FEMALE FIGHTERS

AN ALL-FEMALE MARTIAL ARTS TEAM TRAVELS TO THE WORLD GAMES

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016

STORY BY Halima Aziza      PHOTOGRAPHY BY Mary C. Gardella

As a girl, I studied martial arts in the late 1980s. I can’t say that it was my idea; my parents signed my brother and me up for karate lessons at a nearby studio. Very few of our classmates studied martial arts; none of them were girls. In fact, during the early years, the karate studio had only one locker room. As the only girl in my karate class, I would don my uniform before heading to the studio. In the event that I needed to change my clothes before leaving the studio, I’d hide in the closet. Five years and five belt colors later, I dropped karate.

When I recently met Columbia resident and martial arts master Monique Washington-Jones, she and I chuckled about what it used to be like to be a girl in martial arts back in the day. Yet, three decades later, much like boxing or wrestling, martial arts is still a male-dominated sport. In July, Washington-Jones along with six of her students at WKD Karate 4 Girls – a female-only martial arts academy located in Columbia – defied the norm in the martial arts arena as the members from the academy travelled to the World Organization of Martial Arts Athletes (WOMAA) World Games XVI in Essenbach, Germany, as part of Team USA. The team finished the competition with four gold medals, four silver medals and two bronze medals. Members of the academy’s competition team were invited to try out for Team America after participating in local martial arts tournaments, says Washington-Jones.

The girls, she said, impressed judges with their respect and sportsmanship. “Their positive attitudes earned a solid reputation and got them noticed by one of the team’s recruiters,” she explains. Founded in 1998, WOMAA hosts a martial arts tournament every year in a different country. While the Olympics offers only two types of martial arts, judo and tae kwon do, for black belts only, WOMAA has competitive categories across all age groups, belt ranks, styles and systems. The organization currently hosts more than 450 divisions during three days of intense competition, awarding more than $20,000 in cash prizes and awards.

Only a select number of students were chosen to try out for the World Games, and of those, only the best earned one of the 80-plus slots on Team USA. Members ranged in age from 8 to 56 years and competed against martial artists from nearly 20 other countries. Alongside Washington-Jones (41), the WKD section of the team included Kennedy Myrie (8), Sydney McGee (11), Jules Fewer (11), Amelia Oliver (14), Gabriella Booher (16) and Josie Thompson (56). Myrie, a purple belt and the youngest member of the team at just 8 years old, was ecstatic about attending the WOMAA Games. As soon as she was selected for Team USA, she texted, “Mom, I made it.” Myrie, who had fantasized of visiting Germany years before the prospect of WOMAA even entered her radar, finally saw her dreams come true.

Team member Julianne “Jules” Fewer holds a first degree black belt. Fewer has studied exclusively at WKD Karate 4 Girls since she was 6 years old, competing in more than 20 tournaments and in five Grand Championship rounds, in addition to the World Games. “It’s exciting because I’m doing something most girls don’t choose to do or might be scared to do,” says Fewer. Fewer is not the only young black belt on the team; she shares that distinction with Silver Spring native Gabriella Booher who has experience competing in weapons, forms and sparring. Booher credits watching the movie “The Karate Kid” as her catalyst for joining the sport. “I wanted to know how it felt to have victory and to conquer something that scared me so much,” she says. “I was extremely shy, and joining a sport as intense as this definitely changed my attitude and gave me confidence.” Booher had friends and relatives all over the United States and El Salvador rooting for her during her competitions in Germany. “No pressure,” she jokes.

When is the right time for a young person to begin martial arts training? According to Dr. Mimi Johnson, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, at age 6, kids have developed enough motor coordination and strength to safely begin the sport. The benefits of martial arts training go beyond physical fitness. The practice has been shown to help with stress management, discipline and self confidence. Further, children with ADD/ ADHD benefit from the self-control and concentration required by the sport.

Washington-Jones says that her students succeed outside of her classes. “Their platform is martial arts, but they’re successful in their lives – they get good grades, do well at work, win debate team,” she points out. And there are other accomplishments. Thompson has survived breast cancer. Fewer is a member of the Howard County based Kinetics Dance Theatre Company. Oliver is an avid swimmer. McGee aspires to be an Olympian and professional martial artist, much like mixed martial arts fighter and former Olympian Ronda Rousey. Myrie studies Mandarin, loves science and hopes to become the first Black female president. Washington-Jones has operated WKD Karate 4 Girls since 2007 and offers Korean style tae kwon do and Japanese style kyokushin – the same two styles that her father taught her during her training. When she’s not competing or teaching, she enjoys spending time with her husband, David, and stepchildren, Dylan and Taylor. Her motto: Strong Girls Become Stronger Women remains evident through the success of her pupils. *

For more information about WOMAA, visit womaa1.com. For more information about WKD Karate 4 Girls, call 443-200-4888 or visit karate4girls.com.