As a six-year-old a decade ago, Kosciusko High School junior Anna Beth Hedgepeth joined a karate class.
“I heard about it and wanted to give it a try,” she said. “It sort of took off from there. I love the competitiveness of it.”
That love became something of an avocation, resulting in an age group championship at the International Sport Karate Association (ISKA) competition held over the Fourth of July weekend in Orlando, Florida. As a member of the Competitive Edge karate team, she won all six of her divisions.
That included world titles for the 14-17 age group for CMX (Creative Musical in Extension) for weapons and forms. Her weapon of choice is a nunchaku, a traditional Okinawan martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks contacted at one end by a short chain or rope.
“It’s probably the hardest weapon. I started it and stuck with it,” she said.
Anna Beth has also used a Bo staff, a six-foot wood pole, and Kama, a scythe.
Her next competition will be in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Aug. 20-21 and she will compete in Quebec, Canada, next spring.
Anna Beth was a sprinter in track as a seventh and eighth grader, but gave it up to focus on martial arts. “I don’t have the time to do both.”
She works out at least an hour a day.
Anna Beth said Competitive Edge is the second highest team in competitive karate, behind Team Paul Mitchell. “That’s my biggest goal. I probably will never get there. You have to be really good.”
Wood Breaking
Anna Beth is not the only Attala County resident who excelled at the ISAK martial arts competition. Teammates Paxtyn DuBard and Burgen Simpson won world titles in wood breaking. Justin and Robin Cuellar are their instructors.
