SNOHOMISH — Karate competitor Lawrence Muhat, 13, will be representing the United States this month in the Junior Pan American Games being held in Ecuador.
He’s only one of two Americans for his weight class to go to the championships.
Lawrence, of Lake Stevens, is used to the rigors of training. He is in his ninth year of karate, and also competes in track. In the past, he’s also played junior football.
This is his first year in the elite division for karate competition. He and his parents will leave on Aug. 24, landing in Ecuador with a little time to mentally prepare and get used to the time difference. He will compete on the 26th, in kumite, or sparring. He is the alternate to compete in katas.
This competition follows the nationals only five weeks ago, and the training program since has been fierce. His friend Ryan Sanchez, 15, trained alongside him. Sanchez can’t be there for the event, because he’s with his mom in Japan, where he plans to climb Mount Fuji. But before he left, he spent countless hours training with Lawrence.
The core training is five days a week for five to seven hours a day. The preparation regimen on the way to this competition was similar, with a quadrant style system that increased in intensity as the championships are approaching, his coach Casey Mills said.
As for challenges in training for the event, Lawrence said, “I don’t think I have any.” The love of the sport gets him past that.
Mills won’t be making the trip. He runs Karate Northwest on Cypress Avenue in Snohomish. He can’t make it because he’s part of an eight-coach rotation and it’s not his turn to accompany a competitor.
“It is really cool to take these athletes and turn them over” to the national coaching team, Mills said. It won’t be the first time Mills had to let go and watch one of his youthful martial artists go on a trip without him. He sent his daughter to Brazil to compete when she was younger as well.
Lawrence “has competed since he was 7 years old,” Mills said, speaking as if he were talking about his own child. He coached him through the years, and now has the opportunity to
train him for one of the most elite competitions in the world.
This event is preparation for bigger things. In four years, Lawrence can compete to qualify for the Olympics, Mills said.
Lawrence’s confidence is evident when he is asked about how he masters a complex skill called a kata, which can include up to 100 moves, including specific blocks, kicks, steps and punches.
“It’s just repetition,” he said.
Asked what he gets from karate, Lawrence said, “It made me into the person I am today. It helped me develop self confidence.”
