Saanich teenager with Down syndrome earns gold at national karate championships

Sawatsky Sign-Off: Sarah's Gold "You could see her heart was beating." Adam finds out how Saanich teen with Down syndrome is earning national karate accolades.

Saanich, B.C. — This is my routine,” Sarah Nowlin says, before beginning to read a list on the wall. “Brush your hair, eat breakfast.”

After the 15-year-old--who has Down syndrome--completes her morning routine, she looks forward to tackling her even longer list of daily activities.

“Busy, busy, busy,” Elizabeth Nowlin smiles, before adding what happens if her daughter’s schedule is not jam-packed full of possibilities. “Then she will find something to keep herself busy!”

Perhaps Sarah will practise her favourite Disney song, knit something cozy or colour something cheerful.

“She has to work so hard to just do the mundane things,” Elizabeth says.

But Sarah seems to relish the work, like when she used to wait in the lobby while her siblings learned karate. Sarah would peer through the window into the dojo and start imitating their moves.

“She loved it,” Elizabeth recalls with a smile.

“The policy [here] is integration not segregation,” says Richard Mosdell, the chief instructor at Kenzen Karate.

When Richard eventually started working with Sarah, he says her positivity and determination earned the respect of the whole class.

“That internal motivation to want to keep trying was really amazing,” Richard says.

Over the next seven years, Sarah practiced karate daily, and eventually placed so well at the regional and provincial level--sometimes against athletes without disabilities-- that she recently earned an opportunity to compete at the Karate Canada National Championships in Quebec.

“It was scary at first,” Sarah says. Although, she received some strength from the new karate uniform that was gifted to her after her fellow classmates pooled their money to buy it.

“You could see her heart was beating!” Richard says.

But Sarah overcame the mental and emotional pressure, and completed her Kata routine with “confidence” and “grace” — and won gold.

“Yah!” Elizabeth recalls bursting with pride. “That’s my Sarah!”

“When she came off the mat, there were lots of high fives!” Richard smiles. “Then I saw a little tear in [Sarah’s] eye and boy did I have tears in my eye.”

Sarah’s next step is training to qualify for Team Canada, with the hope of competing at the Paralympics in 2028.

But first, Sarah’s crediting her karate community and family for her success.

And offering this advice: “Be confident,” Sarah smiles. “And do what you have to do.”

And if you do that, Sarah says, you’ll be able to overcome whatever adversity is facing you.