While most 8-year-old kids are enjoying two months of carefree summer days, Kaleb Boyle and Athena Papadatos are busy training to compete on the world stage.
The two 8-year-old Londoners will be heading to the World Karate Commission World Championships in Dublin, Ireland at the end of October.
"It's an accomplishment just to go," said Boyle, who has been enthralled by the martial art since he was just 4 years old.
It was at that young age that Boyle's father Steve introduced him to the sport after becoming concerned with the boy's behaviour.
"He was being bullied quite a bit. Then in kindergarten, he turned into the bully and his mom and I didn't like the path he was going down," said the elder Boyle. "I did martial arts when I was younger and I realized the discipline factor was probably going to be helpful to him... Within the first 12 months, it completely turned him around from being that bully to being one of the most respectful children you'll ever meet."
Boyle, who took bronze at the national karate championship in Ottawa this past May, had vowed he would make it to worlds by the time he was 10 years old. Getting there two years ahead of schedule proves that hard work really does pay off, according to his dad.
"At this point, there is no end to a karate career. They can get right up into a Renshi status later in life and end up opening their own schools if they choose to," said Steve Boyle.
For Papadatos, the love of karate came a little bit later in her young life, when she was six-years-old.
"Athena took dance lessons for about a year and she really wasn't enjoying it. She asked me if she could do karate and I was like 'yes, that's my girl,'" said her dad Spiro Papadatos. "So she tried karate and found her passion and has been very successful over the last two and a half years. She finished second in Canada last year and third in the world and she qualified for Worlds again this year."
Both Boyle and Papadatos had to win at the provincial and national levels in order to earn a spot in this year's world karate championship.
"You have to be really good to go to Worlds. When you go, everyone is really good there. So it is a really hard competition," said Papadatos.
She will compete in the girls ten and under point sparring and team sparring, while Boyle will be in the boys ten and under continuous sparring and creative weapons category.
The kids are members of Family Karate Centres in London and have earned their black belts - Boyle in December 2017 and Papadatos last month. Each dedicates time every day to practice their craft and usually end up sparring with kids that are older than them.
"You have to train a lot. Everyday," said Papadatos. "You also have to watch what you eat because you have to weigh-in for your division."
Karate has helped Papadatos to develop a strong work ethic and given her plenty of quality time with her father.
"I did karate when I was younger and I got back into it when Athena started. We have created some really great memories and are enjoying this journey together," said the senior Papadatos. "I am happy to see her doing really well and not only becoming a great martial artist but a better person. That is what martial arts is all about."
The cost to travel to Ireland to compete can be quite steep once flight and hotel are factored in. A GoFundMe page has been set-up to help the Boyle family get there. By Tuesday, $900 of the $2,500 goal had been raised.
The Papadatos family hopes to launch its own fundraiser in the near future, but ultimately the bulk of the cost of attending the world championship will be covered by each family.