Today on the blog, I’m joined by one of the brightest prospects on the Saber Tour, 16-year-old Mya Morabito of SSL Paris. Despite competing for less than a year, she’s already begun making an impression as both a fighter and referee, and is certainly one to watch for the future.

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Mya, welcome to Saber Talk. Let’s start at the beginning, how did you first get involved  with LED Saber as a sport? 

Hi Wiliam, I’m thrilled to be part of this interview!  

At the start of the 2019 school year, I was looking for a sport to take up since I had stopped playing  ping pong. That’s when Joseph (a friend since the beginning of elementary school) suggested I try  LED saber (which he’d already been doing for a few years!). I thought it looked really impressive  and cool (even though I hadn’t seen the movies) and I was hooked right away ! 

What made you want to take the leap into the international circuit, was it just a natural  progression of training for you, or was it a more conscious choice? And what’s the most rewarding  part of competing in the international tournament system for you? 

I’ve been in the adult class since this year. That gave me the chance to participate in tournaments.  At first, I wasn’t sure if I was good enough or ready for competition, but François told me it would  be a great learning experience if I wanted to try. So I took the plunge, and I loved it! Fighting  against people you don’t know (and sometimes from other countries) is an excellent way to try  and improve !  

You made your competitive debut at the Open Nec Mergitur last October. What was that first  tournament experience like? 

It was a really great experience!! I got to experience what it’s like to fight against people who are  giving it their all and who want to win—not exactly like in training. It also gave me the chance to  fight new opponents! I didn’t get far into the competition but I really had fun! 

You’re also involved as a referee, has that influenced how you approach your own fights as a  combatant, or are the two experiences largely separate? 

The two experiences are connected; I think they help you improve in both areas. When you’re  refereeing, you can see which hits are clear and which aren’t; and at the same time, as a fighter, in  some situations it’s hard to be really clear!  

You’re based at SSL Paris – what’s the club like? What does a typical training session look like for you? 

 The club is really friendly ; there’s a great atmosphere and a huge variety of styles and skill levels! Usually, we warm up first (sometimes we do muscle strengthening ), then move on to exercises or sparring. Since I’m friends with Joseph, I can sometimes stay after the end of the class to train with the strongest people in the club, it’s really enlightening and motivating! 

You have an incredibly distinctive mask design, could you tell us what the inspiration behind that  was, and how you settled on the idea? 

Before my first tournament, I thought it might be cool to customize my mask. I thought about it and  decided it would be stylish to copy the makeup of the lead singer of the metal band Avatar  (because I love the band). So it doesn’t really have any symbolic meaning. 

Is there a fighter you really admire, either for their approach to combat or their overall style in  combat? 

There are many fighters I admire, but if I had to choose, I’d say Anthony and Francois, who both  have a two-handed style. I admire Anthony’s style, the way he parries very efficiently to then  quickly attack the opponent! François is fast and springy (and he does great feints too)! 

Where do you see yourself in the next year or two on the Tour, and what are your personal goals? 

In two years, I’ll have finished high school, and I hope that my higher education will allow me to  continue LED saber just as thoroughly… Next year I’d like to get better and better at reaching  direct elimination (I never managed to do it this year) and climb up the ranking (maybe between top 30 and 45, something like that?) 

Finally, if you could step into the arena for a full three-round match under official Saber  Tour rules against any opponent — historical or fictional — who would you choose to duel,  and why? 

Oh that’s a difficult question… Maybe Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach ? 

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Thank you all very much for reading.

May the Force Be With You