Beyond the Dojo: Cameron Kennedy
For nine year-old Cameron Kennedy, breaking his leg on a playground was difficult as it took him away from competing and practicing his favorite sport, karate.
ORLANDO, Fla. - It’s often said that injuries are the worst part of sports. Not only is the physical recovery exhausting for many, but the emotional and mental strain can make things even tougher. For nine year-old Cameron Kennedy, breaking his leg on a playground was especially difficult as it took him away from competing and practicing his favorite sport, karate.
Against surmounting odds and growing negativity, Kennedy clung to his strong will and a powerful positive attitude, working his way back into the dojo after months of recovery.
The key to maintaining optimism, according to his mother, Tina, was a saying that he could repeat to himself while in recovery.
“He has this mantra he would say every time he would get frustrated, ‘This is tough, but I’m tougher.’ It helped a lot, especially because he has anxiety and depression, so that was something that really got him back in a positive mood,” said Tina.
Kennedy’s injury, a spiral fracture to his right leg, took him nearly eight months to heal from August to March. First, he had to wear a full-leg cast for four weeks, which was so heavy it was nearly impossible for him to move. After being confined to a wheelchair, he moved on to a boot and crutches. From there, he made it out of the boot and into physical therapy. The whole time, he kept up on his karate skills by practicing his hand motions while lying on the couch and working with his good leg as much as he could.
While in physical therapy, Kennedy also went back for karate class, but found himself having to start back at square one. Due to the muscular atrophy from his time in a cast, he had lost much of his balance and was falling over after each kick. It was an extremely frustrating process for Kennedy, who had started karate two years earlier while his family was living abroad in Italy.
However hard it was, his mantra, “This is tough, but I’m tougher,” kept Kennedy going.
Eventually, Kennedy was able to return to competition at the AAU North Carolina District Championship earlier this month. It was like he had never left. He took home gold medals in kata and kobudo and claimed the bronze in kumite. It was a great reward for months of hard work by Kennedy, whose ultimate goal is to become a black belt.
It was a long and hard road back to competition, but it was always going to be worth it for the Kennedys. To Kennedy and his mother, AAU Karate means a lot. Tina calls their home dojo, Goldsboro Okinawa Karatedo, their “second family.” The relationships that Kennedy has with his fellow competitors are his favorite part of being involved with AAU Karate. In between his turns to compete, he’s often heard being everyone’s best supporter, cheering on his friends and giving them lots of encouragement. Tina said she imagined that was what Kennedy missed the most during his recovery.
More than anything, AAU Karate has been a great way for Kennedy to boost his self-esteem and confidence, things that he has struggled with for a while.
“I think just knowing that he could go back into karate just made his self-esteem go up,” said Tina.
AAU Karate has provided that drive and avenue for Kennedy to grow his confidence and find a second family that could help him and his family throughout his challenges.
Against surmounting odds and growing negativity, Kennedy clung to his strong will and a powerful positive attitude, working his way back into the dojo after months of recovery.
The key to maintaining optimism, according to his mother, Tina, was a saying that he could repeat to himself while in recovery.
“He has this mantra he would say every time he would get frustrated, ‘This is tough, but I’m tougher.’ It helped a lot, especially because he has anxiety and depression, so that was something that really got him back in a positive mood,” said Tina.
Kennedy’s injury, a spiral fracture to his right leg, took him nearly eight months to heal from August to March. First, he had to wear a full-leg cast for four weeks, which was so heavy it was nearly impossible for him to move. After being confined to a wheelchair, he moved on to a boot and crutches. From there, he made it out of the boot and into physical therapy. The whole time, he kept up on his karate skills by practicing his hand motions while lying on the couch and working with his good leg as much as he could.
While in physical therapy, Kennedy also went back for karate class, but found himself having to start back at square one. Due to the muscular atrophy from his time in a cast, he had lost much of his balance and was falling over after each kick. It was an extremely frustrating process for Kennedy, who had started karate two years earlier while his family was living abroad in Italy.
However hard it was, his mantra, “This is tough, but I’m tougher,” kept Kennedy going.
Eventually, Kennedy was able to return to competition at the AAU North Carolina District Championship earlier this month. It was like he had never left. He took home gold medals in kata and kobudo and claimed the bronze in kumite. It was a great reward for months of hard work by Kennedy, whose ultimate goal is to become a black belt.
It was a long and hard road back to competition, but it was always going to be worth it for the Kennedys. To Kennedy and his mother, AAU Karate means a lot. Tina calls their home dojo, Goldsboro Okinawa Karatedo, their “second family.” The relationships that Kennedy has with his fellow competitors are his favorite part of being involved with AAU Karate. In between his turns to compete, he’s often heard being everyone’s best supporter, cheering on his friends and giving them lots of encouragement. Tina said she imagined that was what Kennedy missed the most during his recovery.
More than anything, AAU Karate has been a great way for Kennedy to boost his self-esteem and confidence, things that he has struggled with for a while.
“I think just knowing that he could go back into karate just made his self-esteem go up,” said Tina.
AAU Karate has provided that drive and avenue for Kennedy to grow his confidence and find a second family that could help him and his family throughout his challenges.
