▶ Watch Video: Marlboro martial artist says her parents are her biggest motivators
Karate is all in the family for a girl from Marlboro, Massachusetts and while she’s climbing the international ladder in the sport, she said her parents are her key motivators.
Gabby Amato has been practicing karate since she was 4 years old.
“I love the community,” said Gabby. “I love being with my friends, training with my friends.”
Karate is personal passion
Her family also practices and her father opened the Bushi Karate Club in Oxford.
“It’s been one of the best pleasures of my life to be able to pass on what I’ve learned,” said Christopher Amato, Gabby’s father and sensei.
Eventually, karate grew into Gabby’s personal passion.
“Training is, like, one of my favorite things to do all day. If I could be here all day, I would,” said Gabby.
Took first place at worlds competition
Three nights a week, Gabby spends her time practicing foundational and advanced skills at her family’s dojo. But when she qualified for nationals and then the worlds competition in Sweden, she had just five weeks to learn a world class form.
“It’s a very big deal because every sport has their pyramid that they try to climb, whether it’s local to regional to national,” said Christopher Amato. “Many of us, sometimes, just would love to see our kids compete in a bigger arena.”
“The form that she won in Florida with, Kaatin no Kun, she also took then to worlds and took first place there as well,” said Leah Amato, Gabby’s mother and sensei.
Sitting in the crowd supporting Gabby in Sweden was her mother. Back home, she watched Gabby work for this goal as her coach and sensei.
“I just got to go as mom, which was a first for me,” said Leah Amato. “She was just determined that she was going to do this one, so we were in the backyard for hours working over and over.”
Leah Amato said she was proud to watch her daughter’s drive, hard work and determination pay off.
“She comes here, she does her training and she’s here three nights a week,” said Leah Amato. “But she’s also going to a core conditioning coach, she’s also practicing at home.”
“It’s about persevering and pushing through even when you want to give up,” said Gabby.