Her Moves: Milan Moore's Story

Milan Moore is a 17-year-old student on the national karate team and competes in kata. She is the national junior kata champion! We spoke with Milan last week and asked her a few questions about her relationship with sport and activity and her story so far.

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How/When did you first get involved in your sport?

I started karate at ten years old. My sister’s friend had a karate birthday party at her dojo and that was how we got introduced. My father who used to do karate in Japan had always wanted us to do a martial art, so my two sisters and I decided to give it a go and karate instantly clicked with us. We have been doing it for six years now!

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Are there any other sports/physical activities that you did before the sport you do now?

Yes, I tried many different activities to find something that clicked with me before finally finding karate. I did swimming, drama, piano, ballet, and gymnastics but none of them clicked with me the way karate did. It took a while to find it, but I think it goes to show that there is something for everyone!

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How has sport and physical activity impacted your life?

Had I not started karate I would not have competed in countless competitions or travelled to many countries like Germany, Belgium, Cyprus, and Czech Republic. I gained more confidence through competition and learned discipline through training to get better. Relationships you make through sports are very valuable as well, as friends can help motivate you and you can be each other's support systems. Also, through doing karate I have the confidence to be able to defend myself if there ever is a situation where I must.

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What is your favourite pre/post exercise snack?

I love smoothies!

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Who has been your most influential coach and why?

My most influential coach is my current coach Brendan Perry who is the junior Irish kata coach. He was the one who brought up the idea of me competing for Ireland in the European championships and encouraged me to try for the spot. I can now say that I have competed for Ireland in the European championships twice!

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Have you noticed girls your age stepping away from sport? If so, how does it make you feel?

I have, and seeing it makes me upset especially if they were friends who I trained with. Seeing other girls doing sports helps to motivate me to train harder too so watching them move away from sport is discouraging and makes me feel slightly lonely too.

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What is your advice to someone thinking about dropping out of sport?

Think about how far you’ve come and how long you have been taking part in the sport for. Think about how much you have achieved and the friends you made along the way. Sport is good for your physical health but also for mental health and wellbeing. Don’t quit! Taking a break from the sport instead might help instead of quitting all together. When you restart after your break, you may realise how fun the sport is and how important it is to you!

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Is there any advice you have for parents trying to support their daughters in sport?

I would say don’t put too much pressure on them as it takes the fun away from the sport, as it can cause them to dislike it and want to quit. Getting to the top is obviously desirable but won't work if your daughter doesn’t want that. It is most important that your daughter enjoys sport to continue!

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Have you any advice for someone thinking of getting involved in karate and how can't hey get involved?

I would say do it and don’t feel intimidated or inferior to the higher belts. I can confirm that as a blackbelt, seeing newcomers makes everyone really happy and enthusiastic. I also feel that throughout your journey in karate, every belt you grade for feels like a great achievement and I think that seeing your progress is very worthwhile!

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When is your next competition?

The 3^rd of September is the kata nationals and after that I have the Scottish open at the end of the month and the Irish open in October.

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Who is your female sporting role model?

My female sporting role model is Grace Lau who is a kata athlete from Hong Kong. I look up to her as I admire her constant resilience and efforts. She trains extremely hard, and her hard work paid off as she won the Asian championships this year which was her first gold medal after constantly losing to Japanese athletes over the years. She made history as she won Hong Kong's first gold medal for karate!

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Tell us a fun fact about yourself!

It’s my birthday today, 25^th August!

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A SPECIAL THANKS TO MILAN FOR TELLING HER MOVES ALL ABOUT HER STORY. IF YOU HAVE AN INTERESTING STORY TO TELL, PLEASE LET US KNOW. YOU CAN MESSAGE US ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK OR TWITTER!

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#FINDSOMETHINGTHATMOVESYOU

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