Hilary Pond is about to put her 20 years of karate training to the test on an international stage.
Pond, 25, is competing at the Senior Pan American Karate Championships in Curaçao this week.
The Quispamsis native is one of two people representing Team Canada in the female Kumite -68 kilogram division.
“Every training, I’m really just finding enjoyment in it and having fun with it, along with trying my best and always putting in my full effort,” Pond said in a phone interview leading up to the event.
Pond is no stranger to karate, having been training since she was five years old. Her father, who used to do karate when he was young, got her involved.
“I got into it basically just from having him as a role model. That was our family thing, we could go and train together at the Dojo. I just loved it so I stuck with it,” said Pond.
Twenty years later and Pond has made several appearances on both the national and international karate stage.
In February, she won a gold medal in the Karate Canada senior national team trials, securing her spot at the Senior Pan Am Karate Championships. It was the first competition for Pond since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago.
“I was going in with the intent to just purely enjoy it and really remember why I started the sport in the first place and not focus too much on the outcome, just because it was so unpredictable how it would go after two years,” said Pond.
“I think because my mind was clear, I actually performed the best I ever had. The gold medal is kind of the cherry on top.”
Pond has competed at the Junior Pan Am event several times before but this is only her second appearance in the senior competition.
She is going into the event simply looking to do her best and maintain the momentum she left off with after the national team trials.
“As I am getting into the older athlete range, I know I don’t have an unlimited amount of years left, so I’m really just soaking up every moment and giving it my all for everything I do,” said Pond.
“The outcome matters less to me now, but because of that, I think I go into everything with a clearer mind.”
Pond will compete against 19 other athletes from 13 countries, including fellow Canadian Melissa Bratic.
The Senior Pan Am Karate Championships run from Thursday through Saturday.
