Three young martial artists from Baldwin earned multiple medals while representing Team USA at the World Kickboxing and Karate Union World Championships in Germany on Oct. 11.
The 10-member team from a single dojo won a total of 15 gold, 23 silver, and 24 bronze medals across divisions. The Baldwin competitors—Jelisa Ordoñez, Jordan Ordoñez, and Nate Banegas—trained in judo for several years under Steve Jackowicz at the Baldwin PAL before following him to Classical Martial Arts of Long Island to study karate.
“It gives me a level of confidence that I feel like I wouldn’t have without it,” said Jelisa Ordoñez. “As a woman, it’s really important to feel empowered in whatever you do, knowing I can keep myself safe if I need to and stay calm in stressful situations.”
Jelisa won silver and bronze in forms, known as kata, gold in grappling, and silver in semi-contact sparring.
“We were training five days a week for six months,” she said. “It wasn’t easy at all, but seeing the fruit of what we were working toward was really rewarding.”
She recalled a particular moment from the tournament.
“One of the moves I was most proud of was my spinning back fist,” Jelisa said. “The timing was perfect. I think I impressed myself there.”
Her brother, Jordan Ordoñez, also competed, winning gold in kata and two silver and two bronze medals in other categories.
“I remember the day after tryouts, the person who selected us said I moved like a snake and had a really good face for the tournament—you couldn’t read my expression,” Jordan said.
Before the trip, Jordan held an orange belt in Soshinkan. After the competition, all team members were promoted one level, making him a green belt and Jelisa an orange belt.
Another Baldwin competitor, Nate Banegas, a green belt, won gold in kata and two silver medals in point and semi-contact sparring.
“I ended up competing against black belts in a higher weight class, so I couldn’t perform all the moves I did in training,” Banegas said. “I did my best and didn’t back down, but they were at a higher level and were good sports.”
All three Baldwin athletes praised their German hosts.
“Our hosts opened their dojo to us throughout the week,” Banegas said. “They helped us unpack our bags from the train… Their sensei showed us a lot. It was a good place with clean air and a great view of the stars at night.”
