Four Stillwater Women Earn Black Belt Ranks at The Edge

Four Stillwater women earned the rank of Black Belt at last month.

Candis Braatz, 47, and Mary Norkol, 14, earned the rank of First-Degree Black Belt; and Kari Falaas, 15, and Alex Jordan, 17, earned the rank of Second-Degree Black Belt on Dec. 3 at The Edge Martial Arts Black Belt Exam.

As with all Edge Black Belt exams, the candidates demonstrated strength, flexibility, respect, focus, determination, concentration, endurance and agility all at the level of martial arts excellence required to earn a Black Belt ranking at The Edge, Master Nathan Thorn said.

Candis Braatz is the first female student to begin in the adult Karate Program at The Edge and earn all belt levels White Belt to Black Belt. Her two sons are also First Degree Black Belts at The Edge.

Mary Norkol, who is part of the first Stillwater Ponies Martial Arts Team, has consistently trained since she was 9 years old. During that time she has graduated from The Edge Leadership Program where she is a strong role model for all of the young girls also training towards earning their Black Belts.

Earning her Second-Degree Black Belt, Kari Falaas has been an integral member of the Team Edge National Competition Team having competed in more tournaments around the nation than any of her teammates. Falaas is actively an Edge Assistant Instructor and is a member of the Stillwater Ponies Martial Arts Team.

Also earning her Second Degree Black Belt, Alex Jordan has been training with Thorn since she was just 6 years old. Jordan earned her First-Degree Black Belt just 15 months ago, has completed the Assistant Instructor Certification Program and is now an active Instructor at The Edge. Jordan won her first National Division this October as a Black Belt at The Diamond Nationals – the most prestigious National Competition in the Country held each year in October in Bloomington. She is also a member of Team Edge and Stillwater Ponies Martial Arts Team.

“These four should be an inspiration to all ladies, despite their age, to always look forward toward what you can and will achieve,” Thorn said. “Rather than looking only at the current struggles at hand, if and when you apply yourself like these women have, you’ll accomplish anything.”

Thorn, a Sixth-Degree Black Belt, owns and is the Master Instructor at the Edge, holding recognition under the World Martial Arts Rank System.