After only competing in jiu-jitsu for the last few months, 12-year-old Ally Newton is already bringing home medals. In her very first tournament Ally placed first, which was followed up by two more first-place wins and a second-place finish in later tournaments.
It is unique being a girl in the martial arts world. In fact, Ally is the only girl her age at her martial arts academy Hidden Samurai Martial Arts in Owensboro. And while out-of-town tournaments allow Ally to compete against some girls, she mostly spars with boys.
“It’s kind of fun thinking that I can beat a boy,” Ally said.
When Ally was younger, she was involved in soccer. And not long ago Ally was involved in cheering. Frustrated she couldn’t land a back handspring, Ally said, “It just wasn’t really my thing.”
Since Ally’s older brother, Ashton, was already involved in jiu-jitsu, she decided to give it a try. Now Ashton and Ally often spar or “roll” with each other during practice. “It gets competitive,” said Dawn Powers, Ally and Ashton’s mom. But according to Dawn, jiu-jitsu has been a common ground the two siblings have to share.
Sparring, which is like wrestling on the mat, is the part Ally likes best. Dawn says her daughter is not intimidated to stand up and practice or compete against a boy. “It’s a confidence builder,” Dawn said. “I know that if she ever gets into a situation, she is going to be able to take care of herself.”
Despite her daughter’s confidence and skill, Dawn admits being a jiu-jitsu mom has its difficulties. “It’s hard to watch sometimes,” Dawn said. “There are certain moves where she could get hurt. But a lot of it is discipline and her mind. She will cry sometimes, and you have to sit back and let her get through that. That’s difficult.”
But despite any set back, Ally continues to stand back up and face her competitor again. “It shows how strong of a person she is,” Dawn said. “It’s a very empowering thing to watch your child get those skills and the strength inside of her to do this.”
And it’s those character-building moments and life lessons that Dawn says makes this sport so important to her daughter. “It’s a maturity thing,” Mom said. “She takes pride in this. It’s very serious. And it’s more of a submission thing, knowing she can stop someone. It’s not to go out and hurt someone.”
Although Ally is only 12 years old, she is already talking about opening her own martial arts academy when she grows up. Something tells us that we will see bright things in Ally’s future.
