North Cook News

Bailey Radnitzer, 17, is just starting her senior year at Maine West High School; unlike her classmates, however, she is coming off a summer in which she won three gold medals in karate.

"I feel very lucky to have the chance to compete against others in the first place," Radnitzer recently told North Cook News. "And I feel self-fulfilled from my performance and prepared to push myself further and to better myself for upcoming tournaments."

Bailey Radnitzer, 17, poses with the three gold medals she won at the 2016 Adidas Karate U.S.A. National Championships in Pittsburgh. | Illinois Shotokan Karate Club

Radnitzer competed at the July 2016 Adidas Karate U.S.A. National Championships in Pittsburgh, returning to Illinois with three gold medals. She won the age-17 female advanced kata gold medal, in addition to the age 16-34 female advanced Shotokan kata. She then teamed up with Madison Hawrysz and Elizabeth Somodji to take the age 14-17 intermediate/advanced female team kata gold medal.

When not competing, Radnitzer trains at the Illinois Shotokan Karate Club, and her instructors say that her dedication to training has made her successful.

"Bailey has a very strong work ethic and trains three days a week in classes, and also puts in extra time on other days to do private lessons with me," Diane Martin, one of Radnitzer's instructors, said. "She always had good form, and has improved her timing and power over the last few years. She participates in her high school dance team, which also compliments her endurance, strength and coordination for karate and vice versa. Bailey participated in three kata teams, which also improved her individual kata technique."

In fact, one of the most useful aspects of Radnitzer's training has been acting not just as a student, but also as a teacher.

"She has been working as my assistant instructor in Des Plaines, which provides the ability to learn by helping others," Martin said. "She has been training in Des Plaines since she started and is a great partner with other students in class. She also trains with ISKC Owner and Lead Instructor John DiPasquale. We appreciate Bailey's genuine caring attitude toward the students, and that she is a positive role model and encourages them that they can achieve success through hard work and dedication."

Radnitzer has a rather storied competitive history for her young age. In 2013, she won gold in the age-14 female intermediate kata championship in South Carolina. The next year, she placed second in the age-15 female advanced kata championship in Nevada. And, in 2015, she competed in the U.S.A. Karate Nationals in Florida, where she placed third in the age-16 female advanced kata division.

Another contributor to Radnitzer's karate-related success is that she doesn't let up in the offseason, competing on the Maine West poms dance team in both fall and winter. Additionally, she is a member of the National Arts Honor Society and plays violin in the orchestra.

But -- above all else -- karate holds a special place in Radnitzer's heart.

"What I like about karate is that, while it delivers the typical enforcement of discipline and respect, it leads you to form new friendships every step of the way and forces you to challenge yourself both mentally and physically, extending your mental and physical limits with each training," she said.