THE WORLD IS HIS STAGE

Very few high school athletes have achieved international success in their chosen sport.  An even smaller percentage can say they have competed on the world stage in two unique sports.  One South Charlotte resident has been the top in two sports and still has another year of high school to go.  Charlotte Catholic High School junior Alex Kilmartin found early success in life in Tae Kwon Do before turning his attention to basketball.

Alex describes the two experiences.

“I have enjoyed the unique opportunities to compete in two different sports at a very high level. For many years I competed both here in the US and abroad in Martial Arts. I also played basketball for a high level travel AAU team, the Charlotte Royals. The most unusual place I have competed in basketball was in Gibraltar two summers ago. I played for the National Team of Wales in the European Championships.  We trained in the UK, about 2 hours outside London. It was an honor to represent a whole country in competition. One of the best aspects of both sports was it allowed me to grow and experience new locations and challenge myself.”

As one can see, the son of Sean and Jane Kilmartin has lived a very exciting life full of triumph and valuable life lessons.  To learn more about Alex, let’s go back to his childhood to explore his experiences in the martial arts arena.

“My brother (Ryan) and I are both 2nd Degree Black Belts in Tae Kwon Do. I know a lot of people take TKD, but not the way we did. We trained 6~7 days a week, with top masters in the US and the UK. They were not your “typical” martial arts lessons where everyone gets a Black Belt. We came out of class bruised, exhausted (and occasionally bloodied) more often than not. My primary instructor was Roosevelt Moss, one of the greatest men I have ever met. He was honorable, loyal and tough; very tough.  Our instructors were respected all over the country. It was an amazing commitment, one that I would never want to replace. They introduced us Chuck Norris, Jackie Chan, John Chung; loads of people.”

“We fought with the best martial artists of all forms all over the US and abroad. Each weekend, we would be somewhere other than Charlotte. Los Angeles one weekend, Phoenix, London, Minneapolis, Toronto, Boston; somewhere new the next. It was great. We traveled as a family and went a lot of different places. What I liked about Martial Arts is that it was just me and my opponent. My brother and I appeared on TV a few times; we were both ranked # 1 in our age groups by several national magazines. Together, I think we have over 25 National AAU Championships and Junior Olympic Gold medals. It is kind of funny, but one of the people we would fight (and beat) is now a big time movie star, Taylor Lautner from the Twilight movies.  I was the youngest person in the country to ever compete in the AAU Junior Olympic Games in Tae Kwon Do. The experience taught us respect and individual responsibility.”

With many predicting international stardom for Alex, they didn’t know he would one day fall in love with another sport, basketball.  His father, Sean, was a former player at Appalachian State and he played professionally overseas.  Sean is still heavily involved in both local and international basketball via his company, USA Select Basketball.

“Once I started playing basketball, I fell in love with it.  It was so much fun, the teamwork and energy from a group with a common goal. I played in the Interfaith League until middle school. We never lost a game in four seasons; it was a great group of players.” 

“The more basketball we played, my brother, Ryan and I realized we did not have the time to continue to train at the level we needed to and be able to compete on the National stage. Going out on top was kind of cool. The last year my brother and I fought, we both ended ranked # 1 in the World as Black Belts by the National Sports Karate Association (NASKA) and won the AAU National Championships and AAU Junior Olympic Gold medals all in the same year.  Although I miss the training, the lessons are still with me.”

Basketball was up next and Alex joined the Charlotte Royals AAU Basketball organization in 3rd grade and began to work his way to the top of the basketball ladder.  The Royals are a nationally known organization that has been around for 27 years and placed over 400 players on college rosters. 

“This summer we are playing in the new Nike League with events in LA, Houston, Baltimore and then the AAU Nationals in Orlando, it will be fun.”

 Throughout all of Alex’s experiences the one constant has been the teaching and support of his father.  If it has anything to do with basketball in Charlotte, Sean Kilmartin seems to be directly involved in one way or another.  He has given so much of his time to helping not only his boys but hundreds of other players to improve their skills.

“I know that some people do not like to play sports for their dad, I am just the opposite. I honestly feel my dad was my greatest influence. He always gets excited, and teaches in a positive and academic way.  He just knows the game so well, and instead of yelling at you, he explains it to you, or shows you exactly how to do it, then makes you believe you can do it.  There just never seems to be a situation he has not seen and has a readymade solution for. Dad made it fun! Our AAU teams always had fun. I look around the city and see so many kids my dad coached, and they all seem to have had the same experience. Dad just saw the big picture, he taught me to read the opponent, their feet, and eyes, see what they see and use it to my advantage. He taught me to be a student of the game. We learned so many offenses and defensive sets, we could write a book. If I had to pick one thing to remember is that, win or lose (mostly win) our teams sure laughed a lot.”

Around about now you are probably starting to wonder how in the world Alex got the opportunity to play for the Wales National Team. 

Alex’s mom, Jane Kilmartin, (then Jane Riley) was born in Wales. In fact, she actually represented the UK in the Miss Universe pageant back in the 80’s 

“The way in works, is that I have both an American passport, and because Mom is from the UK, I have a UK passport also. Therefore, by the FIBA rules, I could represent her home country. I was so proud. It was such an honor to represent a country in a sporting event. My grandparents told everyone they knew, I was happy they were proud of me. The summer before, my brother Ryan played for their 18 U team in the European Championships and did well also. They took Silver which was the country’s highest finish in the 18’s.”

Alex’s experience with the team included traveling to London on three occasions for tryouts over a five month period.  Once he made the team, he went to Cardiff, the Capitol of Wales for a 2 ½ week training camp.  From there it was on to Gibraltar on the tip of the Mediterranean. (Gibraltar is connected to the edge of Spain). Alex played well in the event and helped Wales to capture the Silver Medal.    Alex has been invited back to tryout for the Under 20 team along with his brother Ryan.  They are exploring their schedules for the summer to see if it can be arranged.

 This summer will be busy for Alex; it’s the most important season for increasing his college opportunities.  His Royals team will play across the country in front of all of the top college coaches in the country. 

One lucky coach will make the right offer to Alex and will end up with a self described low maintenance player with good grades.

“I think I have a pretty solid understanding of the game for high school junior thanks to Dad. I am skilled for my size and can play a lot of different positions now.  I have grown as an efficient scorer. I understand shot selection, points per possession and I am not a player (nor have I ever been) just jacking up bad shots to “get my numbers”. I am loyal and one who can be the stand up guy in the locker room. My brother is playing for Appalachian State University, so I see what he is doing, so I have already learned a lot through him.”

Alex has worked very hard to develop his game; his size will now present problems for the opposing team.  His experiences from both martial arts and basketball have allowed him to gain a stronger mental edge than most high school players.

With one more year of high school left, Alex Kilmartin is sure to take the step up the ladder and become one of the top all around players in the area.   With a life full of memories, this young man is poised to add even more incredible stories to his life.  The South Charlotte Sports Report salutes Alex for his dedication and passion to become the best he can possibly be.