What does it take to be the best karate athlete in the country? Our local athletes at Columbia Karate Academy choose to take this challenge every year. Their coach Nick Reeder, helped tell us how they prepare. "Like many select soccer or baseball teams, they attend extra practices, travel to many regional qualifiers and sacrifice many hours doing what they love. And any type of competitive or elite training becomes stressful on the parents and the athletes, but after it is all over, what you are left with is a child who has character built through their own hard work and dedication. You can't put a price on that."

Reeder's crew of 15 athletes just returned from this years USA National Karate Federation's National Championships and Team Trials in Houston, Texas. The local dojo had 15 athletes compete and brought home 18 medals: 3 gold, 9 silver, 6 bronze. "It was our best performance to date, everyone brought home at least one medal" added Coach Nick Reeder. The team is comprised of athletes ranging in age from 8 through 50. "This sport is not just for kids. We have many adults practicing and were fortunate to have 4 on the team with us this year. They have just as much, if not more competitive drive than our younger members. They are the best role models I could ask for. They embrace a major ideal taught within our school, to lead by example."

CKA has had a lot of success in the competitive arena, but there is much more behind the doors than just competing. Coach Reeder helped shed some light on their practices. "We try to service three different types of members at our club. Most of club consists of our recreational members. These are people who attend class a couple times a week and get all the benefits from traditional karate training, such as character development, discipline, and regular exercise. We have a group, around 30, who are competitive. These are the members who attend extra practices and seminars. They also travel and make a commitment to be a part of a team. Lastly, we have a small group, around 10, we qualify as elite. These are the members who have the talent and commitment to qualify for the national team and represent our country at the World and Pan-American championships. Our job is to help everyone accomplish their goals, whether it is to get more confidence, earn a black belt, or win a world championship."