Black belt grandmother proves age is just a number

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers POWER PUNCH—Agoura Hills resident Marlene Williams, right, works out at the Tigon Martial Arts School in Simi Valley. Williams, a grandmother, recently earned her black belt in tae kwon do at age 69 while taking classes with her daughter, Heather Carrillo of Simi Valley. Marlene Williams is not your typical granny.

At 69 years old, she’s attained what few people half her age have: a black belt in tae kwon do.

The Old Agoura resident, mother of three and grandmother of two tied on her black belt last month after undergoing a rigorous testing process that was in no way modified due to her age.

And although it was a proud moment for Williams, it was one she’d never really planned on. If, as a spectator at her grandson’s tournament a few years ago, she were asked if she’d ever be the one donning a white uniform out on the mat, she’d have said no.

But Williams’ daughter, Heather Carrillo, who lives in Simi Valley, got her hooked. Carrillo’s young son, Kyle, now 11, was the first in the family to sign up for tae kwon do lessons at Tigon Martial Arts School, at 3885 Cochran St. in Simi. Soon Carrillo found she too wanted to get involved.

When the studio started a morning “mommy class” in 2004, Carrillo and five others signed up. All the moms had children already enrolled in the Tigon curriculum.

“I’ve just always been an athlete,” Carrillo said. “It looked fun and challenging.”

It took a year of urging, but Carrillo finally got her mom to take the class with her.

While the mother-daughter duo initially joined the class for fun, practicing tae kwon do soon became more than just a good time.

“I love the challenge. I love the idea of surprising myself and trying to do it,” Williams said. “I’m committed to starting something and finishing something. I don’t throw in the towel.”

Master David Chang’s practice of making up black belts with students’ names on them and posting them on the wall was just one more incentive to get serious about the sport.

Mom and daughter signed up for the Black Belt Club, which required them to sign a contract saying they would work to attain their black belt in two years’ time.

Though life often got in the way—Carrillo was pulled away from class twice due to pregnancy, while Williams’ work as a hairstylist in the film industry kept her busy and a foot injury sidelined her for three months— in the end the two women would test for their black belt at the same time.

They had to complete a twoday process in early September that included performing hand block techniques, 16 different forms, 100 push-ups and 100 situps and breaking half-inch-thick pine boards with their bare hands and feet.

In addition, they sparred against other black belts for 30 minutes nonstop in one-on-one and two-on-one scenarios.

On Sept. 19, the women were awarded their belts.

“I cried when she got her black belt. I was so proud of her,” Carrillo said of her mom’s accomplishment. “She started much later in life, and at her age . . . it’s so easy to walk away from something, to not come back. . . . But she came back every time.”

Chang, a sixth-degree black belt, said Williams not only encompasses the tenets of tae kwon do but showcased her indomitable “can do” spirit during the black belt test.

“The black belt test, for her age, it’s really hard to do all the things like that,” Chang said. “I tried to give her the advantage of her age but she denied. She insisted she do all the things the younger people do.”

Williams is the oldest student to ever join the studio, and Chang admitted he was worried at first when she signed up. But her discipline quickly allayed his concerns.

Classmate and black belt Tina Brewer, 39, sparred with Williams during her test and knows firsthand how powerful the 69year-old can be.

“She kicked my butt. She’s really strong,” the Simi resident said. “She didn’t get her black belt for free.”

Karey Cottrell, 43, also from Simi, agreed, saying that Williams can hold her own.

“You basically have the crap beaten out of you during testing,” Cottrell said. “It’s a mental and physical challenge. They did not take it easy on Marlene.”

She added that age is not a factor with Williams, except that she is wise.

“Marlene is like the matriarch core,” she said. “She encourages us, she’s kind and warm and motherly. She’s just a great role model—as a mom, a grandma, as a woman, as a working woman.”

Both Williams and Carrillo said tae kwon do has become a lifestyle for them, empowering them by strengthening their bodies and minds.

“It’s almost like starting from the inside working out. The confidence goes deep,” Williams said. “It does give you a sense of power—that you can deal with (anything).”

And with Williams on the mat, the other women have no excuses.

“She’s an inspiration to us women,” Brewer said. “Her being 69 and out there, trying her best. She’s our hero.”