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Grove Leads By Example

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By CLIFF GILL

Tribune correspondent

Published: November 16, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - In the 1984 film "The Karate Kid," teenager Daniel Larusso approaches Mr. Miyagi to learn karate so he can fight some bullies at school. Miyagi tells him, "Daniel-san, karate here tapping his head, karate here tapping his heart."

Greg Phillips, the owner and certified instructor of Phillips Karate Academy in Port Richey, teaches Tang Soo Do karate, a Korean style that focuses on defense.

"There's no reason to fight," Phillips said. "Walk away."

In 2004, 6-year-old Jordan Grove started imitating martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee by jump-kicking and punching the air.

"I was afraid he was going to hurt himself," said his mother, Christi. "I wanted him to learn how to do it right."

She enrolled her son in a weekly group class at the recreation center in Hudson. After a few months, Grove was the last remaining student.

"I looked in the phone book for a local karate school and registered Jordan at the Phillips Academy," she said.

Grove progressed from white belt to the more advanced belts. On Sept. 20, the Moon Lake Elementary fifth-grader earned his first-degree black belt.

"Jordan is a leader, and people follow a leader," Phillips said. "He leads by example. He's always respectful to others. If someone tries to harm him, he will defend himself, but he is taught to walk away."

The 10-year-old Grove stands 4-foot-4 and weighs 60 pounds. Yet, when he enters a room, students ages 5-18 with lower belts bow in respect. In addition to earning the coveted black belt, Grove was crowned Grand Champion at a tournament in March that included 80 karate students.

The soft-spoken Grove gives credit to Phillips for his recent achievements.

"Mr. Phillips has helped me to improve my sparring and kicking techniques," Grove said. "He motivates me to improve and gives me confidence that I can achieve whatever I set my mind to do. If you train hard enough, you will succeed, whether or not you win a trophy."

Another area where Grove has succeeded is in the classroom. A member of Moon Lake Elementary's gifted program since third grade, Grove is nearly a straight-A student. Teacher Susan Bakley recognizes Grove's efforts to improve himself and help others.

"This is the third year I have had the privilege of having Jordan in my gifted class," she said. "He is an outstanding student, having earned all A's and one B on his most recent report card. He goes out of his way to help other students and is always extremely courteous and polite.

"He has helped students when they have had difficulty grasping a new concept, and he is always patient and understanding when they continue to have difficulty. He often volunteers to read with or work with a student in my class that no one else will work with."

A member of the Student Council for the past two years, Grove is involved in a number of volunteer activities. At school, he was part of "Operation Shoebox," which sent money and toiletries to military personnel stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He participated in a read-a-thon to support the Humane Society. He also brought in food and financial sponsors to support the St. Jude Children's Hospital in Memphis.

Another subject that Grove is passionate about is recycling.

"More than two billion pounds of trash go into landfills each year," he said. "If everyone recycles every day, future generations can enjoy a healthy life with clean water and air that we now take for granted," he said.

In conjunction with the Phillips Karate Academy, Grove and his karate classmates collected more than 400 bags of trash.

"He is extremely respectful to both fellow classmates and teachers, and he sets an example for my other students with his actions," Bakley said. "He never fails to say please, thank you, or may I help you. He is indeed a remarkable young man."

Teachers, coaches: If you would like to nominate an outstanding student-athlete to be featured in an upcoming In The Community article, contact Cliff Gill at reportercliffgill@yahoo.com or (727) 860-4903.

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