The Lyles family of Poolesville — (from left) mom Phymeon, Charles, 9, Jonique, 11, and dad Richard — show off one of their karate moves during their black-belt initiation ceremony at the Germantown Community Center on June 17.


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Eleven belts later: A smashing achievement

A Poolesville family earns the highest rank together

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

by Titus Ledbetter III
Staff Writer

Phymeon Lyles broke her left hand, two of her toes and twisted her left ankle while she learned the finer points of karate.

Despite the searing pain, she did not stop attending her karate classes because of her family. Her husband and two children had been working alongside her in the classes for the past three years.

That was all the motivation she needed to continue.

Every member of the Lyles family — Phymeon, her husband, Richard, their daughter, Jonique, 11, and son, Charles, 9 — received a black belt at BMI Karate in Germantown last month.

‘‘When you sign up with your family, as bad as you want to quit, you don’t,” Phymeon Lyles said. ‘‘You don’t want to let them down.”

She credits her husband for pushing the entire family to make it to the finish line. He was known as the ‘‘bandana man” because every time he earned a new belt, he changed the color of the bandana he wore on his head to match that new belt.

‘‘They joined before me,” Richard Lyles, who grew up in Poolesville, said of his wife and kids. ‘‘The only way I would join is if they promised they would continue until they received their black belts. Along the way they wanted to give up, but I encouraged them to follow their goals.”

Charles Lyles, 9, juggled his quest for a black belt along with his other extra curricular activities at Poolesville Elementary School. He writes for the school newspaper and he is a member of the band and the chorus.

He also knows exactly what he likes about karate.

‘‘I like the physical things you get to do — the kicking, crunching, and the take-down,” he said.

Quality family time

The 45-minute classes were held three times a week, and the family drove nearly an hour round trip for each lesson.

Phymeon Lyles said one of the best things about the drives was the conversations. She said every member of the family contributed to meaningful discussions about the classes they were taking. It brought a sense of unity to the family.

‘‘I’m really proud to see the children go through the process,” she said. ‘‘It takes guts, you can’t do it overnight. They did things I didn’t think I could do. It blows my mind. I’m proud of them.”

Each lesson started with a five-minute warm-up followed by a regular workout. Then the students worked on a 21-step routine and polished their offensive and defensive moves.

Jonique Lyles, who is also on the volleyball and track teams at John Poole Middle School, said she loved learning the flying sidekick. She vividly remembers the final test she took before earning the black belt.

‘‘I feel really good and proud for completing that test,” she said. ‘‘You have to do 100 pushups and 120 sit-ups.”

BMI Karate’s motto says you should treat everyone with ‘‘kindness, courtesy and respect,” but students were taught that sometimes you need to be prepared to defend yourself if the respect is not returned.

Richard Lyles said his family learned some valuable lessons.

‘‘It was a good experience for the family,” he said. ‘‘If other families have the time, they should experience some of it. It will help you bond and find the strengths and weaknesses of your family.”