Ella makes Jr USA Team again and bound for Chile!

After a few setbacks this year, Ella made the top 2 in U14 (12-13 year old) female kata at the USA Karate National Championships held last week in Richmond, Virginia. For the second year in a row, she qualifies to represent Team USA at the 32nd Pan American Karate Championships next month. This year's Pan Ams will be held in Santiago, Chile.

We are all extremely proud of her and all the hard work she has put into karate. She joined Sensei Kai Leung's Shotojuku dojo here in Astoria, New York at the age of 4, and started competing at 5 years old. She has spent countless hours of training, both virtually and at the dojo, and somehow manages to keep up with her schoolwork.

As Ella is now starting to compete internationally--first at last year's Pan Ams in Mexico City, taking home a bronze medal; then at her first World Karate Federation Karate-1 Youth League tournament in A Caruna, Spain this past April--we are reaching out to our family and friends for support. Any funds raised help cover expenses for Ella and a chaperone, as well as extra costs for training camps, both virtual and in-person. Anything helps, even sharing this link goes a long way!

Thank you in advance to all of you. She promises to give it her all in Chile.

Cover photo: JRLarroche