Mike Vukovcan This past weekend was a big one for 8-year-old Kenzie Costlow of Hopewell Township. She competed in her first World Tang Soo Do Region 22 Championship, taking first place for Weapons (Staff) in the Girls 12 and Under Gup Division, and took 3rd in both Forms and Sparring.
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Region 22 Championship, which is held annually at the CCBC Dome in Center Township. Region 22 is made up of 17 Tango Soo Do Martial Arts studios, spanning across the state of Pennsylvania and as far west as Columbus, Ohio.
Hopewell’s Kenzie Costlow
Kenzie trains at River Valley Tang Soo Do Academy in Ambridge under the direction of Master Scott Homschek, who is also the Regional Director for Region 22. She started training at age 7 as a white belt and has steadily progressed through the ranks to a 4th Gup Brown Belt. She will be testing for her 3rd Gup Brown Stripe in June.
The belt progression for the World Tang Soo Do Academy is as follows: White belt, orange belt, orange stripe, green belt, green stripe, brown belt, brown stripe, red belt, red stripe.
When youth students earn a blue belt, they transition to the adult class to continue advanced training to earn a blue stripe before moving on to work toward a black belt. These higher ranks require much more intensive training and much longer timeframes for testing eligibility.
For Gup rankings such as Kenzie’s, River Valley requires a minimum of 3 months of training between each test for a new belt color or stripe. To hone her skills, Kenzie attends classes at least twice a week.
“I love Tang Soo Do because it teaches me how to defend myself and keep myself safe. It’s fun, and I’ve made a lot of friends at karate. It’s really fun to go to tournaments and meet new people and compete,” said Kenzie.
To win first place for weapons in her division is a big accomplishment. Kenzie has only been learning her staff form since February, when she was promoted to a 4th Gup Brown Belt.
“Not only did she compete against girls up to four years older than her, she also competed against girls who are a higher belt rank with more staff experience,” Kenize’s mom, Nikki Costlow explained.
“When Kenzie expressed interest in karate, we immediately started exploring our options. We wanted her to learn how to protect herself should she ever need to,” Nikki said. “Not only has River Valley taught her self-defense skills, but she has also learned self-control and gained a lot of confidence.”
Kenzie’s dad, Chuck Costlow added, “We are incredibly proud of her achievements at the Championship and how far she’s come in martial arts. We’re looking forward to watching her grow in this sport.”
When she’s not training at the martial arts studio, Kenzie is busy at the soccer fields, where she plays U10 Travel Soccer for the Hopewell Soccer Club. She also joined the BC United U9 Girls team for the current spring season.
“I always chuckle when I see a martial arts move come out on the soccer field. You may not think the sports intertwine, but the kicks and balance she learns at River Valley definitely help her control the soccer ball and move it down the field,” Nikki said.
Kenzie is also excelling academically, receiving all A’s on her last two report cards. She loves math, science, music, and art, and she’s already planning for her future.
“My goal is to become a Tang Soo Do Master or Black Belt and open my own studio so that I can teach other people about the importance of karate,” Kenzie said.
When Kenzie grows up, she wants to become an astronaut. She hopes to be able to do martial arts forms in space at zero gravity.
“I just love what I do,” Kenzie said.
