Future Stars: Teen jiu-jitsu star hopes to inspire other girls, women
MONMOUTH COUNTY, New Jersey (WABC) -- It's a story you might get a kick out of - Monmouth County's Sophie Sharp is already a decorated Tae Kwon Do fighter, and she is only 14 years old and now making a name for herself in jiu-jitsu.
Sharp is a three-time super fight veteran, a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and now she is winning several gold in the expert division in jiu-jitsu.
"The second I stepped on the mat it was something that I knew I would succeed at and excel at - basically the second I walked on the mat I knew," said Sharp.
"It's not a matter of if she becomes a champion in this sport, it's just a matter of when, and I think that date is not far away," said Guitano Mione
For Sharp, in a male dominant sport, it means facing boys often.
"They almost kind of get like cocky, saying like, 'she's only a girl, I can beat her up in maybe a minute and I'll finish her,' and then you get the boys that cry and whine saying 'oh, that shouldn't have happened," said Sharp.
Sharpe is sometimes the only teenage female in the competition. She is hoping to see the sport grow while inspiring others - not only in competitions or in tournaments, but in class...including her younger sister.
"My goal is to get more kids, my age girls, and women back on these mats," Sharp said.
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