Olivia's First Karate Tournament

Saratoga Springs SWAT and STORM demo teams

Olivia's sport of choice is karate. It is fun for me that she has chosen something that I can get in to. Many of you might remember the story of how we got to where we are today. Olivia was attending dance class last summer in Saratoga Springs (she wasn't super into it but we wanted her to do something outside of school) and we decided to check out the karate studio next door for Harris. Olivia asked to check it out with us and was instantly hooked. We had her do the summer program (Harris, funny enough, decided it wasn't for him) and have pretty much committed wholeheartedly to karate. Olivia has advanced really well (she is a green belt now) and has excelled. Even compared to other greenbelts she is really quite good. She has great form and dedication and I am quite proud of what she has been able to accomplish.

So far karate has produced a number of teaching moments.

• Last year we had to address winning vs. earning (Olivia didn't win the big drawing at her first karate open house and was quite sad. I think the prize was a piece of karate equipment and she was quite distraught by not winning. I had the chance to explain how much better it is to earn instead of relying on winning or getting for free.).
• Initially Olivia thought she didn't make the SWAT team and we had to talk about having the courage to try for things even though you don't always succeed. (it was immediately after that talk that we received notification that she actually did make the team).
• We had the chance the last couple of weeks to talk about constructive criticism (how it isn't a bad thing but can help make you better) as well as showmanship (Olivia is good at what she does but was translating that into a more "relaxed" attitude that came off as bored. We got to talk about what it means to perform and show the appropriate amount of energy to convince the crowd that you are excited to be there and thus earn their cheers.)
• We also had a good talk about laughs in the crowd and from those that watch her. She was initially concerned about this and it made her feel bad when people would see her and get a smile on their face or chuckle. She thought they were making fun of her but I had to explain that the conflicting images of "cute little girl" and "powerful roundhouse kicks to the face" was just funny. The smiles were ones of enjoyment and were not demeaning, as she seemed to think.)

So anyway, we are really enjoying the ride and believe karate to be a great experience for our little girl. Would I be just as supportive if she had chosen something else? Absolutely. But I still take joy that she seems to enjoy things that I do (read: basketball and Paramore).

So, to bring this section full circle; Olivia was invited to try out for the Saratoga Performance/Demonstration team called SWAT (Special Winning Attitude Team, the team is for 10 and under. There is also a team for 10 and over that is called STORM or Special Team Of Role Models) and was selected as a member. This was only about a month ago, so they haven't had a ton of time to practice their routine yet but, all things considered, they did very well.

On to the tournament. Bobby Lawrence studios hold inter-school tournaments a couple times a year. There are 16 BLK studios throughout Utah. Olivia and her team took 3rd place overall with their demonstration team performance. Here is the video of their performance:

In her division Olivia competed in weapons and forms. She took 1st place in weapons and 3rd place in her form.

Here is the video of her gold medal winning weapon performance:

This is a picture of Liv receiving her 2nd of 2 medals. Way to go Liv!

We also hunted down Olivia's instructor, Dallas Lawrence,(a 4th degree black belt)and got a picture with him. Dallas does a great job and we are lucky to have him leading our studio.