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04/08/2016 12:00 AMKadence Sabatino was just three years old when she realized she was interested in karate. Kadence saw the Shaolin Kempo Academy (SKA) perform a demonstration at the East Haven Fall Festival as a toddler and, from that point on, she’s been heavily involved in its program.
Kadence, 11, has seen plenty of success competing in weapons, traditional forms, and fighting. Recently, she took first place in advanced women’s fighting at the Connecticut National Karate Championship at Foxwoods Resort Casino.
“Fighting is where I really focus my attention. I like it because it’s 1-on-1 and I get to see what I’m made of. I get to see what the other person does. When I spar people, I get to see every style that people fight because every karate school does a different style of fighting. I find it interesting to see how everyone does that,” says Kadence. “It made me feel good about myself and it made me think that I’ve come all this way. All my friends at SKA and teachers have brought me up to that point. It made me feel good about accomplishing that.”
For as much as Kadence enjoys the fighting aspect of the sport, she’s also a gracious competitor who’s well versed in respect. SKA Sensei Joe Darin notes that Kadence is the first to congratulate everyone after each match.
“You can’t teach how humble and respectful she is. She just does that. It’s who she is. She loves working with the kids, loves going to tournaments, cheering on teammates, competing, and, when I see her respect and her graciousness in all of her successes, it never has gone to her head,” Darin says. “After every division, she shakes every competitor’s hands, gives them hugs, and cheers on teammates. That’s the type of stuff you just can’t teach.”
Kadence says she does these things because she recognizes all the effort her opponents put into the competitions.
“I feel like sometimes it’s painful for the other person to get beat because they trained really hard. I can see that in the way that they fight,” says Kadence. “I give them a hug at the end of the match because I know they trained hard and it feels bad to get beat. I want them to know I respect them as much as they respect themselves.”
Kadence’s demeanor helped earn her a spot on SKA’s Storm Team. That distinction allows Kadence to instruct both younger participants and her peers at the academy.
“I think it’s really an honor to teach on the Storm Team because the Storm Team means ‘Special Team of Role Models.’ It’s a big honor to me,” she says. “When I’m teaching the Tiny Tigers [ages 5 and 6], it makes me feel really good to teach kids who are younger than me, so I can teach them what I’ve learned over the years. When I’m teaching the bigger kids, it makes me feel like I’m teaching people who are at my level and people who know a lot of karate. I kind of show them respect to make everyone friends.”
Kadence is currently a brown-green belt, meaning she’s five belts away from attaining a black belt. Kadence believes she’s about two or three years away from reaching that goal. Master Ross Antisdel, who’s instructed Kadence since she was three, knows that she’ll put in as much work as it takes to keep ascending up the ranks.
“The kid has a tremendous work ethic. She trains anywhere from one to three hours per day,” Antisdel says. “She exemplifies all aspects of martial arts and self-respect.”
Having been a champion throughout her life, Kadence continues to stand out in the Krane Karate National Circuit, although she knows that she never could have made it this far without the support of numerous people who are in her corner.
“I wouldn’t be anywhere without my friends, master, sensei, father, mother, and grandparents because they’re the ones that push me the hardest,” says Kadence. “They’re the ones that say I must train more to get better and say to me, ‘To be the best you can be, you must work harder.’ They helped make me the person and fighter that I am today.”