Teen takes martial arts to the limit

Don't let Monique Montoute's soft-spoken demeanor or her politeness fool you.

So cautions her father, Gary, who knows better than most how his 14-year-old daughter's sweet-tempered disposition can turn on a dime when the occasion calls for it.

"She's beautiful, she's friendly, but she's also tough," said Gary, the chief operating officer and program director of Purple Dragon Florida Academy of Don Jitsu Rye.

Monique has trained at the martial arts center since she was a toddler. And she now serves as an assistant instructor there.

Those qualities, paired with her straight-A school work and her steadfast dedication to the dojo (a term used to describe a school of training in the Japanese arts of self-defense), her father said have earned her the admiration of many people.

A good example of that respect was displayed at the July 16 Purple Dragon world karate championships in Trinidad, where she competed among more than 500 participants from countries throughout the world.

At the end of the day, Monique, who has a first-degree black belt, was inducted into the Caribbean Martial Arts Hall of Fame. In the tournament's 40-year history, she is the youngest-ever female American to receive such a distinction.

"She is definitely not your typical teenager," said Jeannette Miller, who has taken kickboxing classes for five years at the center.

"She is well beyond her years when it comes to her focus, determination and ability to motivate others," she said.

The Temple Terrace Purple Dragon team also brought home two gold, six silver and two bronze medals, along with the prestige of having three other Caribbean Martial Arts Hall of Fame recipients, from the championships.

Gary Montoute earned the Outstanding Male Service Award for more than 20 years of service to the martial arts; Clara Montoute, Monique's mother and the center's head instructor, was presented the Outstanding Female Service Award for more than 20 years of service; and Douglas Lawson, who's been employed at the Purple Dragon for 10 years, received the Instructor of the Year Award.

"All of the hall of fame inductees are so giving and they have such a way with people," said Christine Davenport, a Temple Terrace Purple Dragon member since 2005 who, along with her 5-year-old son, Russell, brought back silver and bronze medals from Trinidad for their creative form.

Miller said she is impressed with how the center's team concentrates not just on physical fitness, but also the mind-body connection.

"They take the time to get to know each person, their motivations, strengths and weaknesses," she said. "The focus is on self-improvement and building confidence."

In the 12 years since he opened the center, Gary Montoute has made it his mission to visit area schools and engage students.

He targets at-risk children by encouraging them to get involved in the center's after-school programs.

"The biggest benefit to them is discipline and consistency," he said.