KARATE KIDS TAKE FLIGHT  

Cruising 35,000 feet above the bright blue ocean with his team beside him, senior Gabe Ruiz prepares to take in a culture unfamiliar to him. Ruiz has been experiencing new cultures while exploring cities around the globe with the United States Karate team for the past five years.  

Ever since he was six years old, his curiosity for learning new sports blossomed when he learned about karate. Finding the right dojo was a challenge, but once Ruiz found the Adamsons Karate Studio, his love for the sport burst wide open. Although karate is not a team sport and most of the kids at his dojo were seven years older than him, Ruiz continued to look up to them as role models. 

“I kind of just always wanted to be like them and be as good as them,” Ruiz said. “They always traveled the world on sponsored trips and I always wanted to be able to do that.” 

Ruiz has been traveling the world since 2014 going to destinations like Hawaii all the way to Slovakia. Taking in new cultures can be a struggle, but for Ruiz, it helps to have his younger brother Will by his side. Both Will and Gabe have been doing karate for the last eleven years, creating a bond that is stronger than most siblings.  

“It has been amazing doing karate with him,” Will Ruiz said. “I am very proud to have such a high level competitor as a brother, and as someone to train with.” 

Competing at the highest level calls for Ruiz training three to four days a week.  

“He knows when it is okay to have fun and mess around [during training],” Will Ruiz said. “He also knows when to focus specifically on training [to get better].”  

As Ruiz moves on with his life, he will take in the lessons he has learned from the countries he has travelled to because of karate.