Personal

I started karate at the age of 5 because my whole family does karate. I thought it would be interesting to start too, so I told my father one day that I would like to start practiving karate. ...I have been on the Junior National Team for 5 years now: 2015 - 14-15 Male Kata, 14-15 -70kg Male Kumite 2016 - 16-17 -76kg Male Kumite 2017 - 16-17 Male Kata 2018 - 18-20 Male Kata, 2019: 18-20 (U21) Male Elite Kata...My real life hero is my brother, Barry Chinen. He was diagnosed with cancer, and lost his fight. However, through his fight with cancer, he showed so much perseverance that he proved many doctors wrong about his lifespan. The lesson he left with me, and his willpower is something I strive to achieve and express through my Kata and in life....My biggest win was 1st place for 16-17 Male Kata at the 2017 Pan American Championships. It was already a big win to have the opportunity to compete at the Pan American Championships, and even more when I was passing round after round. I was already glad that the training I did with my sensei's, and with the support of teammates, that I was able to continue to stand on the tatami. When I was able to win 5-0 to Dominican Republic, I was really happy because not only did I win the finals, but I was able to bring a gold medal home for USA, Hawaii, my dojo, and my supporters, especially my mother and father who helped me bring myself to where I am today....I love competing because of the growth. I realized this recently, but what makes competition so fun is the opportunity to grow during the matches. To be able to reach 1% closer during a high-intensity environment is what makes me excited, since that would mean I am one step closer to a higher level that I was before....I get my inspiration from many people like Kiyuna Ryo, Uemura Takuya, Kinjo Arata, Antonio Diaz, Usami Rika, but also people from different sports like Osaka Naomi, Ono Shohei, as well as people around me like my Karate teammates, and even my friends. I believe that everyone has something amazing and has something we can learn from, which is why I always strive to find inspiration from many different people...."I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times." - Bruce Lee

Career Highlights

2017 USANKF 16-34 Male Kata: Participation
2017 USANKF 16-17 Male Junior Kata: Gold
2016 USANKF 16-17 Male Junior -76kg Kumite: Gold
2016 USANKF 16-34 Male Kata: Participation
2016 USANKF 16-17 Male Junior Kata: Participation
2015 USANKF 16-17 Male Junior -68kg Kumite: Silver
2015 USANKF 16-17 Male Junior Kata: Bronze
2015 USANKF 14-15 Male Cadet -70kg Kumite: Gold
2015 USANKF 14-15 Male Cadet Kata: Gold
2014 USANKF 14-15 Male Cadet -63kg Kumite: Bronze
2014 USANKF 14-15 Male Cadet Kata: Participation
2014 USA Open 14-15 Male Cadet -63kg Kumite: Participation
2014 USA Open 14-15 Male Cadet Kata: Silver

Israel Rodriguez

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