Black Dragon Martial Arts sixth-degree black belt Tina Fuller and second-degree black belt Liam Rao, 16, wore bronze with pride on their flight home from the World Karate Championship (WKC) World Tournament in Killarney, Ireland last week, where Rao reunited with family to explore his Irish heritage.
“My wife has brothers and sisters there,” Rao’s father, Dr. Raghu Rao said. “We stayed with family near Waterford.”
Waterford rests on the River Suir, reigning over 1,100 years as country's the oldest city in Ireland. It is plentiful in medieval history, food, and art.
"We spent a lot of time in the local area, talking with the people who lived there," said Fuller, grateful for the experience.
Aunts and uncles, two of which Rao jokingly referred to as “The Two Stooges,” drove two hours to watch their nephew place third in both point sparring and Korean forms.
“They came to watch him compete because they had never seen him before,” said Fuller. “He had his little cheering section.”
Fuller competed against several people younger than herself, placing third in point sparring and creative weapons.
“I ended up point sparring against 42-year-olds and I am 56,” she said. “Next year, I’ll be going against 18-year-olds. We just don’t have enough people in my age group still competing.”
As Black Dragon Martial Arts instructor, Fuller gained some knowledge and skills going forward.
“I learned a couple different things they were doing to up our game,” she said, identifying what judges look for in martial arts weaponry and sparring techniques.
During the WKC tournament, Fuller had a rather interesting conversation with one of Rao’s aunts.
“She was critiquing him because she used to compete,” Fuller revealed.
“Wait, what?” Rao shot back with a smile, shocked to learn his aunt once studied martial arts as well.
Fuller and Rao hope to compete again next year, but with an additional competitor – Sault Area High School freshman Hudson Haapala. Haapala qualified to compete in Madrid the year prior, but COVID-related restrictions prevented him from doing so.
Back only one week and Black Dragon Martial Arts team is already preparing to compete in the 2023 national competition.
“Getting on the world team is not easy, there are three phases to competition within the WKC,” said Fuller. “The first phase is a regional competition, where there are qualifier tournaments held throughout the year in different regions across the country. Phase two is the national competition. Those who place in the top four within their divisions qualify for phase three and are now a part of their respective country’s team.”
In order to qualify for Team USA, Fuller and Rao competed in WKC USA Nationals held in Wayne, MI last June. Rao earned three second place awards and two first place awards at the national competition.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Dr. Rao said of his WKC bronze medalist son. “All the hard work and sacrifice has paid off for him. We did a lot of hard work too, traveling, time, and costs.”
Rao’s father, a second-degree black belt, also practices at Black Dragon Martial Arts.
“I really love martial arts,” he said. “When he got into it, I started to like it even more. It gives me the chance to improve my skills.”
As an internal medicine specialist, Dr. Rao encouraged any interested youth to get involved.
He said martial arts can help build self-confidence and positive relationships, while developing the discipline required to challenge oneself physically, mentally, and emotionally. He credited Fuller on her instruction.
“We appreciate the support of our parents for taking time off work, and taking their kids wherever they need to go,” said Fuller. “We had numerous businesses donate to make sure we had enough money to pay for the flight over there. We appreciate the support we have received from the community.”
Black Dragon Martial Arts offers rigorous training six days a week for martial art competitions in Tae Kwon Do, chang-hon patterns, weaponry, hapkido, and cardio kickboxing.
Black Dragon Martial Arts and Wellness Center is located at 111 W. Portage, Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783. The phone number is 906-360-9055.
