Arlington School & Family Magazine January/February 2016 | Page 11

Sam Houston’s Karate Kid
By Ken Perkins
Christopher M. became interested in karate the way most
8 year olds might: seeing really cool pictures in a book.
Kids kicking and punching bags and each other “ just
seemed like a whole lot of fun to me,” said Christopher,
who would plead for his mother, Denise, to find a martial
arts dojo and enroll him.
She did, under the condition that he tried it for a year.
He did. And he’s still at it.
In fact, Christopher, a Sam Houston High School
sophomore and ROTC cadet, is now one of the best in the
world at his age.

“It’s a sacrifice he has to make,” Denise said. “He can’t
attend all the school functions and go hang out with
his friends as much. But he made a decision that this is
something he should focus on and goes for it. So he’s going
for it.”
Christopher trains at Busho Kai Martial Arts & Fitness in
Mansfield for a minimum of two hours every day. What he
loves most about karate is how it helped him establish selfdiscipline, focus and self-esteem, which he feels translates
quite well to all other aspects of his life, especially schoolwork.
“Discipline was the hardest thing for me – well, maybe
that and the actual movement,” Christopher said. “But
it gives you a kind of mental attitude that you can use in
everything you do.” †

Christopher took f ifth place in the World Karate
Championships in Slovenia last semester, and, as a
member of the U.S. National Team, he competed in
another international tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Staying on top of it all is not easy, said Christopher, who
has to work doubly hard to