Nancy Royalty

Rokudan (6th Degree Black Belt)

Testing for Nanadan (7th Degree Black Belt) at the 2026 UechiCon!

Sensei: Neil Stone

Original Sensei: Mike Rozumek

Uechi Training since 1997

My beginning as a karate student was tentative, at best, as I began when a free parents’ month was offered. My then-young son had started earlier in the year, and when I would sit and watch his classes, I was always impressed by how and what the kids were learning while still having such a good time. I figured I had nothing to lose by giving karate a try, but figured that the end of the free month would be the end of my study of karate. Though I have always enjoyed physical activity, I have never been athletic or particularly coordinated. If someone had told me then that 29 years later, I would be still active in karate and testing for the rank of Nanadan, I’d have thought them dreaming or crazy! These years have been a real journey for me. As I continued my practice and advanced through the ranks, I have learned that karate is something different for everyone who enters into it, and you get out of it what you put into it. Both the physical and mental benefits it has provided are evident to me. After all of these years, I can say that I have found karate to be a combination of a number of elements that have been important to me: a warm and welcoming environment, a place where I can walk out feeling better than when I walked in, and an opportunity to interact with a wonderful variety of people of all ages. It has been motivating and has empowered me to feel good about my accomplishments.