Despite the devastating loss of her home and her dojo, 10-year-old Eden Savoian secured two bronze medals during an international karate contest held in Las Vegas last weekend and is committed to continue martial arts in a dojo in Santa Monica.
Eden, a green belt in the Japanese Yoshukai style of karate, has only been training for a year and half and was formally a student at Gerry Blanck's Martial Arts Center in Pacific Palisades. However, since that too was tragically destroyed, she has now found a home at MuDo Integrated Martial Art, 1828 Lincoln Blvd.
Eden and her father used to live in the Castellammare area of Pacific Palisades and Eden went to school in Calabasas. However, now Blanck's dojo has found a home, for a while at least, in Santa Monica, Eden can’t get there as easily.
“When we still lived in Palisades, I went almost every day if I could and I practised at home a lot too,” Eden told the Daily Press. “I'm just really upset because I used to be able to come every day. Now I want to be able to come on Saturdays because I can't drive all the way from school.”
Amongst the countless, priceless personal possessions the family lost were her own, specialized breaking boards and a coveted karate medal from her first tournament.
“When the house burned down we lost everything and Eden lost all her karate stuff like her medals and belts, and the only thing that I got out of the house was a couple of iPads and some clothes, everything is pretty much gone,” said Eden’s father, Alan.
Called the International Martial Arts Competition, it was held at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
“Eden was all set to go, she’d been planning it for some time, she's all excited and everything,” said Sensei Gerry Blanck. “And then her whole house burned down and everything, along with my studio in the Palisades. But she still wanted to go, but she didn't have a uniform or anything.”
Blanck says that at first he was concerned about her attending the event given everything that had just happened and the fact that he hadn’t been able to train as much recently. Eden remained undeterred and Blanck organized a new uniform, belt and nunchucks for her.
“You know, not winning would be so hard, after everything she’s put in … But she got two bronze medals,” he said, adding, “And they even replaced her very first medal, that she won last year, that got lost in the fire.”
Over 180 other competitors had also lost their homes in the recent disaster. “I’m here to represent my other dojo classmates and friends, many also lost their homes,” Eden said at the event.
“She really likes it. You know, she loves the challenge, and she loves the discipline and the different belts and everything. It gives them something to work towards,” Alan said, adding, “It's like a big family, and everyone's friends and everyone knows each other, and so it's just like a really cool family and a great community.”
scott.snowden@smdp.com
