It's been almost five years since Temeeka Jones took up taekwondo, a sport she says she probably never would've been discovered if her father didn't die so suddenly.

Now the 15-year-old is one of the best at her age in the United States, a potential Olympian as she continues to thrive on a national level while honoring the man who gave her the proper genetics.

"She's just so much like Curt," said Jones' mother, Daria. "The way she competes, and how athletic she is."

Jones will compete at the junior Olympic championships in Atlanta on July 6-9. The showcase could be an accomplishment that pays off for years, if she can finish in the top four of her weight class.

A trip to Vietnam for junior worlds would be granted, the Olympics in sight. There's already talk of 2008 being a possibility, although four years later in London seems more likely.

"I'm just going to try my best," said Jones, chin pointed to the ground as she discusses her own talents.

The Olympic spirit runs in her blood. A cousin of her grandfather, Curt's dad, is former sprint champion Gail Devers.

But no one knows where -- and who -- she'd be these days if not for her best friend, whose family happened to have a long line of taekwondo success and ran a studio near Jones' Orem home.

Daria cringes at the thought of her second-oldest child not having a hobby during such a hard time.

Jones was 11 then, back at her home in Orem after her father became a highly publicized victim of a post-game heart attack. It happened Aug. 5, 2001, in the same week-long period of two other sports-related deaths -- NFL player (Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings) and college football participant (Northwestern's Rashidi Wheeler). Their cases were also linked to the controversial over-the-counter stimulant ephedrine.

Jones, who played college football at Utah, died at 35 after he finished a United States Inside Football League game in Las Vegas as an unpaid member of the Utah Lyonzz. The assistant football coach and special education teacher at Granger High in West Valley City collapsed in the locker room.

But an autopsy didn't immediately concern widow Daria as much as the thought of how to deal with four young children, now ages six to 19, who were suddenly guided by a single parent.

Two kids weren't old enough to be immediately affected. Torren, the oldest and now 19, had the temperament to get by. It was Temeeka who became the big concern.

"She could've gone either way, like a lot of kids in those situations," Daria said.

Jones' grandmother and aunt, who happened to live across the street in their neighborhood, took the kids for a week while mom grieved.

Their family puzzle was turned upside-down, was the way Daria put it. A piece taken away, the other ones jumbled.

But a new picture, she's proud to say, is being formed. The kids are thriving. Jones tried taekwondo and has stuck with it.

She has two younger siblings who are also into the sport which emphasizes combat with the feet, and is considered the most popular of the Korean martial arts.

At the Amys Martial Arts studio in Orem, where Temeeka trains, there's posted on the outside window a sweetly fierce picture of the youngest Jones child, six-year-old Nakiah, busting a board with her flying feet.

The concern from Jones' coach and Daria is that Temeeka is again at a perilous age in life.

She's a teenager. Her friends, she said, are athletic and play a variety of sports. But the level at which she's at now is a whole different animal.

While her friends get together for movies or other summertime joys, there are nights when Jones is iced down and way too tired.

Recently she went to Colorado Springs, Colo., to work out for about 18 hours spread over three days. Her coach, Melany Moras, also went. She reached international success with Peru, winning a bronze medal at the Pan-American games.

She sees the ability in Jones.

"Temeeka is a hard worker, very determined," Moras said. "She has the discipline most of the time. Like anyone, once in a while she needs some encouragement to get going. But she could go very far.

"She's about six-feet tall and very powerful. One kick from her will put you down."

It has already made her rise above a difficult situation.

She still thinks about her dad before competitions, and knows that her abilities have a lot to do with him. Sticky notes on her bedposts remind her of all she wants to accomplish, in life and the sport she found when it was needed most.

"I think the best part of taekwondo is that I stay in shape, and don't get overweight," Jones said. "And I have a lot more respect for everyone, including my family. It's given me a lot of discipline."