When you sit down to talk with 14-year-old Christine Chow, she is quiet and respectful.
But step onto the judo mat with her, and a fierce tiger emerges.
The New Westminster Judo Club member heads to this weekend’s 2016 Canadian judo championships with an eye on getting one win – preferably the first one, with more to follow.
Considering she’s been in the sport for just two years, the checklist of challenges Chow has undertaken is impressive.
“I didn’t expect to get here when I started,” said Christine. “My main goal is to win one fight, at least one, and hopefully place. But one win is the first goal for me.”
She has notched many wins in her two-year trajectory upwards.
A Burnaby Mountain Secondary student, Chow was directed towards the sport by her father, Warren, who had learned the martial art as a boy growing up in Victoria.
His daughter took to the sport, with her first competition being a major achievement and triggering a desire to compete at the highest level.
She’s already surpassed her father’s expectations, going from white to green – four levels – in a short span.
“Four (belts) in two years, that’s quite accelerated. I took judo when I was younger and it took me a long time to get to a green belt,” her father recalled. “There are so many resources in Vancouver for the training and support that I didn’t have in Victoria.”
She’ll be competing in the female under-16 48-kilogram division.
The New West club proved to be the perfect place to begin, said Chow.
“After the first tournament, I just started liking it… I did better than I thought I would. After that I’d have a few good tournaments, a few bad,” she said.
“There were a lot (of butterflies).”
She is one of just two New West club members heading to Calgary – the other being Riley Maruyama, who is competing in the veteran men’s 81-kilogram division. They are among a 111-member B.C. team taking the trip.
Getting to the B.C. Winter Games a few months ago was a major accomplishment, especially considering the injuries she suffered along the way.
“I fractured three things – my ankle growth plate, and that had me out for three weeks. Then I fractured my thumb, which kept me out for a couple of weeks. I’ve also hurt my pinkie. I haven’t done too much to it, but I think it was fractured. I’ve just continued through that.”
The broken thumb occurred three weeks before the Winter Games, and a week prior to the competition she was advised by a doctor not to fight.
Instead, she decided to let her coach tape it up and proceed.
“I was (worried). I hadn’t trained as hard as I should have with my thumb like that. I think in one of my throws it sort of slipped out, but, besides that, the fight went as normal.”
She returned from Penticton with a silver medal.
Helping her reach each new challenge have been her competitors and coaches. To prepare for each tournament, her New West coach encouraged her to seek out other coaches, and she credits Sensei Blake Tsuyuki of the Burnaby Judo Club.
Chow has learned the art of the throw by meeting and occasionally losing to more experienced opponents, she said.
“I try to go against with people who are better than me so I can get better. You learn more when you go up against tougher people… (It’s tougher), especially since it’s physical, very physical.”
To qualify for the nationals Chow needed to attend one selection tournament, a selection camp, a pre-approved open, regional or out-of-province event, and a minimum of five regional team practices within the calendar year.
Like her belt count, she exceeded those by a large margin.
Now the fun begins.
“Most of my fights are won by throwing someone,” she says. “When I go in and control everything (it’s ideal). It doesn’t happen (much), but I won most of my matches by throw.”
That’s where the tiger comes out. And when Chow’s opponent pulls herself off the mat, they’ll be met quietly and respectfully.
