Getting a ‘kick’ out of the competition

She may be young, but she is fierce. At least that is how her coach, Aaron Grace, describes Kickboxer Gracie Clark.

Clark, the 16-year-old daughter of George and Jalai Clark, of Utica, recently went up against a woman more than twice her age to win the Midwest 155-Pound Championship belt at a competition in Ft. Wayne, Ind.

In her first-ever kickboxing match, Clark defeated Katie Schuck, 36, who had a record of 6-1 going into the competition on Aug. 17.

“(Schuck) is basically the top woman in this weight class,” Grace said. “She is, no she was, the best around.”

Clark, a sophomore at Ohio County High School, said her dad was a boxer and she “kind of grew up wild.” She did cross country for a while but “didn’t care for it much.” It was then that she started jujitsu and kickboxing and discovered her passion.

Shortly after her ninth birthday, Clark began training. She focused the majority of her time at the beginning on jujitsu. When she began her training at Asylum Martial Arts training under Coach Grace in Hartford, she switched her focus to kickboxing.

Kickboxing is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing-type art based on punching and kicking.

“I think it is just something that I am good at,” she said as to why she loves martial arts. “I have found something that I can connect with. I really enjoy it. You just feel a certain way when you win. Obviously,

you don’t want to lose, but even then with some losses you win something mentally out of it.”

She has competed in and won several grappling matches in jujitsu, but Grace knew she had so much more potential.

“She has a gift,” he said. “It’s pretty unusual for anyone to be this far advanced at 16. She’s something different. That’s why we think she is going to go very far.”

Grace calls Clark “a monster” and believes they can take her all the way to the Ultimate Fighting Championships as a mixed martial artist. As a matter of fact, when asked what her hopes and ambitions were for the future, the coach quickly answered, “UFC. We are going there shortly after she turns 18. We are shooting for the stars.”

Clark was in agreement. “I hope so. I think I can get there.”

Grace knew he had to get Clark the opportunity to fight in a title match, as that is the “springboard” to bigger things and the “first step most big champions take.”

The problem was getting her an adult title match because she is technically still a child. It took a lot of advocating from her coach in order to get the match as there were people trying to keep it from happening because she was so young and they wanted to put stipulations on the fight that would actually keep it from being a legitimate title fight.

“We stood our ground, and said we are coming after an adult championship and we want her to be treated like an adult,” Grace said.

It wasn’t just because of her age that caused her difficulty in getting a match. Kickboxers aren’t usually allowed to fight for a belt until they have a winning record or have won a “fight of the night,” Grace said.

“You usually don’t get the opportunity for a title shot unless you proved that you deserve it,” he said. “Typically you have to have a winning record and climb your way up the ladder.”

Grace tried for over a year to get Gracie matched. He was constantly trying to work with promoters to get matches.

At first, her coach was just trying to get Clark on the Midwest card.

“I don’t know if it was because I was so relentless but the promoter said the only thing he had to offer was a fight against Katie (Schuck) and it was for a championship,” Grace said.

He told the promoter to “set it up,” and her parents offered their full support.

“I was 100 percent sure she was going to go out there and win,” Grace said. “They all thought I was crazy at the beginning and some may have even questioned my judgment, but I told them after the first round they would understand and they did.”

The match is judged like a boxing match with three judges and a referee. The judges give points based on performance in the round which, unless there is a knock-out, determines the winner.

With Clark’s win, Grace said he was a proud coach, but that he wasn’t surprised.

The UFC is the ultimate goal for Clark but in the meantime, she plans on winning as many kickboxing championships and jitzu tournaments as she can between now and the time she turns 18.