Once in a lifetime chance for Geneva karate athlete

GENEVA – The first time Julia Parma put on a karate uniform as an 11-year-old, never in her wildest dreams could she picture where it has taken her today.

Parma, a 2015 Geneva graduate, recently earned a spot on Team USA and will represent the United States in the Junior and Cadet Championships from Aug. 24 to 30 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

After finishing second at the USA National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in her competitive division in mid-July, Parma earned a spot as one of 11 U.S. athletes who will compete in Bolivia.

“I really wasn’t planning on competing in Florida,” Parma said. “I probably decided three days before we went that I was going to. I never expected something like this. I just went there with no expectations and just figured I’d compete since I had nothing to lose. I got some great experience there and I’m excited to head to Bolivia.”

Parma, who qualified for Bolivia in the 18- to 20-year-old Female Elite Kumite minus-61 Kilograms Division, has been involved in karate for more than eight years, but only has competed competitively for a little more than two as a member of the Illinois Shokotan Karate Club. Elite Kumite is a point-based, head-to-head combat. The objective is to beat your opponent by eight points in a two-minute match by being awarded points through various methods.

Successful punches are worth one point, takedowns are worth three, with kicks to the body and head earning two and three points, respectively.

Although her final match in Fort Lauderdale resulted in a loss to the recently named USA Female Karate Athlete of the Year in Joane Orbon of North Carolina, Parma not only gained exposure to top-class competition, but showed the kind of toughness she brings to the mat.

“She has some guts, that’s for sure,” Julia’s mother, Marian Parma, said. “She really held her own in a very tough fight against a tough opponent. I can tell you that I wouldn’t have gotten up a few of those times ... that’s for sure.”

Julia’s interest in karate peaked from her father, Sam, older sister, Alyssa, and younger brother, also Sam, being involved in the sport. The younger Sam Parma, a Geneva junior, recently was selected to go to Poland in October to compete in the Shokotan Junior World Games.

A simple and usual childhood hobby has turned into so much more for the Parma family, which has lived in Geneva for over 15 years.

“It’s really a family thing,” Julia Parma said. “Not just my [immediate] family, but the ISKC and this team is like a family. I probably see them more than my actual family. We do everything together, and it’s really become a great experience to train together and compete against one another.”

Karate has become much more than just a hobby for Julia Parma, so much that the start of her freshman year at Northwest Missouri State will be postponed due to the trip to Bolivia. Parma, who is planning to study animal science at the Maryville, Mo.-based school, will get back to the U.S. on Aug. 30, a Sunday, with her school year starting the next day.

“Karate is the most important thing to me right now,” Julia Parma said.

But these opportunities weren’t given lightly. The Chicagoland athletes were led by President of USA Karate and ISKC Chief Karate Instructor, John Dipasquale, but the club has several coaches, including Julia Parma’s coach, Brian Mertel.

Not only does Julia Parma credit a lot of her success to Mertel and the way he cares about each of the members of the team, but also the rigorous training program that the athletes endure.

While most of the training takes place during the summer, Julia Parma joked that she and her teammates often like the school year better because a majority of the summer is consumed by karate, sometimes literally from the time they wake up until they fall asleep.

“Training is every single day during the summer,” Julia Parma said. “Every day can be different, but you go to practice then you train one to two more times a day after that. So for most of the summer, you train two to three times a day.”

Mertel puts the members of the team through interval training, which consists of several different workouts with 30-second on, 30-second rest sets. Some of the workouts include ladder drills, medicine ball training and speed and strength exercises. There are often five rounds of seven different workouts that last a total of an hour.

The fun just begins from there, as the athletes leave for more karate training after that.

“The summers get extremely hectic,” said Julia Parma, who earned her black belt six months ago. “It’s pretty much training and work, then to practice to more training. It’s nonstop, but we are even offered more training if we need it. It’s something we all love to do and it’s a passion we all share here.”

Although she still plans to train in college, more so to stay in shape, the Bolivia competition will, in all likelihood, be the last competitive karate in Julia Parma’s foreseeable future.

Marian Parma and her husband have been to most every competition. Both will head to Bolivia with Julia Parma and follow suit in October to support Sam Parma in Poland.

Marian Parma is beyond proud of Julia Parma’s karate accomplishments thus far and could still remember her little girl and her first involvement in the sport.

“Never did we imagine it would turn out to (be) something like this,” Marian Parma said. “It’s been a great experience for all of the members of the team. They are all very talented individuals and it has really kept them focused. We never thought Julia would get this chance, so it’s really awesome.”

Julia Parma will be tested mentally and physically more than she ever has while in Bolivia, competing against some athletes who have internalized the sport more than even her.

Considering her preparation, however, she’s poised to strike and eager to make the most of the opportunity.