On deck with or without her bow staff in hand, 16-year-old Sydney Tipton is quickly gaining recognition for her award-winning performances at both NASKA and USA Sport Karate events!
Meet Sydney Tipton
Her journey as a martial artist started with a big move to the Bay area. Sensing distress from the aftermath of the Covid crisis, Sydney’s family saw the need for an external outlet to help the kids cope with the isolation and depression that many kids and teens were experiencing at the time.
While searching for healthy connections and creative activities, her mom, Lori saw an offering for a free martial arts class and led them to try it out.
After a few weeks of watching her brother in training, Sydney decided martial arts was exactly what she wanted to do. While she felt slightly out of place at first, the encouragement and uplifting spirit of the owners, staff, and other students were extremely helpful whenever self-doubt would surface.
By applying pointed focus and determination Sydney gained confidence and nurtured her skills, moving up in rank as a dedicated student at Premier Martial Arts in Lutz, Florida.
Through her dedication and pursuit of black belt excellence, Sydney now carries a national ranking of 1st in Traditional Weapons and 2nd in Traditional forms with USA Sport Karate.
Her latest NASKA victory came as she brought the heat to the ring at the prestigious Battle of Atlanta. With this latest win, she is also now a 2-time NASKA UBB Advanced Weapons Grand Champion!
Sydney’s desire to become a World Champion is unfolding, with her sights dead set on earning the rank of black belt and rising to the top of her game.
Home/School Life
Like a true champion at heart, Sydney leads by example at school and in her community. Described by those close to her as “pretty and thoughtful,” she is also an intelligent and compassionate teen who enjoys helping others.
As a testament to her dedication, Sydney also makes time to mentor younger students – frequently working with the kids at her church, and volunteering for parent’s night and other events at Premier Martial Arts.
With a love for learning new things, she consistently maintains her focus in school as a straight-A student with a 3.9 GPA and a strong attraction to studies in Psychology.
In the future, Sydney plans to become a psychiatrist. “I’m interested in how the mind works, how the brain can be affected, related to one’s thinking.”
Despite all the BIG opportunities growing around her, she loves simple things, like collecting shells on the beach and walking nature trails. With a pleasantly youthful excitement, Sydney also enjoys immersing herself in art, geocaching, and playing video games in her free time.
Training and Competition
Sydney admits that her biggest fans are her mom and Dad, drawing motivation to compete from her team and her family. She also proudly boasts about the intense training and inspiration she receives from Sensei Ty & Sensei Diego.
Her favorite technique is her powerful jump in both forms and weapons katas, but as a competitor with a champion mindset, she’s working to improve on her delivery, solidifying techniques, leveling balance, and developing more speed in her performance.
With her sights set on representing the US at the 2025 World Martial Arts Games in Oslo, Norway, Sydney continues to step out of her comfort zone – regularly challenging herself to improve as an athlete.
Mindset Q & A
Here are a few raw questions from Sydney’s spotlight interview at LIFTED.
Q. Winning always feels great, but how would you turn a loss into learning and growth?
A. “I would ask the judge for specific feedback on what I could improve, then focus on practicing and refining that technique. I’d also ask what set the winner apart from me, so I may learn from their strengths and use that insight to improve my form.”
Q. Have you ever lost a competition that you expected to win?
A. “Battle of the Beach taught me a hard lesson ‘Read the rules’. After learning I had a 3-minute time limit and losing for 2nd place, my mom took me to the beach and we got gelato. I had to work hard on perfecting my form and correcting my timing.”
LIFTED’s “Kickin’ In For Kids” Fundraiser
“I was selected to be on the US Martial Arts team to represent the US in Norway at the World Martial Arts Games in November. We really could use sponsorship to help me make that dream become a reality.”
A portion of proceeds from the products on the Team PMA fundraiser page goes directly to support Sydney and Team PMA, Land O’ Lakes, for competition and training expenses.
Q. What do you do to feed your mind?
A. “Listen to music, create art, and watch karate videos.”
Q. Male or Female, which competitor out there most impresses you right now?
A. “Carleigh Jenkins”
Q. In your personal life or martial arts, how do you reward yourself when you do well?
A. “I get gelato and/ or my nails done!”
Q. Imagine if you could give the world something, or take something away from the world, what would it be? Why?
A. “If I could take something away from the world, it would be inequality and ignorance. These two problems are the foundation of so many worldwide concerns. It causes discrimination and injustice as well as conflict and division. Without them, the world could be a more peaceful and accepting place, where people would have a greater understanding of one another and in return, create a more united and compassionate society!”
Sydney’s Product Experience
A while back, Sydney had a chance to try LIFTED Sports Recovery Cream on her knees and toe – two areas that had been a recurring issue for her in the past.
On potency, from 0-10 she found complete relief but wasn’t sure how long the effect took to kick in, stating that she just noticed that it felt better.
She thought the aroma was pleasant, minty, refreshing, and relaxing at the same time. We were happy to hear there was nothing about our product that she didn’t like. Once again, we can honestly claim LIFTED SPORTS RECOVERY CREAM to be competitor-tested, and #championapproved!
What’s Next
Family, friends, and fans can catch Sydney in action at the upcoming US Open, the Vice City Championships, and the Warriors Challenge. However, the opportunity to represent the US in, Norway is currently the most exciting upcoming event.
How You Can Help
Sydney is well on her way to many more championship wins. But she needs your help to make it all happen. If you would like to support her and Team PMA through our fundraiser. Use code: SydneyPMA to credit Sydney for her efforts and receive a special offer. You can go to the team’s page for more info.
A portion of the proceeds from their sales goes directly to support Sydney and Team PMA, Land O’ Lakes, for competition and training expenses. If you’d like to donate or sponsor Sydney more directly,
please reach out to Lori.tipton06@gmail.com
Every bit helps!
Final Thoughts:
It was a pleasure chatting with such a dedicated and thoughtful teen about her future career plans and athletic dreams. I had the pleasure of seeing her in action at Starcade, and believe Sydney does have what it takes to become a world champion.
Also, her light-hearted spirit and fierce ring presence stand in such a beautiful contrast. Congratulations on your many achievements so far, Sydney. And good luck with your training and future competitions!
“To uncover your true potential, you must first find your own limits and then have the courage to blow past them.” – Picabo Street
Kickin In For Kids | Competitor Spotlight Fundraiser | LIFTED SPORTS RECOVERY CREAM
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