Doug Langworthy remembers the first time he met Chris Lampert. "She kicked my hind end. There's no other way to say it," he said.

Back then, Lampert was a 16-year-old black belt in jukite jujitsu, weighing about 125 pounds. Langworthy stood 6 feet tall, weighed 270 pounds and was a former Golden Gloves boxer.

But he was new to jukite jujitsu and didn't yet realize that in jukite jujitsu, as in other martial art forms, size isn't the most significant factor. Skill is.

"Her black belt … it really meant she was a black belt," Langworthy said.

After their initial match, Lampert worked with Langworthy for more than a year, continuing his training.

Today, Langworthy is a seventh-degree black belt and master instructor of the Rushmore Jukite Jujitsu Club. Last month, he had the honor of promoting Lampert, a woman he calls a "fantastic role model," to third-degree black belt.

"The truth is, she should have been a third-degree black belt years ago," he said.

Belts are awarded to students of the martial arts based on physical ability and skill, but the ability to effectively teach plays a major role in any promotion.

Black belt is the highest belt class with 10 degrees possible. Because an instructor can promote students to only one degree below them, the second-degree black belt is perhaps the most significant promotion because it allows teachers to promote their students to black belt, Langworthy said.

In 1972, Lampert was only 13 years old when her brother, Patrick Clinch, signed her up for a self-defense class given by his jukite jujitsu class. When no other women showed up for the class, Lampert joined a regular jukite jujitsu class instead. She was the only female at the time.

Jukite jujitsu combines three martial art forms: karate, judo and aikido. It blends the punch blocks and kicks of karate with the throws and joint locks of judo. It also mixes in the philosophy of aikido, which uses an opponent's momentum as a defense mechanism.

Lampert liked the physical nature of the sport, but she also appreciated other more cerebral things about it. "It gave me self-confidence," she said. It taught her that "regardless of the task, I could do anything."

Lampert studied hard and trained almost entirely with and against men. By 1975, she was promoted to first-degree black belt by Al Salazar, who was then the studio's master instructor.

At the time, Lampert was only the second female black belt in the state and the youngest black belt overall, according to Clinch, a member of the Rushmore Jukite Ju-Jitsu Club. "That's a pretty big accomplishment for a 16-year-old girl," he said.

Lampert continued to study and teach for more than 13 years in Rapid City, even driving to Faith once a week to teach students there in the '80s. The majority of the current black belts over third degree in Rapid City received at least part of their training from Lampert, Clinch said.

The birth of her four children interrupted her training and teaching, but in 2000, Lampert and her children began studying tae kwon do as a family. Within three years, Lampert had achieved her black belt in tae kwon do. Two of her children also were promoted to black belt. Her husband, Don Lampert, is a fourth-degree black belt.

Lampert's promotion to second-degree black belt in jukite jujitsu came in December. In late January, Lampert was promoted again to third degree at the urging of Claude Woodson, the man who started the jukite jujitsu studio in Rapid City. Woodson is the current jukite jujitsu grand master, which means he's the highest ranking jukite jujitsu black belt.

"The third degree was a total surprise," she said. "This is more than I could even have dreamed of."

Clinch calls his sister's promotion long overdue, especially considering her skills and dedication to the sport.

"It's always been a dream of hers to continue," he said. "She told me that she had always wanted to do her fourth degree … I said, 'Chris, step into your dream. It's opened up for you.'"

Although Lampert admits she hopes to continue her progress in the sport, she's less driven by obtaining higher degrees and more dedicated to learning and teaching others the martial art form that transformed her life.

"My ultimate goal is to be the best I can be at whatever rank I am," she said.

More information

To find out more about the Rushmore Jukite Jujitsu Club, go to www.rushmorejujitsu.com or call 716-5942.

Other jukite jujitsu classes in the area are taught at Dynamic Martial Arts studio in Rapid City, http://www.dmajujitsu.com or 348-1649; McKay Jujitsu in Wall, McKay@gwtc.net; Martial Arts School of San Su in Hot Springs, tonykelly@yahoo.com or www.myspace.com/tkodma; Premier JuJitsu in Rapid City, jefrice@premierjujitsu.com or www.premierjujitsu.com.

Contact Lynn Taylor Rick at 394-8414 or lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com.