When Ella Obeso steps onto the mat, she’s competing against some of the best young martial artists in the world. At just 12 years old, the Summit Martial Arts student has already claimed an international championship and is working toward an even bigger goal: a world title.
Obeso is a student at Summit Martial Arts located at 335 Crossroads Blvd. in Cold Spring. Obeso and her family are from Loveland, Ohio, but travel to Cold Spring, where the dojo is, weekly for her to train.
She is a second-degree black belt who has trained at Summit Martial Arts since 2018, when she was 4 years old.
“I used to do ballet, and I did not like ballet, and my mom used to do karate, and she was looking at some schools, and we found Summit Martial Arts [the closest ATA school to her], and that’s how I got started,” Obeso said.
According to the ATA Martial Arts’ website, ATA Martial Arts, formerly the American Taekwondo Association, is one of the world’s largest martial arts organizations. It focuses primarily on “Songahm Taekwondo,” a specialized martial arts system developed by its founder, Haeng Ung Lee. The practice emphasizes practical self-defense, physical fitness and mental discipline.
A black belt (first degree and above) under ATA is considered to have excellence in physical skill, mindset, leadership and perseverance.
In April, Obeso added an international championship to an already competitive season, earning the title of 2026 European Champion at the ATA European Championships held in Lisbon, Portugal. Her first international competition.
Obeso won in the “Xtreme weapons” category.
According to ataofallonmembers.com, ATA Xtreme form and weapon competitions are a “free style” performance that allows the mix of traditional and contemporary martial arts techniques. It is based in traditional Songahm Taekwondo but allows for non-traditional movements spanning all martial arts styles and disciplines.
“I was very happy, and I was very proud of myself when I realized that I won,” Obeso said. “I don’t really remember it, because I was really in shock. I was very proud of my hard work, because before that, I did a lot of training to prepare for that.”
Obeso said she trains at least two hours a day at home. She also takes multiple private lessons throughout the week with the owner and chief instructor of Summit Martial Arts, Rick Hill, and goes to classes there two to three times a week.
Obeso’s mom, Angela Schroeder, said when Obeso started competing around age 6, that she and her husband would let her drive it. Over the past roughly two years, Obeso really started focusing on her training for the world championship title.
“When she made that decision, the change in her focus and her attitude and her training significantly changed,” Schroeder said. “This isn’t something that I wake her up at 7 a.m. and say, ‘Ok, go downstairs and do your weight training.’ No, she wakes herself up, goes downstairs, and does it herself. That type of drive and dedication, I can’t force her to do this. So this is something that really comes from within, and we are just as parents, I mean, we’re just so proud of her.”
Earlier in June, Obeso competed in district championships in South Bend, Ind., and won medals in six categories. She placed first in the creative weapons and Xtreme weapons categories, and she placed second in traditional forms, traditional weapons, creative forms, and Xtreme forms.
In July, Obeso will head to Phoenix to compete in the prestigious “Tournament of Champions,” where the highest-ranked competitors from around the world will compete for the title of “World Champion.” Obeso will face fellow world finalists on July 15 with an opportunity to add a world title to her growing list of achievements.
Obeso said she is looking forward to the creative and Xtremes categories because she has been training on those longer than “traditionals.”
Traditionals is slower than creative and Xtreme, and it’s a choreographed form by ATA; everyone has the same form, unlike creative and Xtreme, where Obeso gets to choose her weapon, music and choreograph it herself.
Obeso said the people at Summit Martial Arts are really nice and welcoming. When she first started, she said the dojo helped her build the fundamentals and foundation of taekwondo, and Hill was also a big part of that.
Hill said Obeso’s accomplishments extend far beyond trophies and titles.
”It has been an absolute pleasure to watch Isabella grow over the years,” Hill said. “When she first walked through our doors as a shy four-year-old, few people could have imagined she would one day become one of the best performers in the world. Through hard work, dedication, and perseverance, she has developed into a confident, outgoing young leader who sets an incredible example for our younger students.”
Schroeder said her aunt and uncle got her into ATA and taekwondo briefly when she was younger. When Obeso joined Summit Martial Arts, Schroeder said her daughter also tried to get her to join, and she finally did about two years ago. She is currently a red belt.
“It’s honestly, as a family, it’s so much fun to do together,” Schroeder said.
Especially for little kids, Schroeder said it can be intimidating for them to go out on the mat by themselves, so going out with a parent helps quite a bit.
Schroeder said the tournament cycle around ATA has allowed her daughter to make friends from around the country, from California and Texas to Wisconsin and Florida. Obeso gets to see them on random weekends when they travel, and Schroeder said that type of camaraderie you don’t see in every sport, and said it is a really cool environment to raise her daughter in.
Hill said that the personal growth students experience through martial arts often proves even more valuable than competitive success.
”The confidence Isabella has developed through martial arts will impact every area of her life,” he said. “Whether it’s academics, future career opportunities, leadership roles, or personal relationships, learning to believe in yourself and perform under pressure creates skills that last a lifetime. We are incredibly proud of her accomplishments and excited to see what she achieves next.”
Obeso echoed that.
“It has definitely taught me a lot of confidence, you know, and to believe in myself,” Obeso said. “Those are the biggest things that ATA and taekwondo have taught me.”
