Around West County: Young martial arts students have black-belt goals

Two 12-year-olds at Synergy Karate have their eyes set on the prize.

Ian Wiles and Brandon Henry have trained with Derek DePaolis, owner of Synergy Karate and Fitness in Odenton, for a little more than a year in the martial arts jujitsu and tang soo do. Already, both boys are working their way up the ranks.

Both boys competed in August at the Dominion Grappling Championship in Richmond, Va.

In grappling, students learn to use a variety of grappling and choke holds to bring down an opponent without striking them, as in wrestling or jujitsu.

Each boy competed with and without his gi, a traditional cotton canvas...