Page 36 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 106

36 Issue #106 November 2021 www.sportsenergynews.com

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Athlete of the Month
Athlete of the Month

Lauren McCready

Age: 16
Grade: 11 Registered Massage Therapist Sheryl Calvank-Rodriguez, RMT
Hometown: Bainsville
School: Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School
“I have been playing hockey goalie for 6 years now,” says
November’s Athlete of the Month Lauren McCready, “and
the things I love most about hockey are the people I’ve KARATE KOMMENTS
met along the way, the experiences I have gained, and the
competitiveness of the game itself.”
Lauren is eager to develop her goaltending skills. “I’ve been training under Adam
Russo’s AR Goaltending for a while now, and my goal is to keep improving my skills
and techniques so that I can teach them to my young goalies in order for them to be the By Jim Riddell,
best they can be,” she explains.
This young goaltender is proud of her hockey career. “My notable accomplishments are Seaway Karate Club
definitely playing boys’ hockey the most that I could,” she says. “I played boys’ hockey

for 5 out of my 6 years. I am currently on the Midget Rep team in Char-Lan.” Lauren
also appreciates being noticed and involved in helping other young goaltenders. “I think
I started teaching at the age of 13 or 14,” she explains.
For post-secondary, Lauren plans to attend med school to become a surgeon, and she’d The Best Age to Start a Child in
like to play university level hockey.
Karate

ith much of the sporting world having been either shut down or
Waltered considerably for well over a year, things are now starting
to return to a somewhat normal format. Parents are once again looking
at getting their children involved in the martial arts and with this comes
Maxwell Ming - P.Eng, CFP ®
Financial Planner inquiries as to how old a child must be to register for classes.
Financial Planning • Investments • Insurance This is one of the most frequently asked questions a martial arts instructor

613-932-7526 • Max@mingassociates.com receives. There is no right or wrong answer to this question. Instead, the
answer mostly depends on the expectations of the parents and the base
age limit set by the karate school. What does the parent expect from
karate classes? It may only be for the child to try a new sport for a few
months, or perhaps to gain self-confidence, or learn to protect themselves
against bullies. A long-term goal may be to eventually earn a black belt,
or to develop a hobby that could last for a lifetime.
All schools have a set age that a student must reach before beginning
classes. Some have had great success with programs such as” Little
Dragons” that are usually designed for the 4-5 yr. old. These classes
are usually a half hour in length and are very basic. Some martial art
styles that focus strictly on personal self-defence will not accept students
before they are teenagers. Most clubs are somewhere between these two
examples.
At Seaway Karate, we prefer children be seven years of age before
joining us. By seven, they are able to follow simple rules and concrete
directions. By this age they have mastered throwing and catching a
ball, riding a bicycle, and are able to combine motor skills and follow
movement patterns. Students must be able to combine blocks, kicks, and
punches while doing drills on the various types of pads, know their left
from right, and follow a movement pattern when learning kata. These
skills are easily learned at age seven, and even by some exceptional six
yr. olds. Children at this age are becoming increasingly social and making
new friends at class, which helps to to maintain their interest level.

Karate, with its progressive belt rank system is goal oriented, providing
children with clearly defined levels of progress not found in many other
sports. They also learn patience and discipline, as it will take several
months of hard work to achieve that next color of belt. Methods and
teaching styles differ greatly between instructors and dojos. As a parent
it is very important that you choose one that meets your comfort level and
the needs of your child.

KARATE QUOTE- Martial arts is about developing the path between
self-protection and self-perfection.