LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — When Josephine Payton, nicknamed Tae-Kwon-Jo, yells out during her routine, some people are surprised to hear such force come from such a young girl.
“A lot of people are. But at the same time, they are kind of afraid," she said.
“Do you like that?" I asked.
“Just a little bit," she answered.
Payton, 11, started in martial arts when she was six after other kids told her it was just for boys.
“You can still like to put on makeup and all that stuff but still want to be intense when you try to win things," she said.
And she sure has won a lot, as she is now a second-degree black belt with a wall loaded with medals and trophies.
“I honestly can’t count them all," said Payton.
Sadly, her father, TJ, can no longer see all her success. He died suddenly two years ago when she was only nine.
“I think he’s looking down on me and he’s very proud of me," said Payton.
Her mother, Mandy Pusatera, is very proud too but said she’s not a micro-manager.
“I want her to take responsibility for how hard she’s working and how much time she’s putting in," said Pusatera.
Payton, who trains at Reflex Martial Arts in Land O’ Lakes, now represents the U.S. in this weekend’s World Martial Arts Games in Daytona.
One day, she hopes to be an Olympic champion.
“I just feel like this is my main talent that I’m going to be good at for mainly my whole life," said Payton.
