Overcoming odds: International karate competitor opens dream dojo during battle with breast cancer

ST. GEORGE —From international karate competitions to a registered blackbelt in Japan, one woman refused to let a breast cancer diagnosis stand in the way of her dream to own her own dojo – a place that would allow her to bring immersive martial arts learning to the community.

Shannon Modry stands for a photo inside Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Shannon Mondry stands for a photo inside Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

“I’ve been a practitioner and avid learner of Wado Kai karate for 28 years, and opening this dojo has been a dream come true,” Shannon Mondry said. “I just love passing on everything that I’ve learned to new students.”

As the owner of Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate, Modry said she offers traditional Japanese Okinawan karate, which is a style original to Japan and not a mixture of different karate styles commonly found in American Karate. She teaches kids age 3 and older, along with adults, and holds true to the traditions by counting in Japanese and using Japanese words and phrases.

Mondry’s love for karate began after her brother came home from the only karate class he ever took. Watching him kick, she was mesmerized, and she kept that memory alive until she finally stepped into her first karate class in her 20s. Living in Denver, Colorado at the time,  Modry said a friend recommended she take classes by Mr. Sadahuru Kurobane at the Denwakan Martial Arts Center.

“The moment I walked in, that was it,” Mondry said about her first karate class. “It’s been nonstop ever since.”

Shannon Modry poses with Master Kurobane at the Wado-kai karate-do championship, Tokio, Japan, 2005 | Photo courtesy of Shannon Modry, St. George News
Shannon Mondry poses with Master Kurobane at the Wado-kai karate-do championship, Tokio, Japan, 2005 | Photo courtesy of Shannon Mondry, St. George News

As she continued to learn, Mondry said her training with Sensei Kurobane led her to participate in multiple regional and state tournaments. She was also the only American woman to compete in Tokyo, Japan, in 2005 at the Wado-Kai world cup. Master Kurobane told her it was time to start teaching karate herself, which led to both an after-school program and substitute teaching.

With her mom in need of help, Mondry moved to St. George in 2013. In order to stay in touch with the dojo she loved so much and compete in competitions, she traveled back and forth to Denver.

“I’ve competed at a national level, local level, international level,” Mondry said. “In 2018 I went to England and competed in the Wado-Kai All nations championships.”

That same year, Mondry began to teach karate in a shared space in St. George.

Shannon Modry receives a medal at the All Nations Wado-Kai Championship, Leicester, England, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Shannon Modry, St. George News
Shannon Mondry receives a medal at the All Nations Wado-Kai Championship, Leicester, England, 2018 | Photo courtesy of Shannon Mondry, St. George News

“I just really wanted a space of my own so that I could do classes where I wasn’t infringing on someone else’s business, but it was such a great way to get started,” Mondry said of the space where she spent about two years.

When she came across the space her dojo is in now, she knew she was ready to sign the papers. She went to the bank to fill out the loan paperwork and waited.

That’s when the unthinkable happened.

“I got approved for the loan and diagnosed with breast cancer at the same time,” she said. “Literally within days of each other.”

Shannon Modry poses with her students at Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Shannon Mondry poses with her students at Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate, St. George, Utah, Aug. 30, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Mondry said she got the keys to her business in October 2021, moved into the space in December and began renovating the building. She didn’t let breast cancer treatments stop her from completing the renovations and pushed to fulfill the dream she had started. With hard work and determination, she completed everything from painting to repairs, all while working, teaching karate, and undergoing treatment. She held her first classes at Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate in January of this year and completed 16 cycles of chemotherapy along with 30 rounds of radiation. Her radiation treatments were completed last week.

“Everything was happening at the same time, but I’ll tell you, thank God I had this to do, besides also try to work and get through the cycles,” Mondry said.

Framed on the wall of the dojo, you’ll find Mondry’s official dojo license from Japan. Her black belts are registered in Japan and she is an official member of the Japan Karate-Do Federation (JKF).

A stack of karate metals Shannon Modry has won lady on a table, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Shannon Modry, St. George News
A stack of karate metals Shannon Mondry has won lady on a table, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Shannon Mondry, St. George News

“What karate means to me is health, mental, physical balance and quite literally, Karate-Do means way of life, and it has become a way of life for me,” Shannon Mondry said.

A few months ago, Mondry rented out the top floor of her business to My Unique Boutique and moved her dojo downstairs. As for future goals, Modry plans to knock down walls to allow for increased mat space while continuing to build her number of students. She hopes to move to an even bigger space as her business grows.

Southern Utah Wado-Kai Karate is located downstairs at 344 Sunland Drive STE 6 in St. George. For more information or to sign up for a class, visit their website

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