The Haines Goju-Ryu karate dojo closed recently on a high note, awarding its fourth black belt to Tia Heywood, age 16.

Heywood was one of about 50 students to receive instruction at the school held at the Chilkat Center. It was launched by black belts Joe Ordonez and Russ Lyman in the early 1990s.

The three other students who earned black belts during the school’s operation also were women. All four attended a party to celebrate Heywood’s promotion and toast the dojo’s history. They include Lenise Henderson Fontenot, Debra Schnabel and Kerry Cohen.

"Tia maintained her poise," Ordonez said of Heywood. "Her conditioning was good. She had one or two things left to do (to reach black belt). At promotion, when we saw how well she performed, we said, ‘She’s definitely there.’"

To get her black belt, Heywood had to perform three "katas," or moving techniques, as well as a bun-kai, a kata of her own creation. Then she had to spar with three black belts, including Ordonez.

The sparring was enough to concern Liz Heywood, Tia’s mom.

"I have a spirited kee-ai (vocalization)," Ordonez said. "I threw that at her and she was right there. To get a black belt, you have to be able to stand up to pressure. She performed honorably."

"It’s a pretty big honor," Heywood said. "I didn’t think I deserved it at first, but I guess I am pretty disciplined."

Heywood spent a year in a youth karate group before joining the adult dojo four years ago at the urging of a friend who later backed out. Training for 90 minutes, three days per week helped her self-confidence and body awareness, and opened her eyes to a "new level of intensity," she said.

Each karate class started with 30 minutes of strength exercises, including repetitions of push-ups and sit-ups. "I was pretty clumsy when I started. I’m less clumsy now."

Like Ordonez, who started into karate at age 13, Heywood sees her practice of the art as just beginning. "I think I’ll keep it up. A black belt is a big thing to have and a big part of your life."

Ordonez said he’s closing the school to make time for other endeavors.

Lyman, who helped lead the class in Ordonez’s absence, said he enjoyed introducing his neighbors to the martial art. "It’s always been a part of my life (but) being responsible for helping keep the school going helped motivate me to train more. Plus, it was gratifying seeing students progress and the difference it makes in various students’ lives and personal development."

As many as a dozen residents took the class at the dojo at one time. Youth programs and in-school workshops also were offered. Besides the four black belts, the school trained eight brown belts, 12 green belts and 23 white belts.

"It takes dedication to advance. You have to stay with it to really learn," Lyman said. He recently took up jujutsu lessons. "I went from a third-degree black belt to a white belt."

Ordonez said having Lyman – and other black belts – serve as instructors during his absences was a plus. "We all sort of pitched in to make it work. Each instructor had the freedom to take their (individual) interest and bring that in."

Ordonez said there’s a unique bond between students at the dojo. "You fight, but you respect each other. So it’s like a family that way. It’s about working to make each other better."

Donna Edmond and her children Erica and Kelly took classes for several years, starting around the time they moved here in 2001. "It was something to do with the kids and it’s very good exercise, too. My kids got some of their friends to join, off and on over the years."

A former state trooper, Edmond learned self-defense techniques for her job. She said karate was very different, and its moves are drilled into memory.

"I know for all of us, if we were attacked, some of those blocks would just come automatically," Edmond said.

Her daughter Erica found karate training valuable when she enrolled in yoga at college. "A lot of the warm-ups and stretches and stances were similar, so it was nice for her to see that it had an application," Edmond said.