When Sara Golden gets back to her hometown, she usually spends time at Chuck Masny’s Algonquin martial arts studio teaching judo classes.

Golden, 21, doesn’t get home to Crystal Lake very often anymore. The Crystal Lake South High School graduate has been traveling the globe, competing in judo tournaments in hopes of capturing a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team.

“I live out of a suitcase,” Golden said Sunday, as she prepared to teach her second class of the day.

She’s been on the road – or in air, as it were – almost nonstop in the past year to earn the points she needs.

On Wednesday, Golden leaves for Calgary, Alberta, Canada, to compete again. If she places well in competition, each tournament helps her to earn the points needed to get to the Olympics.

After Canada, she is set for tournaments in Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic and Australia.

Right now, Golden is ranked 48th internationally.

“For the next eight months, she is gone, getting the points she needs to be ranked 25th or higher,” said her father, Robert Golden.

Why does she travel the globe and spend money out of pocket for a chance to make it to the Olympics?

“Why not? It is the epitome of living a life to the fullest,” Sara Golden said.

She might have a short week off in October, so Sara’s parents, Robert and Anna, spent some time with Masny to schedule more classes then.

Sara Golden taught two clinics Sunday, one with about 13 youths ages 7 to 14 and another with three adults.

One of those adults was Amanda Keilman. The 39-year-old mother of two from Algonquin has been taking martial arts and kickboxing classes for a little less than a year.

“I didn’t come here to not get thrown,” Keilman said as she and two other women practiced with Sara Golden.

Her husband and two young daughters are in jujitsu classes, and Keilman said she wanted in, too.

“I am highly competitive,” Keilman said.

The differences between jujitsu, which is the majority of what Masny teaches, and judo is in the floor work versus throws, he said.

“Judo is mostly throws. Jujitsu is ground fighting,” Masny said.

Sara Goldman spent the class showing the adult women how to use their opponent’s clothing – grabbing a lapel for leverage – and hooking a leg to gain an advantage before throwing an opponent to the mat.

She may be at a disadvantage because of her age, Robert Golden said. Most women start competing for ranking internationally at age 21. Sara Golden has been competing since she was 18.

“I still have a long way to go,” Sara Golden said. “I am still pretty young to be qualifying.”