Three McHenry County area kickboxers earn gold at nationals

Winning gold at the 2023 World Association of Kickboxing Organizations USA National Championships in May meant something different for Cheyenne Welker, Meryl Swidler and Romeo Orosco.

Gold meant Welker joined Team USA for the first time.

Gold meant Swidler held her spot on the national team.

Gold meant Orosco added another national title as he prepared to start his professional career.

While winning gold in Nashville brought different achievements for the three members of the Z’s Martial Arts in Huntley, it did secure a spot on Team USA, an opportunity to compete in the World Championships in November and a potential Olympic spot.

Earning all of that together completed the perfect weekend.

“It meant the world, us three winning golds, how much dedication that we put into it,” Orosco said. “It was an emotional moment for us.”

The three kickboxers – at different points of their careers – took part in the open tournament May 4-7. Welker, 18, of Marengo, had been part of the Junior Team USA. Swidler, 26, of Hampshire, joined Team USA last season after taking a break from kickboxing while she was at college. Orosco, 26, of Huntley, joined the club in hopes of becoming an Olympic athlete with the possibility the International Olympic Committee will add the sport to the Olympics in 2028.

All three spent months training five days a week and their hard work was rewarded in Nashville. Welker started the weekend by taking down an opponent who had won as many matches Welker had competed in.

Welker held on to win in the 132-pound low kick event after a split decision, earning two judges’ approval versus one.

“Winning a fight like this, that is something that you’ve prepared for for months. It’s like a weight lifted off your shoulders,” Welker said, “but you’re still so excited.”

Swidler held on to her spot on Team USA by winning her K1 style match unanimously 3-0. Although she won in K1, she stepped in to compete in the event at nationals and instead will compete at 132 low kick in the world championships.

[ Marengo High School senior wins bronze medal at international kickboxing championship in Italy ]

Swidler’s been competing with Z’s since she was 5 when she started karate and has been kickboxing since she was 15 or 16. After taking a break for college, Swidler was excited to join Team USA last season and hold onto her spot.

“Just keeping that position was crucial to me in order to keep representing the country and being able to keep kickboxing, compete at the highest stage of competition,” Swidler said. “I just wanted to make sure I could do it the best that I could, be the dominant fighter in that fight.”

Orosco started a big year by winning his match at 132 low kick by a technical knockout. It’s his third national title in kickboxing and fourth national title overall.

Orosco came to Z’s with the hope of qualifying for the Olympics. After competing in taekwondo, wrestling and MMA, he saw kickboxing as a way to potentially become an Olympic athlete and has worked on perfecting his craft before turning professional in July.

“You have to become a champion before you become a champion, if that makes sense,” he said. “It’s that mindset, dedication, hard work, putting in the work, sacrifice. You have to become it before you get it.”

The gold medals were not only a testament to the hard work that the three put in months before the tournament but also to the way Z’s owner Rob Zbilski has run the club for many years.

“It was a great feeling,” said Zbilski, who’s also the president of USA Kickboxing. “We work really hard, and to have all three of them win is important, because it shows what we’re doing and teaching them is working against other athletes across the country.”

The trio will continue that work in the coming months as they prepare for the World Championships in Portugal in November. Orosco will start his professional career, which will include him and Swidler traveling to compete in tournaments before traveling to Europe in the fall.

“It meant the world, us three winning golds, how much dedication that we put into it. It was an emotional moment for us.”

—  Romeo Orosco, kickboxer at Huntley's Z's Martial Arts

While they prepare, the decision of whether kickboxing will become an Olympic sport hangs in the balance. The IOC will make a decision in September.

Each of them will head into a potential bid differently, but they’ll work together as they try to achieve their dreams of becoming Olympic athletes.

“Being an Olympian is the goal for this sport,” Welker said. “Lots of people take it different ways, but this is my goal, to be an Olympian, and I’m going to do everything that I can to get there.”