It isn’t all that often in martial arts to get an opportunity such as Team USA. It’s more common for that opportunity in other sports such as gymnastics, swimming, track, and a litany of other events. But every so often, the door opens for martial artists to represent their country alongside so many others. In 2016, the door opened.
I’ve been practicing martial arts since I was 7 years old (which is more than half my life by this point) and I’ve been to more tournaments than I can count. However, no tournament was as coveted as the WKC World Championships, because if you made it there, it meant you had a place on Team USA. Of course, as with other Team USA events, spots are extremely limited, and so you had to give your all to even hope for a chance to make it.
I’d attempted to make the team years before, but I unfortunately missed the mark. That’s why when I found out I could get the chance again in 2016, I made sure I would be ready. The training I underwent was the most strenuous thing I’ve ever experienced, and the over-a-year’s worth of practicing and awful diets would finally pay off. I made it through regional and state, and finally I arrived at nationals–where I had fallen short years prior. This time, however, I made my mark and secured myself a spot on Team USA.
Eventually the time came. It was probably the most excited I’d ever been. The event kicked off with a parade of all the countries and teams and it was truly incredible. My first event unfortunately didn’t go as well as I’d planned, but I still managed to place 6th place. But the event I’d truly come for wouldn’t come until the final day of competition: team sparring.
I was on a team with 2 other girls from Team USA, and we’d battled our way through many teams during our event: Team Britain, Team Argentina, Team Germany, to name a few. Finally, it was time for our final team to see which would be victorious in this event. We were against Team Canada to battle for 1st, and since I was the oldest, my fight would be last. My two teammates did very well and got us a decent point lead, but then it was my turn. It was easily one of the most difficult fights from any competition I’ve ever been to, but after a long fight, we won. Team USA secured the gold for the event.
It was one of my proudest moments in my entire life, and it isn’t one I will ever forget. The journey was difficult and I cannot even count the amount of times I wanted to give up. But in the end, it was worth every drop of sweat and tears.
