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LEHI — Watching athletes compete in the Seleny Joanne Karate Championship on Saturday, sensei David Crosby imagined his daughter joining in on the action from heaven.
"Because she loves karate, I know that she is always listening to me and that she would be happy we're doing this in her memory," Crosby said. "We know that she may be kicking up there in paradise."
That sentiment is where Crosby and his wife, Seleny, got the tagline for their memorial karate tournament: "Where the angels kick!"
On Saturday, the Crosby family hosted their seventh annual championship, and their second in Utah, at the Utah Military Academy, 3901 W. Waterbury Drive in Lehi.
Seleny Joanne died at age 10 on May 2, 2014, days after she was involved in a school bus accident in South Jordan. Shortly afterward, the Crosbys changed the name of their dojo in Riverton to Seleny Joanne Karate in her honor. They also reopened dojos in Wisconsin and Oklahoma under the same name.
Two years later, they started the Seleny Joanne Karate Championship. This year, more than 100 athletes representing a dozen karate schools came from across Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Illinois and even as far as Japan came to compete.
"It serves as a tribute to the extraordinary life and lasting inspiration of Seleny Joanne Crosby, a gifted young karate champion," the Crosbys said in a statement prior to the event. "Beyond promoting the sport of karate, this championship embodies the true spirit of martial arts, fostering unity, support and personal growth among participants."
Athletes could compete in four events at the championship: choreographed routines called kata, sparring in the kumite style, using traditional weapons in the kobudo style, and family kata routines involving two or more family members.
Seleny Joanne's youngest sister, Dani, 16, said she loved seeing how many members of the karate community came to honor her sister at the tournament. She called her sister a "sweetheart" and a "protector."
"We love the fact that we get to celebrate my sister and her memory every year during this tournament," Dani said. "I'm just super grateful that we have so many people each year that come and help so her name and her legacy doesn't die."
Remembering Seleny Joanne
On April 30, 2014, Seleny Joanne's bus driver, Troy Daniels, failed to activate his safety hazards when he pulled off to the side of the road. Seleny Joanne got off the bus and ran into the road, where she was hit by another school bus. She died from her injuries two days later.
"We sent her to school and she never came back," Crosby said.
Daniels pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment and failure to signal when a school bus is stopped, both misdemeanor charges. He was sentenced to one year in jail and 500 hours of community service.
Crosby urged parents not to take their families for granted.
"We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow," he said. "When you leave your house, try to give a hug to them, because you don't know."
Crosby said at the time of Seleny Joanne's death, she was preparing for a karate tournament in Colorado.
Through his work as a mental health counselor, Crosby said he understands that everyone needs something to focus on to keep going during times of tragedy. For his family, he said that was karate.
"We decided we were going to focus more on karate, the best medication that we have. We needed that," Crosby said. "Karate is our passion, and I know that she loves it and that she is happy."
'Everyone is welcome'
Along with changing the name of their dojo to honor Seleny Joanne, the Crosbys also changed the karate school into a nonprofit. The dojo and the tournament both specialize in making karate family-inclusive and available to everyone, including athletes with disabilities.
"Everyone is welcome," Crosby said Saturday.
Donations and funds from the tournament also go toward needy athletes by helping them pay for karate classes, sparring gear and travel expenses for competitions.
"Our strength is empowering students without or with disabilities to develop effective and usable martial arts techniques that enable them to achieve their own success, self-confidence and discipline as martial arts followers," the Crosbys say on their website.
Seleny Joanne Karate is also Utah's first dojo to be a part of the Amateur Athletic Association. It is also part of the United States National Karate Federation. Through this, Crosby said his daughter's legacy lives on.
"My daughter hasn't been forgotten," Crosby said.
