September 15, 1998 - LIONS EYE - Page 5 Erica Scott is Kung Fu Fighting and She’s F.A.L. By Karl Grieb “You get what you demand.” These words of fatherly advice have been ingrained in Erica Scott throughout her short, but storied journey. You see, Erica Scott is not your typical Penn State scholar. In addition to being an Honors student who holds a 4.0 grade point average, she is also a National Champion in Korean Karate, recently named “All- Americian” by the Amateur Athletic Union. Scott began studying Tang Soo Do, which is a Korean style of Karate, in the second grade. By her own admission, she says she didn’t really take it too seriously in the be- ginning. part of the reason could have been the difficulty adjusting to having her father, Master Frederick Scott, who owns and teaches at the Amkor Karate Institutes, as her in- structor. “It was weird having to call him ‘sir’ during class. He treated me the same as all of his other students. My father was very strict when it came to discipline.” By the time Erica reached Sun Valley High School, her com- mitment to Karate increased. She became more ambitious, competing in state level and national events. Throughout high school and her first year at Penn State, her skills steadily improved. As the 1998 Korean Karate Nationals approached, Erica went on a mission not just to qualify for the nationals-but to win the nationals. “Not only did I set my mind totraining hard, but more impor- tantly, i decided in my mind that I would win. You can’t win if you are only satisfied with qualifying.” . Erica’s task began at the Mid-Atlantic Regionals, where she would have to finish in the top three to qualify for the Nationals. She fin- ished a strong second and set her sights on the Nationals at Florida Atlantic University on the weekend of July 4th. Erica was set to take part in PLEASE PROESIRIAN Photo by Tracey Dinh two events, the first of which was a Korean Karate Form portion. . Erica stole the show. She captured the gold medal and realized her goal, a Na- tional Championship. Her work was not over. The second event, the sparring competi- tion, was ahead of her. Erica worked her way to the finals. Unfortunately, what she calls her “aggressive atti- tude,” not to mention the differing rules of national and local tourna- ments, prevented her from capturing a second gold medal. While she did take home a bronze in sparring, be- ing ranked the third top female middleweight fighter in the country isn’t enough-she’s already begun training for next year’s competition. In the 1999 Nationals, Scott will travel to Des Moines, lowa to defend her title as returning Forms Cham- pion and plans on being stronger than ever. “Next year,” she winks, “double-gold!” ; The success that Erica has been able to achieve in Karate is mir- rored by her accomplishments in the classroom. Erica receivewd the pres- tigious John D. Bairo scholarship for academic excellence at Penn State Delaware County. She attributes her academic axxomplishments to her coach and role model, her father. “He expects all of his students to perform at the highest levels in school and in Karate.” Erica Scott has even caught the attention of Penn State Delaware County’s Campus Executive Of- ficer, Dr. Edward Tomezsko. “Erica is a great example of the good stu- dent being good at many things. It is a pleasure to have her on our cam- pus.” Erica plans to take that ag- gressive attitude with her to Univer- sity Park, where she has asready been accepted into the very exclu- sive Schreyer Scholars Program. Additionally, she plans on continu- ing her career in secondary educa- tion after college. Having been in- fluenced greatly by an English teacher in middle school, Erica has chosen the same career path. She enthusiastically points out, “People ask me why I chose teavhing, when there isn’t much money in it. If I can influence and inspire my stu- dents as much as I was influenced by one of my teachers, I think I’m doing the right thing.” Erica Scott has the drive to reach aoll of her goals. She may wonder if she will be lucky enough to accomplish them in the same manner as the ones she set for her- self in Karate. As her father oncwe told her, “Luck is where prepatation ‘and opportunity come together.” With his help, she will be prepared for any opportunity. Martial Artist Erica Scott has made a name for herself on the mat and in the classroom. Foreign Exchange The British Are Coming By Aaron Mixson Assistant Editor The British have returned. Not to claim what was their’s, but to observe and study American culture and behavior. The two students involved are: Clare Hayward of South London and Niki Marchant of Bournemouth, England. They are here courtesy of the campus foreign exchange pro- i gram and the efforts of John Terrell, coordinator of the program and ac- counting instructor. “Everyone is very friendly and helpful”, explained Niki when ask about the natives. The exchange students will be at Delco during the fall semester -- working on their American Studies degree. After this semester, they will return to London to finish their de- gree. England’s Clare Hayward and Niki Marchant give the Lion’s Eye their British smiles. : hd fhe bad -Photo by Aaron Mixson
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