While most Fluvanna students spent their third week of school adjusting to waking up early and digging out from hours of homework, one student, FCHS Senior Kelsey Silverman traveled 3,459 miles to compete in the Jr. Pan American Championships in Lima, Peru. This was Silverman’s fifth time traveling around the world to compete in the  Jr. Pan American Championships for karate, or more specifically, kumite or “sparring.”

The Pan American Championships consists of the top two karate competitors from every Pan American country (the US, Canada, Mexico, Central America and South America) in every age and weight category. “Pan Am’s is different from other tournaments because it’s ten times tougher,” said Silverman. “It’s the best of the best from each country.” Even though the competition was extremely tough, Silverman had a good showing, placing 5th out of 17 girls in her division this year.

In between training, homework, and competing, Silverman had some time to explore Lima with the rest of the Jr. US team. “My favorite thing is spending time with the team and talking to the other countries’ [teams at competitions],” said Silverman. Lima proved to be an exotic location. “I was surprised to see how big alpacas were there. They are super important and are on everything,” she said. Another thing she was surprised by was seeing guinea pig on restaurant menus. Not surprisingly, she and a majority of the rest of the team decided to opt for the American food chain Chili’s instead.

Getting to Peru was just a step in a long chain of events that began when Silverman was three. Silverman’s father, Rob Silverman, has been the owner and head coach of Lake Monticello Karate Academy since it started in 1995. With her father’s coaching, Silverman has competed in various tournaments at the local, state, national, and international levels, including placing second in kumite at the USA-NKF Nationals this past summer, an accomplishment which secured her spot on the US team.

Now, after 15 years of excelling in the sport, Silverman is also working as a coach to pass on what she has learned to the next generation of fighters. Her advice for upcoming athletes? “Don’t dwell on the loss itself, but focus on how you can change that loss into a win,” she said.