Meet Lexi:
Lexi started Martial Arts at the beginning of Kindergarten, about 9 months later, she joined our Black Belt Club, and committed herself to becoming a Black Belt.
A few months before her Black Belt Test, Lexi committed herself to being a Black Belt Leader, and joined our Leadership Team.
In December 2022, Lexi received the rank of Black Belt 1st Kyu.
Like most kindergarteners, Lexi would struggle to stay on the task at hand. Her parents say, “she would pivot among multiple activities, and not always see an entire project through to completion.” Her parents wanted their kindergartener to build this focus, so they decided to enroll her in martial arts. Now, her parents say, “we have watched her develop and apply these skills. When she is working on a project she sees the entire process through. She is committed and focused from start to finish, and pushes herself to ensure she gets it down.”
You can see these skills on and off the mat. Lexi is part of a nationally accredited competitive dance team, and her dance teacher says, “Passion is clear in every thing Alexis does. When she is passionate about a subject, there is no stopping the lengths she will go to to achieve her goals.”
On the mat, Lexi is very determined to get her skills down the right way, not just the easy way. Recently, Lexi has been working on a Black Belt Form, and if she does not get the move down the way it should be, she will go back, and redo the move until it is done the correct way.
On her journey to Black Belt, Lexi’s determination just kept getting stronger and stronger. On the weekends, she could be seen in Workshops (which are 2+ hours long), and focus on a particular skill. When she was a purple belt, we unfortunately had to switch to Zoom martial arts due to the pandemic. However, this did not stop Lexi’s progress. She took online classes nearly every day, until we were able to have outdoor classes, then eventually indoor classes. Having the added adversity of the pandemic and pivoting to different training styles is enough to make anyone want to quit, but Lexi was committed to her training through it all.
Fun fact about Lexi: she has a twin brother who is also a Black Belt. Before their Black Belt test, they both received a personal letter of recommendation from the Assistant Principle of their school, and he says, “This brother and sister are a special duo, the kind that gives you hope for the future.” We could not agree more, and we are very proud of all the hard work they have put in in achieving their Black Belts, and are excited to see them continue their martial arts journey!