Spurred on by some of his favorite shows and movies like the "Power Rangers" and "The Matrix," Dante Vandeven is taking a step up in the world of karate.

The 6-year-old karate kid from Cape Girardeau captured the ages 11-and-under grand championship weapons trophy at the Shorin-Ryu Pro Am in St. Louis in late April. He has had other successes this year against fighters as old as 17 and stands in first place statewide in sparring, second in weapons and third in forms.

Whether they're white belts or black belts, Dante isn't scared.

"I like it," he said. "It's easy. I like to learn more each time."

Vandeven is a member of a martial arts team at Universal Health and Fitness Center in Cape Girardeau. The club has participated in three tournaments recently and had several state winners at the April 26 event. Including Vandeven, Alex Davie ranks first in his age in sparring and Gage Hahs also ranks first in sparring among members in his division.

In recent tournaments, in which the class competes in three different divisions, weapons/katas, form/katas, and fighting/sparring, the club has won five first-place trophies, seven second-place trophies and six third-place trophies.

Among other top-10 state-ranked members are Donovan Tousigant (fourth in weapons, sixth in sparring), Nathan Davis (third in weapons, seventh in sparring) and Travis Gerlach (10th in forms).

Although martial arts is the key ingredient to instructor Eric Welch's classes, the emphasis on discipline and character weighs big.

"We try to make our students more well-rounded individuals," Welch said. "We give them a check list they must complete and have signed by their parents each week."

The students' chores include making beds and cleaning up after themselves with a big stress on respect both in and out of class.

"We want them to learn to respect other people, classmates and family," Welch said. "This isn't all about martial arts. This is about being a better person as well."

dunterreiner@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 174