Sophomore Rebecca Rakow actually lost the competition she was gunning for.

An engineering concentrator in Quincy House who has been studying karate since the tender age of six, Rakow spent all summer training for the Shotokan Karate Federation's national collegiate competition, held the last Sunday in September in Rakow's home town of Phoenix, Az.

Without access to a regular sparring partner, Rakow trained primarily for the kata division of nationals--an individual competition where contestants perform kata, ancient Japanese exercises in which every move is predetermined. Rakow was eliminated by a freshman from San Francisco City College in the first round.

"It was really disappointing," Rakow said. "This was what I'd been focusing on for so long, and to lose in the first round. They chose my worst kata, too."

Other athletes might have packed it in and gone home. Rakow responded by claiming first place in the national sparring competition.

"When sparring came around, I was put against the same girl as before," Rakow explained. "I was just like, 'You won last time. This time, it's my turn.' I didn't give her much of a chance."

Having lost the competition she came to win, Rakow entered the sparring competition with nothing to lose. Facing smaller, quicker opponents in her first two rounds, Rakow said playing it fast and loose helped maintain her mental concentration, possibly the most critical element when it comes to sparring.

"Bigger people are easier for me because, generally, they're slower," she explained. "But [in general] a lot of it is getting your person to lose their focus. Getting their attention, hitting their leg on the bottom...and then they leave their head open."

Sparring rounds are two minutes long, and the first person to reach two points wins, so even an instantaneous break in concentration can be costly. Rakow kept hers, winning that first round 2-1 and her second 2-0 to reach the final.

"There were about 1,000 people there," Rakow said. "The really intimidating things is sparring in front of the masters."

Rakow scored the first point quickly, moving in for a fast, light punch to the stomach. Going on the offensive again, Rakow went in for another punch, only to be cuffed by her opponent on the recoil.

Tie score, 1-1.

"It was a little nerve-racking, because I had like 20 seconds left and I had to score a point. I just sort of sat there for a while and looked at her, and then I went in and scored the point," Rakow says.

She pauses.

"I uh, I hit her pretty hard in the stomach," says Rakow as she laughs sheepishly. "She dealt with it well, though."