(NewsNation) — A 10-year-old girl in Sacramento has taken up jiu-jitsu training after being struck in the face by a boy for wearing a Taylor Swift shirt to school.
Sadie Cliff, a 5th grader, said a boy one grade above her slapped her hard across the face during band class because he was upset over the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Cliff’s shirt featured Chiefs star Travis Kelce, who is dating Swift.
“He was taking it out on me because I love Taylor Swift,” Sadie said in a Sunday interview on “NewsNation Prime.”
Her mother, Karyssa, said she was shocked it happened at an elementary school and focused on getting supportive messages to boost her daughter’s spirits. That’s when a jiu-jitsu instructor, Jake Barber of the Gracie Bullyproof program, reached out to sponsor Cliff’s training.
Barber said the classes teach kids to “verbally assert themselves” and use physical self-defense as a last resort. “We can allow both parties to walk away unharmed,” he said.
In a demonstration, Sadie showed how she learns to take down threats while controlling them until help arrives.
“Our bullyproof program is not about fighting violence with violence. You could look at it more as a fighting fire with water where we neutralize the threat,” Barber explained.
Karyssa Cliff said while she can’t control exactly how the school handles it, she’s concentrating on what she can control — empowering her daughter.
