Family friendly Tri-City karate program is producing champions
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Local athletes will compete in the Karate World Championship in Romania later this month.
- Trinity Martial Arts earned 27 medals in the National competition.
- The regional team, Inland Empire, won over 60 medals in Nationals.
Local athletes hit the world stage after finding success in a national competition.
Trinity Martial Arts returned from the AAU Karate National Championships with 27 medals and two Team USA selections. The regional team, Inland Empire, placed second overall with over 60 total medals.
Athletes Carolyn O’Connor, 62, and Maren Bam, 37, will advance to the World Karate Championships in Romania from July 22-26 competing for the United States.
Trinity Martial Arts is a local dojo with athletes from Richland, Hermiston and Yakima. The regional team, Inland Empire, who competed at Nationals, includes athletes out of various cities in Idaho like Boise, Lewiston and Moscow in addition to Trinity Martial Arts.
Trinity Martial Arts earned 12 gold medals, nine silver and six bronze across different age groups. They also received two coaching medals.
Inland Empire altogether earned 25 gold medals, 22 silver and 21 bronze.
“In order to be picked for world teams, they do it individually, but you have to have competed last year at nationals and earned a medal,” O’Connor said. “You also have to have gone to nationals this year, which we just completed.”
Four athletes were initially selected from Trinity Martial Arts to represent Team USA. Due to expenses, only two athletes will go.
The range of athletes at Nationals is wide, from five-year-olds up to 70-year-olds. However, in order to compete on the global level, United States athletes must have their black belt or be competing at the black belt level.
Bam is mother to 5-year-old Jasper and 8-year-old Madeleigh. Both of her children compete as well. Her son placed 2nd, 3rd and 4th in Nationals and her daughter placed 1st and 3rd. She also does select “Mom and Me” events with them.
Building champions
“We train year-round,” O’Connor said. “We train three to five days a week, depending on your age and if you’re in competition or if you’re just training for a belt level.”
Athletes compete for nine months out of the year.
“It’s pretty intense,” O’Connor said. “It’s a very quiet sport. Although it's an art, it takes a lot of work and energy. There’s not a lot of glory to it.”
O’Connor said scholarships and funding opportunities are slim to none in the karate realm. One athlete from Lewiston received the AAU’s singular scholarship last year for $2,500.
“It’s just a rare thing,” O’Connor said. “So, that was pretty special.”
O’Connor and Bam are set to leave soon for the global competition.
“We are a team with lots of family involvement,” O’Connor said. “Karate builds confidence and leadership skills.”
Athletes from Trinity Martial Arts will continue to train throughout the year as O’Connor and Bam head to Cluj-Napoca, Romania for the world competition. This is the highest level of competition for karate athletes to compete in.
