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He began training at age 7 and was a black belt four years later. Now the second-degree black belt must defy a back injury.
By DEBORAH O'NEIL
© St. Petersburg Times, published August 9, 2001
DUNEDIN -- Scott Sinden is on his back on the floor at the Chinese Martial Arts Center, his left leg torqued in a stretch that for most would be painful, if not impossible.
Soon, the 15-year-old takes his place in the middle of the studio where the words "PATIENCE DISCIPLINE PERSEVERANCE" are written in red over a mirrored wall.
Then he is airborne. Like a scene from the Bruce Lee movies that filled his childhood, Sinden's 140-pound figure whips through the air, twisting, kicking, punching. Each kung fu movement is delivered with exacting control.
The room grows silent except for the sound of Sinden's quick breaths. Other students pause to watch.
"He's awesome," says 10-year-old Patrick Kennedy of Tampa. "He looks cool."
Last year, Sinden carried home a pile of medals from an international Chinese martial arts competition that draws up to 1,000 athletes from around the world. Among them was the coveted grand champion title, which he won for his execution of kung fu forms in the adult division, making him the youngest person ever to win the prize, according to his coach Nick Scrima.
Sinden will defend that title this weekend when he heads to the International Wushu-Kung Fu Festival and Championships at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
This time around, however, Sinden will have to overcome a back injury that kept him from practicing all summer and has not completely healed. He resumed two- to three-hour daily practices only two weeks ago. Retaining his title, he said, is "very important."
"I want to be the best," Sinden said.
Sinden has been a martial arts prodigy. His interest grew out of the martial arts movies he watched with his mother, Nooprai. As a 3-year-old, Sinden danced around the house kicking and punching, his mother said. As a boy, he did splits between chairs.
"He's always made me happy and proud," said Mrs. Sinden.
At age 7, Sinden began training with master instructor Scrima, owner of the Chinese Martial Arts Center on State Road 580. Four years later Sinden was a black belt. Throughout his training he has overcome asthma, which he controls with medication.
He is now a second-degree black belt.
"He is the youngest black belt I've ever produced in 25 years of teaching," Scrima said. "Usually when they start that young they don't hang in there. The first time the child says, 'I don't want to do it anymore,' (the parents) kind of give in. I've lost a lot of talented people that way. The one thing with Scott is his parents have always been there to encourage him."
Sinden cracked a lower vertebra in November while conditioning for the Dunedin High School baseball team. For months, he suffered with pain and spasms in his lower back but figured it was a muscle injury. When massages and four rounds of acupuncture didn't stop the pain, Sinden finally saw a doctor in May. The doctor told him to stop all sports except swimming or bike riding.
"I was pretty mad," Sinden said. "That's like the longest time I've been away from baseball and kung fu."
Scrima said the time off has cost Sinden some of his speed, but he expects the teen to excel this weekend.
"I still think he's going to go there and he's going to do very well," Scrima said. "He's a seasoned competitor. He knows how to bring out his best under those kinds of circumstances."
Sinden said he wouldn't mind being noticed by a movie producer so he could be the next Jet Li, his favorite martial arts star.
But movie deal or not, Sinden still has fans. People have asked him for autographs at competitions. And every day in the studio, young martial arts students gather round when he practices.
"All the time I bring them out and say, 'Scott is going to do a demonstration,' " Scrima said. "How else are we going to train champions?"