Local karate athletes represent the US at the Junior Pan American Championships

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Some of the country’s best karatekas train here at Hiro Karate in Summerlin.

Earlier this month, the team put on a great show at the U.S. National Karate Championships. Four girls from the school (Skyla Harling, Presley Allen, Angelia Adreevski, and Kalina Adreevski) earned the right to represent the U.S. at the Junior Pan American Championships in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“I’m so excited to have this opportunity. I’m going to do my best and have fun no matter what,” Harling said.

Their coach Hiroshi Allen has been there from the beginning and says the most fun thing for him is seeing the girls put into practice what they learn in the dojo.

“I’ve taught most of my students since they were 5,” Allen said. “To watch them grow and especially with this group of girls that I have, they’re becoming young women.”

In preparation for their competitions, the girls follow a strict training program.

They train six days a week, but the girls say the workload doesn’t bother them as they never get bored of stepping onto the mats.

“Karate takes time,” Presley said. “It’s not something you can do in a few months. After a while, as I got older, I saw how much Karate helped me.”

These girls undoubtedly win in spectacular fashion, but they say the biggest lesson the sport has taught them often comes when they lose.

“It may not always be about the medals, because you keep learning from these tournaments,” Presley said. “It’s not like you win them all and you get medals all the time. You live and learn.”

“There’s a lot of ups and downs in pretty much any sport,” Harling said. “There are times when you don’t do your best, but there are also times when you’re very successful. I think it’s just about trying hard and never giving up.”