By Master Adam Grogin
Elana Rapisarda (22) from Stillwater, just returned from the US Open martial arts world championships in Orlando Florida. The US Open is the ONLY martial arts event featured on ESPN and other live streaming networks and is hosted each year on Disney Resort property. The competition hosts five thousand plus competitors from different styles of martial arts from around the world in a multitude of different competitive events. Rapisarda won her 2nd world title in Female Creative Open Breaking. Her first title was won in 2022. In this event, competitors must execute an array of different martial arts techniques, breaking all kind of materials from wood boards, to concrete bricks and event Louisville slugger baseball bats. Rapisarda executed an almost flawless routine, winning over the prestigious judges with not just her physical skill but also her energy, presence and showmanship. Rapisarda is now deemed as a two time ISKA (International Sport Karate Association) World Champion, the highest level of recognition one can achieve in the world in the sport of competitive breaking.
In addition, the event awards a grand title of “Ultimate Breaker”, which recognizes the competitor who performs and places the best across four different breaking categories. While a separate female division is offered for the creative open event, the other three power wood and power concrete breaking events do no offer separate female divisions. Rapisarda was the first female in history to take on all three power events, in divisions against the men, and compete for the Ultimate Breaker title. While she did not win this title, she still made history as the first female to attempt it and placed very well overall.
In 2023, after her historical win in 2022, Rapisarda was invited to attempt a world breaking record on stage and live streamed on sports networks, to which she was able to set a new ISKA world breaking record. The first ISKA Female Breaking Record.
Rapisarda is currently balancing an active military career with her martial arts competitive career. She is a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps, working as a logistics officer. She is currently stationed at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Rapisarda trains at Pil-Sung Martial Arts in Albany NY, under World Champion and World Record holder, Master Adam Grogin. Grogin says that this second win is more impressive than her first, because Rapisarda had to commit to training long distance from him, utilizing virtual training sessions, video calls, and other techniques due to her military career locating her away from her home school. In addition, taking on the additional power events to chase the Ultimate Breaker title, made this win more difficult and impressive as Rapisarda had to endure more stress on her body and be in a stronger condition for her body to withstand the stresses of the additional power breaking strikes on large stacks of concrete and wood.
