Carole Taylor, an 83-year-old grandmother from Utah, just earned her fifth-degree black belt in karate last week and the legendary Chuck Norris presented it to her.

The East Idaho News reported that Carole Taylor decided to take up karate 15 years ago at the age of 68 when she was taking her 11 year-old granddaughter to lessons.

“I thought: ‘Wow, this is mental and physical. This would be a good thing for someone my age to do,'” she recalled. “So I asked the teacher if it would be all right if I joined the class, and so that’s why I did it.”

Taylor found her passion for karate late in life:

She then began learning karate alongside her granddaughter.

“We both got our first-degree black belts at about the same time,” she said. 

Grandma Shows Off Her Karate Skills

Taylor’s granddaughter was there last week when she showed off her skills at Norris’ annual United Fighting Arts Federation International Training Convention.

During her demonstration, Taylor showed off traditional hand techniques, stances, footwork, targeting, focusing, and power. 

During her performance, the Beach Boys’ song “Little Old Lady from Pasadena” played in the background.

She chose this song because Pasadena is where she grew up, and the crowd loved it!

Take a look:

Taylor got a standing ovation from Norris and many others.

Afterwards, Norris himself gave Taylor a fifth-degree black belt, which is something that takes years to reach in the Chuck Norris System.

“I was so excited,” Taylor said. “I was able to bow to him, turn around, he put (a black gi) on me, I turned back around and bowed, and then he grabbed me and hugged me so hard, he actually pulled me off the ground almost … my one foot went up.”

Related: Twitter Mob Smears Actor Chuck Norris After Someone Resembling Him Is Photographed At Capitol

Taylor Will Never Forget Meeting Chuck Norris

Meeting Chuck Norris who is a karate expert himself was an experience that Carole Taylor will never forget. 

“(Norris) was so kind, and he’s 81, and he made some comments about that he had not been exercising all that much recently and that I had inspired him to go back and to begin to train again, and that made me feel very, very good,” she added. 

Karate is one of many life experiences that Taylor is grateful to have found.

“It’s just one of those things that makes for a more full life for me, and I absolutely love it, and it makes me feel strong, and it makes me feel confident, and it makes me feel as though I’m able to continue to learn,” she explained.

Related: ‘Walker, Texas Ranger’ To Get Reboot. Will Chuck Norris Return?

Taylor’s Daughter Is Thrilled

Taylor’s daughter Lacey Owens said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, karate gave her mother “some purpose in such a crazy time. And now, she can’t test again for five years if she wants to go for her sixth degree, but she said to me, ‘Why not? Why not? Might as well keep trying.’”

She also teaches karate. During the pandemic, she taught a student in her own home every day outside on the patio to maintain social distancing.

“My mom’s just been through a lot,” she continued. “She’s had a lot of things thrown her way, and she’s just always found the light in everything and kept on pushing, and just inspiring other people with her love and her kindness, and everybody that meets her is impacted by her light. And I am extremely grateful to be her daughter.” 

We applaud Carole Taylor for showing the world that you are never too old to take up a new hobby like karate!

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