Darla Hooks Bio
Growing up I was overweight and a tomboy. Having mostly only boys in my neighborhood to play with, I did BMX bike racing at the Plantation Raceway in St. Louis with my brother and watched Wrestling at the Chase on Sundays. In middle school I was bullied by 6-7 popular girls who made fun of me, pushed me around, and made my life a living hell for almost 2 years. I was insecure, a plain Jane, and a loner, I was an easy target. At the end of 8th grade, I finally took my grandma's advice and cornered one of my bullies by herself after she called me a name. I don’t know what came over me, but I beat her until a teacher pulled me off of her. After that, I never had another problem with anyone again during my school years.
In my early 20's, I was attacked by a guy while exiting the ladies' bathroom at the Alton Mall in the hallway near the Cookie Factory. It was the longest 15 seconds of my life as he beat me relentlessly, busting my nose, and bruising my face, all I could think to do was raise my arms to protect my face – even then he punched me in my chest and stomach. A Cookie Factory employee heard me scream and ran into the hallway, the guy took off out the back doors. Police were called but he was never found. A few years later I was followed home from work after a late shift. It really scared me and shook me up. The guy was arrested and found out that he was a repeat offender. After that, I started wearing a baseball cap with my hair tucked in the hat when I would drive home late at night. I also kept a baseball bat in my car. It was then that I signed up for a self-defense class with Piasa Martial Arts at Nautilus. I was struggling with funds back then living paycheck to paycheck, and a month was all I could afford.
At 26 I attended a Pro Wrestling match and had a blast. I had forgotten how much fun it was as a kid. I heard they were looking for female wrestlers so I signed up. After 6 months of training, I had my first match and loved it! I was back in my tomboy comfort zone and enjoyed the challenge. After several years of being a weekend warrior, I was losing passion and interest – it was fun, but it wasn’t real. It’s a shady business, and I had seen many wrestlers getting severe injuries, I listened to my gut and retired.
Within 3 months of retiring from Wrestling, I saw a Martial Arts school and was intrigued. I couldn't stop thinking about it. I tried it in my early 20s and liked it then, my funds were getting better so maybe I could make a go at it again? I only trusted a few people and wasn't positive about the direction the world was going in, so I signed up. I loved it! I earned my first-degree Black Belt at age 35, and my second-degree black belt at 37.
At age 38 I was called to the Catholic church and spent 9 months converting to Catholicism, and on Easter Sunday in 2010, I was baptized and confirmed. I had never wanted to be a mother until I gave my life to Christ. Shortly after being confirmed, I wanted a child and had to retire from fighting to get pregnant. At age 40, I had my baby boy Aidan.
I introduced my son to Martial Arts when he was 4, but he was too young and couldn’t pay attention. We kept trying, and finally, at age 6 he was focused. For 2 years I would take him to class and watch with the other parents while sitting on the benches. One day in class I listened to Master Sonny Hatten talk to one of his students about Martial Arts and how the Black Belt was just the beginning, the discipline came with a duty – to make the world a better place. It hit me like a ton of bricks – I need to go back. I knew this was "where I belong", so I signed up. It took a few years to get back into shape after 10 years of being out of Martial arts, having a baby, and getting older – but I kept going. Unlike wrestling this is real. Attending the classes makes me feel confident and want to make the world a better place. It's as if every road I traveled in my life led me right back to Martial Arts.
I plan to continue with my training for as long as my body will hold out. Besides having my son and giving my life to Christ, Martial Arts is one of the best things I have ever done with my life. I am still somewhat of a loner, and I still have trust issues, but I have my hope back!