Sweeney moves dojo, retains champions
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on April 18, 2015 10:34 PM
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News-Argus/MELISSA KEY
Dustin Carter throws a kick during his black belt test held at Sweeney's Martial Arts' new dojo, located in the Barnyard Shopping Center off Ash Street.
It started with a dream -- a 5-year-old in a white gi who told his parents he would master the martial arts one day.
But Dustin Carter had no idea that just more than four years later, his mentor would tie a black belt around his waist -- that his room would house dozens of trophies that represent victories over some of the top martial artists his age in the nation.
So when, in front of family and friends, he reached a milestone not many 9-year-olds can fathom, one might think he would have used the ceremony as an opportunity to celebrate.
Dustin just isn't wired that way.
"I'm confident now," he said. "But it's still not the end."
Now he has a new dream -- a national championship and, perhaps, Olympic glory.
"That's all he wants to do," his father, Jason, said. "It's all he talks about."
Ian Honeycutt had similar dreams the first time he set foot in the Sweeney Martial Arts dojo.
"My dad said I wouldn't quit until I got it," the 10-year-old said of reaching black belt status.
So when he looked down several weeks ago and saw it secured around his abdomen, he couldn't believe what he had accomplished.
"I was like, 'Wow.' I thought I wouldn't make it. I thought I wasn't ready. But I guess I was ready after all," he said. "It was amazing. To be the first one in the family to be a black belt, I mean, my friends look up to me because of that. I felt overjoyed."
Ian and Dustin recently became the first two martial artists to reach the milestone since their sensei, Berris Sweeney, moved to a new facility in the Barnyard Shopping Center off Ash Street.
And while the place they train has changed several times since they began their karate careers, their mentor -- and the values he has instilled in them -- have never wavered.
Ian said earning his black belt under Sweeney made the feat all the more sweet.
"Two of the most important things I've learned from him are never show disrespect to your opponents and never give up -- no matter what," he said. "Sensei is one of the greatest people I have ever met. I look up to him as an idol. He's a tough guy, but he's got a good heart. He's the ultimate friend."
Dustin agrees.
"He's like a dad to me," he said.
And Jason said he is amazed at how much Sweeney gets out of his students -- and how effortlessly he has formed a family inside whatever dojo they train inside.
"That man, what he does with these children, it amazes me. He is just so good with these kids," he said. "(Dustin), he's the oldest 9-year-old I've ever met. The way he grew, this place has turned him into a man."
A 9-year-old "man" with a dream -- one he has no doubt he will reach as long as Sweeney is in his corner.