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A Pree-minent martial artist in the making photo by Jin Craven By Kevin Goff DJ Pree is not your average 9-year-old. Instead of partaking in the usual activities of a boy his age, the Central Point resident gets his kicks by bullying the competition in karate and Tae Kwon Do. Pree is currently the top-ranked competitor nationally and internationally for his age division as an advanced red belt by Sport Karate International magazine. The fourth-grader-to-be at Richardson Elementary has been involved with karate for four years and has just completed the one-year tournament circuit. "He�s a pretty incredible little boy," says DJ�s father, Dirk. "He�s always doing something (involved with karate) and every time you turn around, he�s practicing something." Pree competes in five to six advanced divisions: traditional forms, creative forms, weapons, point sparring and team sparring. Pree stepped into the sport at the age of six and has slowly compiled a collection of awards. "He has about 200 trophies in his room," says Dirk Pree. "They�re starting to flow out into the next room." Dirk Pree had never been involved in the sport before DJ took interest. "As a parent you try and expose your child to as many different things as you can," says Dirk Pree. "And this is one (karate) that he has a lot of natural ability in." The younger Pree first became aware of martial arts around the age of five. "I watched Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan in movies," he says. "They were doing back flips and bouncing off walls and I said, �that�s what I want to do.� " Pree�s interest in karate lasted only six months before he started working Tae Kwon Do into his regimen. "Once I started getting into competitions then that�s where it just took off," says DJ. "Now it�s what I love to do." Pree started working out at the Gillentines World Karate Club, specializing in sparring. He has since added several other clubs to his list but mainly works out at American Tae Kwon Do in Central Point. Besides the club workouts, Pree utilizes a small space in the family garage to perfect different routines and techniques. He earned his rankings by garnering points throughout the year at different events and tournaments. He receives 24 points for every first-place and 20 for every second. In June, Pree traveled to El Paso, Texas for the Sun City Internationals and brought home four first places, then grabbed six more firsts and a Grand Championship the following week at the Can Am Internationals in Vancouver, Canada. Then it was off to the Las Vegas Legacy where Pree earned three top spots and two seconds. "It�s been a long grueling year," says Dirk Pree. "But we�ve enjoyed it." DJ doesn�t mind the traveling, using it as a way of meeting new people and seeing different places. "I like the traveling," he says. "It is one of my favorite things about competing. You get to meet new people and it�s just a lot of fun." The year-round hard work will pay off this fall when DJ will participate in the Super Grands with a world title at stake. The seven-division event is the equivalent of the Olympics of martial arts. Each competitor in their age division will be seeded according to their year-ending rank with the top seed performing last. DJ competes in the Sport Karate International division, for under black belts, in the National Black Belt League (NBL). He is currently the overall leader in points and is in prime position to take the top seed heading into the Super Grands. Also in the fall, DJ will achieve black belt status at the age of 10. After that he�ll decide if a rest is in order. "I�ll take a break if I think I need one, sometime after Super Grands maybe," he says. "But I won�t quit (martial arts). I always want to stay involved somehow." Break or no break from competing, DJ plans on keeping martial arts in his system for the long haul. "I want to open my own (martial arts) school," he says. "I want to show the kids everything that is offered and that it�s really a cool thing." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA