By MARC MCGOWAN
DONNA Banks simply wanted to instil confidence in her two daughters when she enrolled them at Kakushinkan Shukokai Karate as four year olds.
That part of the equation has proven a success: her eldest, 11-year-old Cassandra, is the school captain at Chirnside Park Primary School.
But Cassandra and Tegan have blossomed so much since starting the martial art that they each won silver medals at this month’s Australian Karate Federation National Championships in Perth.
The medal-winning performance was an early birthday present for Tegan, who turned 10 just days later.
Cassandra, a four-time Victorian representative, is also set to make her debut for Australia at next month’s biennial Oceania Karate Championships in Suva, Fiji.
“We’re thrilled at their success and it exceeds all our expectations,” Donna said.
“We started the girls in karate just for self-confidence. We never thought they would be representing their state and country.
“Cassie was extremely excited (when she found out). She was in the car with her dad and I was on the phone and apparently she was quite vocal and screamed the car down.”
There may be little between the siblings in age, but Donna said their personalities could hardly be more different.
“They’re actually opposites,” their mother said.
“Tegan is more outgoing and a real go-getter and that’s why kumite really suits her, whereas Cassie is more of a perfectionist and why she is a kata girl.”
Kumite and kata are the two competition disciplines in karate.
Kumite is the sparring side of the sport, whereas kata involves a series of technical movements.
Tegan’s national achievement was in the 10-year-old girls 35kg-plus kumite category.
Cassandra’s silver medal came in the 10 and 11-year-old girls individual kata and she also added bronze in the team version of the discipline.
Those medals follow her effort to claim bronze in the 10-year-old girls kumite a year earlier at the same championships. She came fourth this year.
Cassandra will compete in kumite in Fiji, with selection based across a two-year period.
“Cassie was out injured for two weeks before, so I think she was a bit tentative,” Donna said.
“She had a compressed nerve in her back – an injury she sustained with an impact to the back – but she’s all recovered now.
“She hasn’t really been hurt before. The kids are quite protected with their gear and things and she takes it all in her stride.”
Cassandra continues to train six days a week at Croydon under sensei Daniel Thomas in the lead-up to the Oceania championships, the only change being her complete focus on kumite.
Tegan trains three times a week, but combines her karate commitments with ballet and, until recently, basketball as well. She also plays piano.
The Oceania Karate Championships is being held between 11 and 13 September.
