Karate kid
New Glasgow youth headed to international competition
Anyone who watched the Canada Day Parade in Westville probably saw Maddox Fields.
A member of the New Glasgow Karate Club, he and his father demonstrated kumite (freestyle martial arts fighting) along the parade route.
People will want to keep on watching the 13-year-old as he enters the world of international competition this summer. In August, he will travel to Argentina to compete in the Junior Pan American Karate Championships.
While he is still young and relatively new to karate, Fields has worked hard to get to this point.
He started taking karate lessons when he was nine years old.
“I used to play soccer, then I kind of got bored of that,” Fields said.
But when he tried karate, he was hooked.
As sensei of the club, Cherry Whitaker soon recognized his talent and put him in touch with coaches who could help him pursue an interest in competitions.
“He has spent the last year and a half training with the Nova Scotia Karate Team, once a week for the whole year,” Whitaker said.
This means travelling to Halifax weekly, while also competing in tournaments in various provinces to gain experience.
In February he fought in Quebec at a national championship, after which coaches from the Nova Scotia team recommended that he train with the Canadian team in Toronto in June.
“This was a coach recommendation that rarely comes after this little competitive experience,” Whitaker said.
During the national training, three people in his age group from across Canada were trying out for a spot, which he ultimately succeeded in securing.
Whitaker believes three qualities have made Maddox successful so far in his pursuits.
“Number one, he’s very focused,” she said. “Number two, he has a great ability to see something and make his body translate and do it. The third thing is he is really willing to practice hard. He has a lot of determination.”
In addition to the local support and practice, his weekly training with nationally qualified coaches at the provincial level have helped to prepare him, and will continue into August.
“Strategy is a really big thing – figuring out how you use your skills best and to apply them against different fighters with different skills,” Whitaker said. “At the Pan Am level they’re very fast, and very focused as well. It’s truly a joy that Maddox gets to go. It’s great experience for him.”
Fields said he usually get nervous when he competes, but does his best to keep that under control and to appear relaxed.
“Other people say that I look calm,” he said.
While he knows the odds of winning a medal on his first appearance at an international competition are slim, he said his goal is to win at least one round.
Whitaker has no doubts he can do it.
She said it’s exciting to have someone from the New Glasgow club interested in competition.
“For a long time I had a hard time getting people to compete. Now there’s excitement in the club about competing. That is joyous for me.”
A funding page has been set up to help Fields raise the money he needs to make the trip. Anyone who would like to help can make a donation at https://makeachamp.com/maddoxfields .