NEWPORT NEWS, VA (WTKR)- As soon as one meets Lucas Ramey, his personality will have the same impact that comes with a strike in his sport.
A rising karate star, Lucas has been taking part in martial arts since he was five years old.
"It was crazy," he recalled of his start in the sport. "I was just in school, I needed a place to channel my energy and, low and behold, I ended up on the doorstep of Axsom Martial Arts."
"He's an inclusive athlete," added John "Moose" Axsom, owner and head instructor of the dojo. "Sometimes people might think that's a limited athlete. Absolutely not. They're the pinnacle because they take their skills and they maximize them to the next level."
Lucas does just that. He lives with autism and has found an outlet and a second family at the dojo. The Newport News middle school student is also a skilled saxophone player and is great with numbers.
"Lucas is like a ball of energy," pointed out 19-year old karate student Michael Eggleston, who also trains at the venue. "You walk in and your day's already better. [Lucas and I], we do unified team kata together, so we really get to spend time really trying to get our craft together. He's an awesome guy to have around."
"If they really pay attention and they really watch, they learn a different level of commitment to the dojo and to his art," Axsom said of what Lucas brings to his fellow martial artists."
Lucas, who is now 13, has shown that commitment as he continues to improve. Along the way, he's navigated more than his fair share of adversity. His father is in a nursing him, he dealt with the death of his uncle last year and, this past January, his mother passed away. His karate brothers and sisters rallied to support him nine days after Lucas's mom died, flocking to the memorial service.
"I was really appreciative," said Lucas. "The dojo was shut down so they could be there, which I'm kind of glad because, without them, I probably could've fallen apart."
On the mat, the 13-year old's mother would no doubt be proud of her son. Next month, he's heading to Romania to compete in the inclusive division of the AAU Karate World Championships.
"I'm looking forward to the new cultures, the new architecture, the cuisine," he said of the trip. "But what I'm mostly looking forward to is defending my title."
Through it all, Lucas will have his mother on his mind, noting that he'll be motivated by her memory and is competing to honor her.
"It's disappointing," he said. "It shouldn't really happen to a 13-year old at all but I can adapt."
His attitude going into the competition is something from which we could all learn. Whether in victory or defeat, Lucas says he will still have plenty to celebrate, be it a championship medal or a photograph and a list of things on which to improve. But in the eyes of many, he's already a winner by the way he's handled his hardships and mastered a championship attitude, an attitude that will serve him well long after he lands his final strike.
"One of the best parts of karate is that it begins and ends with respect," he noted. "This is something you learn on day one and something you can apply anywhere you go."
Six young athletes from Axsom Martial Arts will make the trip to Romania for the World Championships, which will be held July 22-26.
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