Here’s How an Olympic Judo Star’s ‘Epic Tale’ Inspires Chuck Norris
By Movieguide® Contributor
Chuck Norris is looking to Kayla Harrison for life lessons, and for good reason. She overcame traumatic abuse and suicidal depression to finally be what she is today — an impressive Olympic gold medalist, non-profit starter, author and mom.
“Her epic tale of conquest is that she achieved her Olympic dreams after suffering years of sexual abuse at the hands of her childhood coach, a trusted family friend 16 years her senior who molested her from 12 to 16 years of age, maybe earlier,” Norris said.
Her abuser eventually served a 10-year federal sentence for his crimes against Harrison.
“Kayla’s journey to Olympic gold, as well as her triumph over tragedy, models a path that victims of any form of abuse or past entrapments can take to attain recovery, freedom, and one’s dreams,” Norris said.
One of the life lessons that Harrison teaches us is “Don’t let being a victim define or paralyze you any more than it already has tried; rather, use it as a catalyst to grow, overcome, and fuel victory.”
Harrison said she uses everything in her life to help her reach her goals, even the bad stuff.
“Kind of just reflecting back on my life. Everything it’s taken to get here, and everything that I’ve gone through,” she said about how she overcomes. And her past “is proof that you’re only a victim if you allow yourself to be. Nothing can stop you.”
“What is life without failures, disappointments, and setbacks? They’ve all made me stronger and more resilient,” Harrison said on her website.
Norris notes resiliency is a “critical” part of personal growth.
“Triumph over trauma can be our greatest achievement because it helps us in myriad ways,” Norris said.
The next life lesson is to “Surround yourself with people who will push — and sometimes even pull — you toward healing, wholeness, and your goals.”
After Harrison’s mom discovered Harrison’s sexual assault, she helped get her safe coaches with solid reputations. So they picked double Olympic medal winner, Jimmy Pedro Jr., and his father. They helped get her into therapy, rebuild her confidence and shape her into a champion.
When Harrison started to study under them, she wasn’t aiming for gold.
“She was not in a good state of mind. She was somebody who had no self-esteem,” Pedro Jr. said. “She didn’t know, really, right from wrong. She was somebody who didn’t know if she wanted to go on with life or not.”
Her abuse was the “hardest thing” for her to overcome.
One day, he found Harrison on the roof of an apartment as she contemplated jumping.
“It was just a very, very, very low point,” he said.
Harrison said, “I hated judo. I hated the Pedros. I didn’t want to be the strong girl. I didn’t want to be the golden girl, I didn’t want to be the one who overcame everything.”
But they never gave up on her.
“That’s why I owe all of this to the Pedros, to my teammates. They’re the ones who got me out of bed in the morning and said, ‘We’re going to lift.’ They’re the ones who picked me off the mat when I was crying and wanted to quit. I’m forever grateful to them for that,” she said.
Norris said, “It’s a fact in becoming a champion: Those who are around you can define your success, or your path to it. Your environment will shape you, for better or worse – you can count on it. So let your closest friends and colleagues be champions of your improvement.”
The third life lesson is “Make a commitment to keep stepping forward, however small the baby steps or reeling the relapses; mark your progress; celebrate the small victories and the major milestones.”
Harrison has had a slow journey to healing.
She said, “It wasn’t one particular moment. It was a collection of moments. It was my teammates picking me up and making me go to practice and making me go to lifting. It was Jimmy getting me back in school and me going to see a therapist. And me sort of collecting the pieces of my life and putting them back together.”
Norris said, “That’s exactly what Kayla has done and been doing the last 10 years as she now offers others help through her ‘Fearless Foundation’ and her insightful and powerful book, ‘Fighting Back: What an Olympic Champion’s Story Can Teach Us about Recognizing and Preventing Child Sexual Abuse – and Helping Kids Recover.'”
She is also a proud and happy mother of two young kids.
Norris believes Harrison embodies the verse from Genesis, “What others mean for harm, God can turn around and use for the good.”
Movieguide® previously reported how Norris honored his mentor, Ed Cole, whom he met through Movieguide®:
God loved me through Ed Cole, and I thank God for him. And I look forward to thanking Ed again when I see him one day in Heaven.
I will never forget or take for granted Ed’s influence in my life. He influenced me to increase my trust in God, to be a faithful husband and father. Even though I was a “TV tough guy,” Ed challenged me to be a real man. He challenged me with the three keys: to be a better role model, mentor and motivator to my family. I actually expounded on those three principles as I wrote to men and fathers about manhood and fatherhood in my New York Times bestseller, “Black Belt Patriotism.”
I am not a perfect father or husband. Truth be known, I’ve learned far more from my failures than from my successes. However, I won’t allow them to stop me from pressing on and bettering myself – and I don’t believe that you should allow failures to hinder your fatherhood either. As Ed used to say, “You don’t drown by falling in the water; you drown by staying there.” …
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