Center Grove student shines on world stage

<p>For a Center Grove sophomore, the first trip outside of the country for a martial arts competition proved to be a fruitful one.</p><p>In late October, Akimi Kerr traveled to Malta to compete in the World Union of Karate-do Federations’ inaugural Kobudo World Cup, winning gold medals in all five of her events in her age group (13-17).</p><p>Kobudo is the branch of karate in which competitors showcase their skills with six different weapons. Kerr, who began studying karate at the age of 5, took a liking to kobudo early on.</p><p>“It always seemed fun,” she said. “I always liked that part of the training. I wanted to learn about the different types of weapons and how to use them.”</p><p>When the Japanese conquered the island of Okinawa and instituted a ban on weapons such as swords in the early 17th century, Okinawans began to use farming equipment to defend themselves. Those tools are the weapons used in kobudo today.</p><p>Kerr earned gold in each of the five weapons that she competed with in Malta: the bo (wooden staff), kamas (small sickles), nanchaku (two wooden handles connected by a cord or chain), sai (metal trident) and tonfas (side-handle baton).</p><p>She did so despite heading into the event with some jitters.</p><p>“It was kind of nerve-wracking,” she said, “because I’d never been on a U.S. team before.”</p><p>Kerr explains that the hand movements for each kobudo weapon are different, but the stances, legs and breathing are generally pretty similar across the board.</p><p>Her favorite is the kamas.</p><p>“That was my first weapon for competition,” Kerr said. “I’ve always kind of taken a special liking to that.”</p><p>Though she warmed to kobudo quickly, Kerr was not a particularly competitive individual when she first took up karate under the tutelage of her longtime teacher, Ryan Adamson of Adamson’s Karate Studio in Bargersville.</p><p>“Her mom wanted her to compete, and she was not naturally inclined to be competitive,” Adamson said. “But she kept at it, even though she didn’t want to do it, and eventually she started to like it. She started getting real coordinated.”</p><p>Kerr’s medal haul at the Kobudo World Cup put the cap on a year that has also seen her claim championships in tournaments put on by the AAU, the Professional Karate Commission and the Tournament Karate Assocation.</p><p>As a show of respect, Adamson recently gave Kerr the title of <em>sensei</em> (teacher) after her 16th birthday. She put that to use for the first time earlier this month, filling in as the lead instructor for a class when Adamson was out sick.</p><p>“Not everybody can teach,” Adamson said. “I think (Kerr) can teach. I gave her the title <em>sensei</em> because of all of her attributes. She deserved that title.”</p><p>And everything else that’s come her way during a busy but rewarding year.</p>