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Recreation Date published: 6/19/2009
After completing a six-week self defense class in 1988, Stafford resident and Angie Spencer was left with one burning question.
What if? "There was so much more to learn," Spencer said. "In that course, they gave me some basic techniques to defend myself with, but then I asked, 'What if they do this or this to me?'" It was a question that led Spencer down a road of training in Isshinryu karate, to her own dojo, Spencer's Isshinryu Karate off U.S. 17 in Stafford. Now that road is taking Spencer, 41 and a mother of two, to the home of Isshinryu karate, Okinawa, Japan. Spencer will travel to Okinawa in August to compete in the 2009 Okinawa Traditional Karatedo World Tournament. There were many stops along the road for Spencer, a Stafford High School graduate who originally had no interest in karate. "I wanted a quick fix," Spencer said. "I started in a women's self-defense class. I had no interest at all in karate, but of course, once I took the course, I was hooked." Spencer started training in karate at the Massad YMCA. She trained there starting in 1988 until she left to start her own dojo in 1997. Spencer also taught for Stafford County Parks and Recreation from 1999 to 2006. For Spencer, the tournament is not the end but the high point of this road she has been on for more than 20 years. "This is my dream," Spencer said. "I want to be in the best condition I can be in when I go there because in a tournament like this, it's all subjective. So whether the judges like what they see or not is up to them. All I know is that I'm going to be trained and in the best shape of my life at 41 years old." Over the last couple of months, Spencer has been on a strict physical regimen that includes two to three hours of weight training five or six days a week. To condition herself to the humidity she will face in Okinawa's dog days of summer, Spencer has been doing most of her training in her garage. "I understand the place the tournament is being held doesn't have air conditioning," she said.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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