LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. — Local 10 year old martial artist Barrett Brown and his family experienced the trip of a lifetime this March when they traveled to Trelawney, Jamaica so that young Barrett could compete in an international martial arts competition.

Barrett is a Second Degree Red Belt in Tae Kwon Do and has been training in martial arts for seven years.  He is currently a student of Master Jeff Turner and Evva Johnson, and is a member of the London Karate Academy competition team.

His hours upon hours spent training in his art no doubt paid off, as the young man earned himself a spot on the USA Martial Arts National Team by qualifying in a tournament.

Earning a spot on the team punched his ticket for the opportunity to travel to Jamaica to compete in a high level tournament under the famous Alliance Federation.

“I had to train really hard,” Barrett said in reference to his preparation for the competition.  “I worked so hard, and I knew if I didn’t quit or give up, everything would work out.”

And work out it did.  Barrett ended up bringing home two gold medals for empty hand form and weapons form, and a silver medal for point sparring.

This is quite an amazing accomplishment considering there were 120 competitors there from Jamaica and the United States.  Competitors came from states ranging from Texas to Indiana, and even the U.S. military had several representatives there competing. 

Mr. Brown was proud to represent his state solo, as he was the only competitor out of the Bluegrass State.

What’s even more impressive is the fact that these competitors could not just show up and compete the day of the tournament.  They had to earn a spot in the competition, just as Brown had done.  This means that the competitors he had to square off against were no slouches, and winning two golds and a silver is quite a statement to his perseverance. 

His parents couldn’t be more pleased with their son’s hard work and dedication. 

“He trained at least an hour every day for four months in preparation for this tournament,” his parents said.  “He worked so hard and we are so proud of his accomplishment.”

The young Brown is no one dimensional ninja either, as his parents continued to praise his dedication to being a straight-A student, the sport of soccer, being on his school’s academic team, and for even receiving the award for outstanding academic achievement at his school.

“The faculty and staff at his school were very supportive,” said Brown’s parents.  “They asked about the trip and even announced it to the whole school.”

Also relishing in Barrett’s success were his Martial Art’s instructors Turner and Johnson. 

“He set goals for himself and didn’t let anyone detract him from those goals,” they said.  “What he did takes a lot of hard work and practice, and we are very proud of him.”

At the end of the day, medals or no medals, Brown was just pleased with the experience he obtained from the trip.

“It helped me out a lot.  I got to meet new people, experience a new culture, go to a different country, and make new friends.”

In fact, Brown said his favorite part of the trip was the new friend he made, Trey Johnson from Indiana.

Despite all his success already at this tournament and others, Brown shows no signs of slowing down on his dedication to the martial arts.  He already has his eyes set on another international competition in Tokyo, Japan.

Looking back on the memorable journey he and his parents went on, he offered what he learned as a bit of advice for anyone like him that takes on a challenge of this level.

“Just train hard, keep focused, never let up, and never give up,” he said. “That’s the most important thing.”