It took three years and 10 months of some of the hardest work of Mike Thomas’s life, but the man called “Rhino” finally achieved his childhood dream this week.
Thomas, 30, a student of the Rudy Rogers Nisei Karate Federation, was promoted from brown belt to black belt in a small ceremony Monday morning at Rogers’ Open Air Dojo on East Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.
“It was a lot of hard work to get here,” Thomas said. “But overall, I feel good. It was a tough road to get here and I’m happy that I made it.”
The promotion came nine days after Thomas fought in the Pan American Internationals in Miami and placed third overall in sparring in the in the 18-34 Advanced division. He has now earned 35 awards — 21 of which are for first place — in his three-plus years of intense training.
Thomas’s story last made the news in November 2016, shortly after he earned his brown belt. The Plant City man grew up dreaming about training in karate but never got the opportunity until 2015. He had developed a reputation for being a tough, in-your-face martial artist — hence the nickname Rogers gave him — but also for his willingness to provide for his family. Thomas works long hours at Walmart to help support his mother as she battles an illness, support his brother as he attends Florida A&M University and raise his young son. He competes in four to five tournaments per year and hopes to one day get weekends off of work so he can compete more often.
For Thomas, earning his new rank Monday morning was further proof that good things can come to those who stay patient and work hard, no matter how long it takes.
“Never give up on something that you want in life,” Thomas said.
Thomas hopes to compete in Chicago in early 2019 and keep his success streak going. Since he often found himself fighting above rank as a brown belt, he already knows what he’s in for as a black belt. In the distant future, probably a few years from now, he hopes to both keep advancing in his own training and open his own school to try his hand at teaching the art.
“I love working with kids,” Thomas said. “I’ll give it about a year or two, maybe three, give me some time to travel around and do more tournaments and get my name out there more. Then I want to come back out here and teach.”
No matter what the future may hold for Thomas, the “Rhino” will keep charging forward.