Karate Mom

Gracy Llana Stays Forever Young at Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center

By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor

When she began taking karate lessons 14 months ago, little did Gracy Llana know how much it would change her life for the better.

She has found a renewed purpose, new friends and a fountain of youth at Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center on Marquez Avenue.

“We call her the Karate Mom,” Blanck said of his new prize pupil,  who in her 50s has quickly become the dojo’s golden girl. “Everyone loves her. She’s winning all these tournaments and she’s totally into going—even if she’s by herself.”     

Llana’s reflexes match those of someone half her age, her instincts are uncanny and her fighting spirit separates her from her peers. In barely over a year she has ascended to Blue Belt and has her sights set on Green, Brown and, lastly, Black.

“It started with private kickboxing lessons from Gerry in April of last year through one of my best friends, Danica Dallas, who’s a family friend of his,” Llana explained. “I wanted to find a purposeful exercise that would keep me physically fit, but also instills discipline. Before that, I’d gone to the gym, took dance and played volleyball, but I got bored. With karate I’m learning new things.  You have to think on your feet and  apply what you learn at the moment. Karate is my refuge, my sanctuary, my ‘me’ time. Gerry is a pillar of the community and his dojo is a family. It’s a really supportive environment in which to grow in mind and body.”

One could say Llana’s penchant for the sport is in the blood as hers is a family of boxers. Her dad Romy Somodio was a judo champion in the Army in the Philippines and an Olympic boxing referee in 1984 and 1988 while her uncle Bert was a  pro boxer in the 1950s and ‘60s.

“The genetics is there, I just never capitalized on it before,” she said. “I did dance and modeling instead, but my competitive spirit is inherent in the DNA. Sometimes you have to go beyond your comfort zone, push yourself and try new things.”     

Versatility is one of her strengths.

“I enter all the disciplines because  I want to be able to spar,” she added. “I learned the bo and I’m learning nunchucks now. For competitions my primary coach is Sensei Tamar [Springer]. She really knows how to hone in on your strengths and she does the refining of my routines. I train three days a week, sometimes more. It’s about being able to center yourself and focus, understanding it’s  about the journey. Win or lose, no one can take that away.”   

In May, Llana won gold medals in  both Kata (forms) and Sparring and added a silver medal in Weapons at the Elite Karate Cup in Santa Ana.

One month ago, she captured three golds in the Adult Novice Division at the USA World Championships in Las Vegas.

“I live in West LA but I want to move to the Palisades,” said Llana, who came to America from her native Philippines in the late 1980s.

Growing up, her parents exposed her to a variety of activities and she  tried dance, art, painting, modeling, swimming and skateboarding. She earned two Master’s degrees in Education in addition to two years of law school and took doctorate classes in Educational Administration. She was Principal of a K-8 school and now does public relations and marketing. She has two adult children who “do their own thing.”    

While she wishes she had started  in karate younger, Llana is making up for lost time.   

“We should never stagnate, so I’m always pushing myself,” she said.     

“Health is wealth, so I work first and after that I go to the dojo. I want to get better at everything—technique, accuracy, power and speed. I want to learn more katas, which are specific to styles. There are some for Taekwondo, some for Kung Fu, some for kickboxing and others for karate. As you progress you see new skills built upon old skills.”

Then a board member of the Filipino American Kiwanis of Glendale,  she was named one of the 100 most influential Filipina women in the U.S. by the Filipina Women’s Network in Washington, D.C. in 2007.

“Striving for excellence is my motto in life,” Llana said. “I’m very competitive, so to be in an environment which nurtures that philosophy is good. I feel so much support from everyone at the dojo.”

Llana marched in the Palisades Fourth of July Parade alongside Blanck and many fellow students and brought the trophies she won in Las Vegas, frequently holding them up for all to see while doing the splits.

Being that there are so few competitors in the 50+ division, Llana has had to go up against women much younger than herself, but she is never one to shy away from a challenge. Case in point: at last weekend’s Elite Summer Showdown in Chino Hills she competed in the Intermediate Division for the first time and left with golds in Kata and Weapons and a silver in Kumite (sparring).

“Starting at the bottom again, but I persevered,” she said proudly upon returning home. “I lost to a gal 20 years my junior with a higher belt and many more years of training but I conquered my fear of stepping into the ring and just doing it. As Nelson Mandela said: ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time you fall.’ Homage to my parents in heaven and my heritage. Seriously, how many dojo moms are willing to do this with people decades younger?”

These days there’s nowhere Llana would rather be than with her “Fam Bam” at Blanck’s studio. She is preparing for her next big competition in October, after which she hopes to celebrate at one of her sensei’s favorite local hangouts: Pearl Dragon.            

Knowing the positive impact the sport has made in her own life, Llana encourages women of similar circumstance to give martial arts a chance.    

“It’s never too late to start… just look at me,” she said. “A year ago I was a girly wimp wearing high heels and look how much I’ve grown. We all want to keep improving ourselves and it’s a way to improve mental stamina as well as physical stamina. There’s a harmony of mind, body and spirit, an interweaving of all these different components. It’s both an end and a means. We need more karate moms and I think they’ll really love it if they try!”      

……… Click on any photo below to view slideshow ………