07/28/2025
The Torch Junior Spotlight is on Novella Edwards!
Novella is 16 years old & homeschooled.
Personally, training at Torch has made Novella feel safe when she is out and about. She is known as the "protector" among her friend group. She advocates for the importance of self-defense of young women and girls.
Physically, Novella has been positively impacted by TORCH by increasing her focus for school-based activities and increasing her endurance, stamina, and strength.
Mentally, Novella has been positively impacted by TORCH by pushing through difficult things, such as when she chose to move up an age category and weight category in order to compete. In realizing how skilled this opponent was, most people may have cowered and given up, but Novella did not submit and held on for all three rounds. She may not have won the match, but she never gave up.
Yes, the lesson mentioned above is a huge one, life is not easy, and we are often met with Goliaths. Simply because someone is smarter or more skilled than us doesn't mean we can give up on a task. Even Novella's family have noticed how this has carried over into other areas of her life that she has worked tremendously hard in.
"WE would absolutely recommend TORCH to anyone who is curious. Torch has a very welcoming atmosphere. The coaches truly care and are invested in seeing the kids succeed. Great care is taken to treat each child as an individual with their needs taken into account as they are trained. Communication with parents is excellent- if there are any questions or concerns, Bonnie, Keenan, Mo or any staff are available and encourage discussion. Kade deserves an honorable mention for how much he pours into these kids as well as how willing he is to be the training dummy!" π