By Zack Peterson
Wayne Taylor always thought having two daughters would mean raising them as cheerleaders.
“You would think we’d have gone that route, but I guess we kind of went the other way,” he chuckled.
Far from cheerleading, Elizabeth Guidry and Jessica Guidry, Taylor’s two daughters, take a nontraditional stance towards sports and participate in Tae-Kwon Do, jiu jitsu, judo and other forms of mixed martial arts (MMA).

Elizabeth stars in MMA
Elizabeth, the elder of the two sisters, has been active in MMA. To excel in MMA she has also studied jiu jitsu, Tae-Kwon Do and Sambo.
“A lot of the people I tell get shocked,” Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth has grown accustomed to the reactions she receives from her fellow Freedom High students.
“They’re like ‘oh my god, you do MMA?’ A lot of them don’t know what MMA is and I have to explain it and then they get shocked. But they think it’s pretty cool afterwards.”
For Elizabeth, it all started four years ago.
“I wanted to join a sport,” Elizabeth explained. “But it was hard to do with the military.”
In the past, Elizabeth had tried volleyball, and even baseball when she was younger, but the appeal never clicked.
Coupled with the constant moving as a “military family,” Elizabeth decided to take up MMA because it “could really build confidence.”
Now, it’s become a way of life.
“At first it was just me wanting to get my confidence up; wanting to feel good. And now, I’ve gotten really passionate about it,” Elizabeth said. “I really like doing it.”
To stay in peak condition, Elizabeth dedicates herself to the practice of MMA through consistent training with the T-N-T Academy of Quality Mixed Martial Arts in Riverview.
Elizabeth usually works out there on Monday and Wednesday, but every day, she works out from home.
“We run, we do weights from the back room, we’ve got all sorts of different stuff,” Elizabeth said.
Typically, workouts last 1.5-2 hours, and then, Elizabeth tends to schoolwork.
As a rising junior, Elizabeth has learned to balance schoolwork with the long hours of training needed for MMA during the past two years of high school.
“It’s not that bad as long as I’m aware of both of them,” Elizabeth said. “Whenever I get home, I get the homework done, get whatever chores I have to get done and I’m good. I do my workouts and I make sure everything is done before I go to bed.”
And for Elizabeth, MMA has given back just as much she’s put in.
By going to the same club, and working together to improve each other’s skills, Elizabeth has noticed a stronger bond with her sister, Jessica.
“We’re constantly grappling, she teaches me throws, we go around smacking each other on the head; it’s fun, we’re constantly goofing off and making jokes. We know the same people at the place we work out at,” Elizabeth said. “It has made a better bond between us.”
In the future, Elizabeth plans to continue practicing MMA throughout college, and may even remain at her club.
“Right now, I want to go to USF; it’s my No.1 spot,” Elizabeth said.
On top of that, with the degree from USF, Elizabeth hopes to one day become an underwater archeologist.
But for now, Elizabeth hopes to show others how martial arts have made a positive impact on her life.
“I want to make sure I’m the best I can be,” Elizabeth said. “I want to make myself proud, my coaches proud, and my family proud.”
Jessica new to judo
Jessica Guidry, the younger of the two sisters, practices the art of judo.
“The easiest way to explain it is that it’s like wrestling, but with different uniforms,” Jessica said.
Unlike her older sister Elizabeth, Jessica hasn’t been involved in the art of mixed martial arts as long.
Originally, she danced.
Her first introduction to martial arts was through capoeira, a Brazilian form of martial arts that “hides fighting within dancing.”
“You hardly hit each other and it’s a very gentle thing,” Jessica explained. “I was too aggressive for it so I moved to judo.”
Similar to her sister, Jessica never cared for the idea of group sports.
As a rising sophomore at Freedom High, none of the sports offered there captivated her interest.
“I never really liked any of the sports, cause if you join a baseball team or things like that, everyone is best friends and we’re a military family, so if I got into a group like that, it would be hard to switch from school to school.”
For a year now, Jessica has been training for judo at the same club as her sister, T-N-T Academy of Quality Mixed Martial Arts.
“I think it takes up a lot of time,” Jessica said. “On days I’m not at judo, I workout at least an hour.”
For Jessica, the intense three-a-week practices are critical to how she performs in tournaments.
“It takes a lot of dedication because you have to keep up your physical strength, you have to practice all your moves, and you have to practice speaking commands in Japanese,” Jessica said. “But it’s worth it when you win.”
Jessica experienced success at Junior Judo National Championships in Ohio earlier this month when she won for her age group and weight class, the 14-15 year old division in the 52-kilogram section.
“I’m predicting that if I keep up with going to international tournaments and I can start traveling out of countries for tournaments, then I can hopefully get on the USA team.”
Presently, Jessica is learning how to balance both judo and schoolwork. Being an honors student, Jessica is academically busy, and as a persistent judo trainer, dedicated to the hard work that’s required.
“It’s hard with the time management because sometimes I get home around 10 or so and it’s hard to get my homework done,” Jessica said.
For Jessica, every day is a detailed day built upon a rigid schedule.
After getting home from school at 4, Jessica prepares for judo by eating dinner and working on homework. At 5, she and her sister leave for judo, get home late and fall asleep.
“It’s been a challenge, but I’ve found a way,” Jessica said.
Although none of the sports at Freedom have ever clicked for her, Jessica said she could switch to wrestling.
“Wrestling is an easy transition for people who do judo,” Jessica said.
However, she has found journalism to be a good fit.
Jessica explained that she was accepted at the end of this year and will begin working for Freedom’s newspaper in the fall.
Even though Jessica has “no idea” what the future holds in store, she does know that whatever it holds, judo will be involved.
“I want to do it for a long time because it’s really caught my attention. I don’t click with a lot of people so I don’t think I miss out. If anything, I’m avoiding a lot of bad things,” Jessica said. “Plus, fighting is you; you get to use your strength. It’s not swinging something around or throwing something. It’s not as controlled.”
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