Maricopa girl masters martial arts

Most children find an after school activity they enjoy at a young age.

Mariah Boehm tried everything from Girl Scouts to marching band but couldn’t find something she loved. That is, until she joined the Maricopa Black Belt Academy.

“We signed her up for the two-week trial class, and she was hooked before the class was over,” Boehm’s dad, Tony Pagliocco said.

Now, Boehm practices Taekwondo five days a week, sometimes up to three hours a day.

“It’s just really fun,” Boehm said. “There is always something new to learn.”

Since her start in January, Boehm has tested for six belts. Her most current test was where she recently presented forms and sparred for her purple belt. There are 10 belts in Taekwondo, with the black belt being the highest level of achievement. Once the black belt is achieved, the student can then advance through the 10 degrees of black belt.

Besides working on perfecting her form to advance in belts, Boehm also participates in competitions against other local and national martial arts schools.

Recently, Boehm traveled to Cape Cod, Mass., for a national tournament. The only Arizona representative, Boehm brought home a second place trophy for both forms and sparring.

“I was really nervous when we got there because there were no mats on the floor,” Boehm said.

Once she started practicing and saw the competition around her, Boehm said some of her nervousness went away, making her able to execute the forms correctly.

In another tournament two weeks ago in Mesa, Boehm participated in the weapons portion of the competition and won third place.

“I had never tried weapons before, but it is a lot of fun,” Boehm said.

For now, Boehm is content working her way to her goal of achieving a black belt, but she also has big dreams for her future.

“I want to own my own Black Belt Academy one day,” Boehm added.

According to the Maricopa Black Belt Academy’s Web site, the instructors’ teachings are about more than the technical skills of Taekwondo.

Each month there is a theme such as friendship, confidence, or respect that the students learn along with the martial art skills. Students are also awarded based not only on their achievements in the academy but also in school or their home life.

Classes begin for students as young as 4-years-old and continue through adulthood. Anyone interested can visit the Web site at www.maricopabba.com.