Sisters strive for excellence
When Brittney Gerard was 8 and Tina Gerard was 6, they were really into the Power Rangers and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Haa-ya, kick, grunt, pose. Karate was the next logical step. They began the sport 10 years ago and have learned a lot about excellence.
The girls give martial arts, as well as their parents, a lot of credit. “It’s all about being the best that we can be … ‘black belt excellence,’ ” said Brittney.
Brittney, 18, is a second-degree black belt, and Tina, 16, is a first-degree black belt. Rivalry between them barely exists except for what Brittney calls “healthy competition.” Their father, Mark Gerard, said, “Tina’s main goal was to beat her older sister.” Tina admits, “When I was younger, my goal was to be like Brittney or beat her.”
Tina is a sophomore at University High School, and Brittney is a senior. Both have high grade-point averages and take difficult classes. They agree it’s important to act like an A student and strive to be one and, while they agree often, they are very different. “Most people would say that Brittney and I are like day and night, complete opposites,” said Tina, “Britt has always been the motherly type of person, and I’m more of the childish, go-getter type of person.”
Tina and Brittney enjoy choir, and they speak German. After that, their differences emerge. Brittney plans to go to Eastern Washington University with the help of scholarships to study teaching and psychology. Tina will probably be a literature major or maybe work with animals.
Brittney has had the same after-school job for two years and drives a car she bought herself. She is a little quieter than Tina and ready to begin life past high school. “Don’t just focus on your dreams; stay disciplined enough to achieve them,” she said.
Tina still has two more years and, in the meantime, she will explore her creativity by writing, making things, reading and drawing. She might also act like a nerd, which is a label she does not mind. “I’d rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I’m not,” she said.
Both girls will remain close and urge each other on, whatever paths they take. Their younger siblings, Stephannie, 13, and Matt, 11, will have a nicely formed path to follow until they break their own.