Five years ago, siblings Andersen and Kaitlyn Nguyen made some headlines as members of a karate team out of the Fountain Valley branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Huntington Valley's Clubhouse Academy while competing at the USA Karate Nationals in Reno.
This year, these two budding athletes excelled on the national stage and also made their mark on the international scene.
Andersen, now 13 years old and an incoming eighth-grader at Vista View Middle School, claimed a gold medal in the Individual Kata (form) category and earned a bronze in Team Kata at the Amateur Athlete Union Karate Nationals 2023 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Right beside him, Kaitlyn, now 12 years old and a student at Vista View Middle School, picked up four medals: gold in Individual Kumite and Rotational Kumite, silver in Individual Kata, and bronze in Team Kumite.
Following their success in Florida, the duo competed in the 2023 World Union of Karate-Do Federation World Tournament in Scotland.
Kaitlyn won a gold medal in her Individual Kata, while Andersen won a gold medal in Team Kata, silver in Individual Kata, and bronze in Team Kumite.
'I will never forget the feeling when they called 'Team USA' as I walked into the opening ceremony,' said Andersen, recounting his Scotland experience.' As my sensei always says, 'no one remembers the medals; they remember the moments.'' For Andersen and Kaitlyn, karate isn't just a martial art. It has become their life passion, opening doors to countless new experiences.
'Karate was always something that was there for me, through my highs and lows in life, and has taught me many valuable lessons that I often apply to everyday life,' Kaitlyn said. 'One of my favorite life lessons that I learned is ‘7 times down, 8 times up,’ meaning that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you always find a way to get back up.'
In the coming years, they both plan to continue competing while passing on their love of karate to future generations by becoming senseis themselves.