'm prepared for each match.

“No one understands what it's like out there, trying to knock somebody out with 1,000 people or so watching. It's an adrenaline rush. It's so much fun,” she said.

As a child, Honchorek participated in gymnastics and cheerleading as well. She began running track in seventh grade.

Making Tae Kwon Do her sport of choice was not a difficult decision.

“This is what I want to do,” she said.

And she quickly became good at it.

“As a young girl, Rachel was taking on adult women and beating them,” Zang said.

“Rachel has a ridiculous front leg,” her father said. “She can kick well over her head and connect with an opponent as tall as 6-1.

“It's like in boxing, where reach becomes a factor against a taller opponent. She has to get inside and keep going. But she can be devastating once she gets in there,” he said.

Rachel credits her father for gathering knowledge on prospective opponents. He's been doing so for this weekend's tournament that will include competitors from Sweden, Denmark, Canada and Puerto Rico, along with the United States.

“He'll spend hours breaking down opponents, studying tendencies, counters, all of that,” Rachel said. “He's very dedicated that way.”

Once at the U.S. Open, Honchorek will not know her opponent or bracket until it is drawn the day of the event.

Honchorek described his daughter as “very tenacious. She has that competitive edge. She doesn't like to lose.”

Her goal is to one day compete in the Olympics for the United States.

Zang believes she can get there.

“Rachel is very flexible, very fast and powerful,” he said. “As she gets older, she gets stronger, more experienced and motivated. And she obviously has a strong support system at home.

“She's probably at the level just below Olympic-caliber competition right now,” he said.

Rachel said she trains four days a week with Zang and goes to the gym twice a week.

“When I'm getting ready for a major competition, I'm at the gym every day,” she said. “I don't do weights because muscle mass will cost me speed. I do a lot of cardio.”

Her father isn't thinking about the Olympics — merely the next competition.

“That (Olympics) is a long way down the road. We're just climbing a ladder. Focus on each tournament as it comes, move on to the next,” he said.

He and his daughter are on the same page that way.

“Once a tournament is done, it's in the past. It's not important to me anymore,” Rachel said. “Move on to the next one ... just keep on going.”