Introduction

Lilian Faith Cavendish was born and raised in Pittsburg, Kansas — a quiet town surrounded by endless fields and skies that seemed too big for its own good. Her parents worked long hours, her father in logistics, her mother in healthcare, and they were often too busy to notice the small details of her life.
When Lilian was thirteen, they signed her up at the local dojo, partly to keep her busy, partly to follow in the footsteps of her older brother, Derek, who had been a hometown karate prodigy before leaving for college, getting married, and moving to Pennsylvania. For a while, Lilian idolized him — he was proof that someone from their small Kansas town could make it.

But Lilian’s own journey was more complicated.
While she had a natural athleticism and the kind of quick reflexes most fighters would kill for, the dojo environment slowly dulled her spark. The instructors favored a rigid, traditional style, with little room for improvisation or personal flair. She could win on skill alone against some opponents, but the spark of self-belief was always missing. Losses weighed heavier on her than victories lifted her.

By the time she graduated high school, Lilian was still fighting — but with the nagging thought that maybe she’d never be great.
Now a freshman at Pittsburg State University, she’s joined the karate and Muai Thai club on campus, dipping into the fearsome indonesian martial art. It’s smaller, scrappier, and less traditional than her old dojo — and for the first time, she feels free to experiment, to try things she was once told not to do. She trains hard between classes, sometimes barefoot on the hardwood floors of her dorm, sometimes out in the grass, chasing a version of herself she’s only seen in flashes. She’s still learning to believe she belongs in the ring, but something inside her is shifting. The girl who once thought of herself as “good but not enough” is starting to think she could be dangerous. And the Midwest may remember the name Lilian Faith Cavendish for a long time.

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Since there are a lot who asks: my white belt it's just for attire, I have an actual first degree black belt in Wado-Ryu Karate but this white one fits better my outfit of choise

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Start of membership: 2025-01-21