Linnea Wiggers
Shodan-ho 2021
Shodan 2022

I was born in Palo Alto, California in 2005 and moved to Nanaimo with my twin sister when I was two. As a child, I was encouraged to try all sorts of different sports and activities, including piano, swimming and soccer.

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It wasn’t until went to my friend’s karate birthday party at age seven that my sister and I discovered karate. My sister, obsessed with ninjas at the time, was adamant about joining and having enjoyed playing flying kicks at the birthday party, I went with her.

What followed were eight life-changing years during which I not only learned the art of karate, but met all sorts of interesting people and discovered things about myself I might never have discovered without karate. I’m very excited to finally get my black belt, something I have been working towards for so long, and to continue my training for years to come.

Some of my other interests outside of karate include reading, writing, playing piano, singing, listening to music and doing musical theatre. I am in the french immersion program at NDSS, and my favourite subjects are English and Social Studies.

Since blue belt, I’ve also been helping instruct karate classes, and have really enjoyed the experience.

This year, I’ve been helping out regularly once a week, and this summer I’ve been coming every day of the week sometimes to help. I recently got the chance to help instruct summer camps for kids to see what karate is all about, and it felt like I was coming full circle, having discovered karate in a similar way. Instructing has not only given me the chance to repay Shima for everything it has taught me, but teaching others karate has made me more aware of my karate and changed it for the better.

Karate has been such a formative experience for me over the years, and I’ve not only improved as a karate student, but as a person. I truly believe that I’m a much more conscientious, hard-working and empathetic person than I would have been without karate, and I’m forever grateful for that.