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How a Somers Freshman Balances Team USA Stardom with Academics
For Sierra Deodhari, the balancing act can be tricky. Some school nights she’s so busy studying that her training doesn’t start until 10 p.m.
It’s not ideal, but the 14-year old has big plans and the drive to achieve them.
“I have a very supportive team,” she explains. “Luckily, I have a schedule that is really adaptable.”
That’s a necessity for the Somers High School freshman. Deodhari, a high honor roll student, is also an active member of USA Karate’s Junior National Team and competes in national and international competitions.
She qualified for last year’s World Championships in Turkey and competed against 15- and 16-year olds. Last month, she won gold medals at both the USA Junior International Cup and USA Open in Las Vegas.
She will compete again this July at the 2023 USA National Karate Championships and Team Trials in Richmond, Va.
Deodhari practices and competes in Kata, the performance of karate moves and techniques, which consists of kicks, punches, sweeps, strikes, blocks and throws and various body movements.
“I want to keep pushing so I can hopefully make the Olympics one day,” Deodhari said. “I’m going to stick with the sport through high school and focus on my hopes of making the team in the future. I want to continue to compete at the World Championships and world-class events. I also want to use my karate and what I accomplished as a gateway into a good college.”
She’s already seen how her training, which began at age 3, and experience in competition, which started at age 6, can benefit her in the classroom. Deodhari said karate has helped her develop discipline and build character traits, like respect and concentration.
“Those are things you need to have to be a good student as well,” she said.
Deodhari, who has a website, SierraKarate.com, has also used her success to build a strong social media following. It includes more than 156,000 on Facebook and more than 56,000 on Instagram, and her posts can garner impressions in the millions.
She leveraged that audience to receive equipment donations and used money she had saved from Christmas and birthdays to purchase even more for martial arts students in need. Many of them struggled to find adequate equipment and training during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Deodhari, who was just 11 at the time, arranged virtual training sessions with former World Champions over Zoom.
“I wanted to create an environment where people of all ages could learn and practice in their own homes, even though they were limited by the circumstances,” said Deodhari, who routinely trains virtually from her own home dojo.
Deodhari said it’s her determination and the support of the karate community that continues to push her.
“It’s good to have someone who is pushing you,” she said. “That’s what helped inspire me to keep going and keep going harder.”
May 9, 2023