FRANKLIN REGIONAL'S KARATE KID
Franklin Regional’s Smith one of top junior martial artists in USA
Tom Scott is the Tom Brady of karate, a 10-time U.S. champion with an unwavering desire to conquer his opponent. He makes grown men buckle, oftentimes before a match begins.
So imagine what young Jared Smith, a senior at Franklin Regional High, must have been thinking when he stepped onto the mat to face Scott at the U.S. championships in Reno, Nev., in July.
It was David versus Goliath — a 17-year-old high school senior against a 28-year-old international star.
“I found it difficult to maintain the same relaxed mentality I try to have before I compete,” Smith offered, candidly.
Smith would go on to lose the match by a relatively wide margin. Yet, even in defeat, he made a discovery about himself: He could compete with the best in his sport.
Smith would go on to earn the bronze medal in the under-75 kilogram (165 pounds) class, despite competing at the adult level (ages 18-34) for the first time.
“I eventually managed to clear my head, and I ended up landing a few shots, utilizing strategies that I would use with another fighter,” Smith said of his match with Scott. “I was somewhat disappointed after having the score run up on me, but I was satisfied in the fact that I held my own in the mental battle. I never backed down and I wasn’t afraid to commit to my techniques. It was a special moment for me to be able to fight someone as well-established on the world stage as Tom. Although it was a monumental task, I felt as if it was where I belong. I’m looking forward to another chance against Tom in the near future.”
That opportunity could arrive as soon as Saturday at the Senior Team USA Trials at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Smith and five others, including Scott, will compete for two available spots for the Pan American Championships in March.
“Earning one would be huge,” Smith said.
While Smith is new to the adult division, he is hardly a newcomer to the sport. He was
the top U.S. junior martial artist for six consecutive years in his weight class and a fivetime national champion. He climbed to as high as No. 3 in the World Karate Federation rankings in 2018.
A two-time medal winner at the Junior Pan Am Championships (bronze in 2017, silver in 2018), some believe Smith could become the face of U.S. karate in the future, much like Scott is today. Longtime coach Dustin Baldis, a former U.S. team member and current US national coach, said the gifted Smith was a revelation to many at the national finals.
“For him to do what he did at this age is pretty amazing,” said Baldis, a 1987 Penn-Trafford grad and owner of the Pennsylvania Shotokan Karate Club in Sewickley and Level Green. “Scott is 28 years old, and he competes every other week all over the world. For Jared to go toe-to-toe with him tells you about Jared’s abilities. And yes, he lost, but Tom Scott has won gold medals in the Pan Am Championships and will be favored to win gold again. I can tell you that Jared opened a lot of eyes at the national championships.”
At the Senior Team USA Trials, Smith will be joined by another Western Pennsylvania product in Sereen Askari, a Moon High and Robert Morris University graduate. Askari is an accomplished martial artist on both the national and international stage.
“She won several medals at the Junior Pan American Championships,” said Baldis, who trains both Askari and Smith at his school. “But she never got the recognition for it while in high school.”
Therein lies the rub with karate — recognition. Or lack thereof.
The sport is big in its country of origin, Japan, and throughout the world, but it is a blip on the radar in the U.S. Seldom does one see a karate side kick or punch on SportsCenter, in between the dunks, diving catches and deep home runs.
That said, the sport has finally been recognized by the International Olympic Committee. It will make its longawaited debut at the 2020 Games in Tokyo. For athletes such as Smith, earning a spot in the under-75 kilogram weight class is improbable, given only 10 athletes from around the world will be chosen per weight class. But it provides motivation for a young man who was introduced to the sport at 5 by his father, a blackbelt and occasional coach.
Smith’s younger brother Riley, a junior at Franklin Regional, is also a burgeoning karate star.
“I have no regrets about taking up this sport,” Smith said. “I used to play baseball and basketball, but I gave them up. I definitely miss the team aspects, but not necessarily the sports. I definitely made the right decision for me.”
In the movies, karate is often portrayed as an uber-violent undertaking that leaves one or both combatants bloodied and beaten. And while things can get forceful during the three-minute matches — Smith has knocked down several opponents — it is a controlled discipline.
Proper kicking and handfighting techniques are necessary to accrue points. The fighter with the most precision is usually the winner.
“Karate demonstrates the utmost respect between competitors,” Baldis said. “The sport is one of the most participated sports in the world, covering 191 countries. Athletes within this sport have extreme explosiveness, power and body control that you don’t see in other sports. It requires you to utilize not only your whole body evenly, but more importantly, your mind. Unlike other sports where you can take a timeout or make adjustments at halftime, you have to be able to change tactics/strategies on the spot within a three-minute match. For example, this can be going from a defensive fighter to being an offensive fighter or vice versa at the beginning, middle or end of a match.”
In the midst of all his training (12 or more hours a week) and traveling (he’s a regular at international competitions), Smith has found a balance academically. He is among the top students at Franklin Regional (he takes five advanced placement courses) and has been accepted to Carnegie Mellon University.
His plan is to continue training and competing throughout college, with the hope of collecting more medals.
Perhaps, even an Olympic medal.
“My realistic goal for Jared is the 2024 Olympics,” Baldis said. “I know that sounds far away. But he just turned 18 and he has the potential to get there. He’s a special athlete. He could have earned scholarships in other sports had he chosen to play them, but karate is what he enjoys doing. He is easy to coach, and he goes above and beyond what is asked of him. He has a constant willingness to get better.”
And a drive to be the best. “If I put the time in and continue to dedicate myself, anything can happen,” Smith said. “This sport has been great to me. It’s sent me all over the world. I’ve seen, from a global perspective, how people can be from different places but love each other no matter where they’re from. I not only love the competition, but everything that goes along with it.”