L A T him achieve it,” said Brady. “We couldn’t be more proud of him.” For Jax’s parents, it didn’t really sink in at first that he had made the team. “It was like any other tournament where he competed and H won his match. When we finally started talking about going and representing the USA, it finally sunk in,” said Ashton Cavana- ugh, Jax’s mother. When Jax started his journey with karate, he was actually scared of doing the sport itself. However, it’s easy to say that was short lived with his successful career. “He didn’t want to do it. But soon enough, he found a sport he truly loves,” said Cavanaugh. “You will catch him doing karate moves walking through the store. It has been amazing to watch him grow as a person and a fighter. In the last year that Sensei Joe Rhodes has been training Jax, I can really tell how much he has been taught. All of his sensei during his karate career have played an important part on his journey.” Brady states that her son, Chance, lives for point fighting. “Chance has definitely found his passion. It’s just amazing to watch. His dedication to the sport and drive to be the best he can be are unlike anything I’ve ever seen in an 8/9 year old,” said Brady. “Chance puts in the work every day. This is his first year competing and it has been so much fun, I have truly enjoyed every second of it.” While both athletes have different beginning stories, one thing is true: Karate has been beneficial for not only themselves, but for their families as well. Chance Brady “I have been to 12 tournaments so far this year and won my 8-9 intermediate point sparring division in 11 of the 12,” said Chance. “My first tournament was the AKA Warrior Cup in Chicago where I placed 3rd. My favorite tournament win would definitely be the Battle of Atlanta. I have also won the nine and under open rank division at four tournaments this year.” By making the WKU Team USA, both boys traveled to Wales in order to compete at a world tournament to fight different countries from around the world. Jax competed in point sparring, Kumite, and light continuous. Chance competed in point fighting and Kumite. “Also, I hope to make it on one of the junior teams,” said Chance, as well as Jax. “I expect there to be some good competi- tion. I’m looking forward to the challenge.” Chance’s mother, Breanne Brady, explains how she was super excited to get to watch Chance compete in the WKU qualifying event. “This has been a big goal of his, so I was happy to get to watch “Karate has helped us to develop friendships with other par- ents and families throughout the sport. Not only this, but it has also taken us to many places that we likely would not have visited otherwise,” said Brady. “Arguably, the most beneficial would be watching our child do something he truly loves.” Cavanaugh has seen how Jax’s constant work and improve- ment has projected onto his family unit. “Karate continues to be beneficial to our family, letting every- one see how hard works pay off,” said Cavanaugh. “Our youngest son has actually started karate and has learned so much just from 60 DECEMBER 2022 | PROMOTING EVENTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE | INTHEVUE.COM S T O Y N E T U
