Written by My karate journey started when I was 7 years old. My brother had joined 9 months prior and was actually the reason I joined in the first place; unfortunately, we had to quit not even a year later.
But in 2019, about a year and a half after we quit, my brother started back up again. I remember sitting on the benches watching my brother’s class, and my mom leaned over and asked, “Do you want to try karate out again?” and I said yes. And then I was back; Sensei even let me keep my Yellow-white belt, so I didn’t have to start over from scratch. But then COVID happened, and we started doing classes on Zoom. I couldn’t laugh with my friends, and the only partner I had was my brother, and that really sucked for 10-year-old me, but slowly we started doing class in the park, then in the back of the dojo, still with masks, but oh well.
Then I was in the Core + class. I was 12 years old, a yellow-black belt, and I’d been back in karate for about 2 and a half years. I had a great group of friends, and it was going well. Then we moved up to the Adults class. I was 12 and honestly super nervous; the only people I knew were the Senseis and my friends. We were doing more complex moves, sparring longer, and training harder.
Then I had my green belt test. Elinor had taken hers the week before, so I knew people were testing, but I had no idea I would. I was told the minimum age to get your green belt was 13; I was sad, but I knew I would get my chance eventually. Then Sensei called me up. It was probably the most stressful thing I’d ever done in my life then. I won’t lie; I cried on the way home, but I did it.
A few months later, I started working as the program director. It was definitely weird having a real job at 13. Still, I had a good time and gained a lot of experience. A few years later, I had my brown belt test. I had no idea it was even happening. Sensei told me, Olivia and Elinor, to line up in the middle; I thought we were just getting more rounds in. I remember joking with Cooper a few rounds in and saying, “We just started, and I’m already tired,” and he looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Don’t say that”.
I was probably on autopilot for the last half of sparring. I was tired and sore, but I wanted that brown belt. And I got it. I cried on the way home (I feel like this happens a lot), but I was so proud of myself.
As I start my Black belt test, I keep getting flashbacks to little 12-year-old me taking her green belt test, with no idea what she’d do in the future. I like to think she’d be proud, if not a bit flabbergasted, at all that has happened.
