Nyambi Royster would have turned 47 years old this month. She passed away earlier this week. Nyambi was a Zhang Sah mom! She sent three children to Zhang Sah in chronological order, her oldest son, Kasil, daughter, India, and youngest son, Gabriel. All three students studied hard and got far in our program. Kasil is a Zhang Sah Jr. Blackbelt; he was among the 2nd wave of blackbelts to ever come out of our after school program. India achieved an intermediate level and Gabriel was a Jr. black belt candidate.
Kasil was a year or so younger than the 1st wave of kids that earned black belts here. His classmates were my son Corey, step daughter Stephanie, Tariq Reid (Chokyosa Nim Jalen’s older brother), Alexis Hernandez, and Matteo Bermeo to name a few. Kasil’s training ethic was pure, he would accept whatever challenge he was given in class. Like Grandmaster Chang would say “The more bitter the training, the sweeter the results”.
Kasil was mentored by me, Anthony Zuccarello, Paul Felder, Jeff Generstra, and Vinh Nguyen. In 2007, Kasil, Alexis, Matteo, and Tariq all qualified for the Jr. Olympics competing in TaeKwonDo by placing for medals in the local regional tournaments.
Nyambi was floored that her son qualified for the Jr Olympics. The other parents were delighted and were also supportive but Nyambi was on a different level. She saw a lot of pain and sorrow in her neighborhood and this was a sparkle of hope for her and her family. She helped us organize spaghetti night, bingo, a car wash, and other fundraisers to help pay for Kasil and the other students.
My wife Stephanie and daughter Autumn all somehow fit Vinh, Kasil, Alex, Matteo, and Tariq, with all of our equipment and bags, into my MDX and drove to Detroit Michigan for the 2008 Jr. Tae Kwon Do Olympics. If I remember correctly, we stayed at a motel somewhere along 8 Mile.
On the day of the tournament, all four competitors won medals and Kasil won gold! The others won silver and bronze. Nyambi from that day referred to Kasil as her Olympian. She was proud to have raised a bonafide champion. That is not to take away from the accomplishments of the other students, or to fail to recognize how great India and Gabriel were as kids and as little citizens of Zhang Sah. India even volunteered and worked at Zhang Sah for quite some time after she left the after school program.
On Friday, October 4th, I will pay my respects to her family and we will together, lay Nyambi to rest. This day is especially sad because it is also Zhang Sah’s 27th birthday. I wish that she could be here to celebrate the day with us. I hope that some of you reading this take up her mantle and champion more children at Zhang Sah. Their potential is limitless and it is our mission to set them free. As my dear friend Nyambi turns to the light, and Zhang Sah turns another page, I am reminded of this very special path we have set upon.
