Norman's judo champ

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Mike Tyson may bite off ears, but Katherine Ensler, the daughter of Curtis Ensler and Kerry Ashford, can whip anyone's tail on or off the judo mat. <br><br>Just ask. <br><br>A

Saturday, April 17th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) _ Mike Tyson may bite off ears, but Katherine Ensler, the daughter of Curtis Ensler and Kerry Ashford, can whip anyone's tail on or off the judo mat.

Just ask.

A three-time National High School judo champ, an avid runner, former high school wrestler, a Latin scholar, math club president and an all-around humble person, Ensler's taking the road less traveled in both her academics and athletics.

Her father, Curtis, said he's ``in awe'' of his remarkably down-to-earth daughter.

``As far as I know her biggest problem is the limit of 24 hours,'' he said. ``Everything she's tried she's excelled at.''

While it may be difficult for some to understand why a tall, blonde, girl-next-door would want to compete in judo, Ensler's got an answer: because it's different.

``I like the uniqueness of it,'' she said. ``Especially here in Oklahoma, so it's kind of fun to do something most people know nothing about it. It's also an individual sport and there are so many really cool people in it.''

Ensler sparred in her first Junior National Judo competition at age 9. Since then, she's had the opportunity to travel around the world, most recently traveling to Puerto Rico in March to win her third National Championship _ all the while focusing on her sometimes demanding academics at Norman High School.

She's also never broken a bone, something that comes as a big shock in the field of high school wrestling and judo.

Known to dream big, Ensler has been accepted into Princeton for the upcoming fall semester based on her ``near perfect'' ACT score and 4.0 grade point average, of which she said she ``doesn't like to broadcast scores because people set up expectations and it never helps things.''

``School always comes first,'' Ensler said. ``We put a balance of studying on the road and in the hotel. I enjoy the hard sciences and math.''

Making the decision to abandon her home turf temporarily, Ensler said she's even considering limiting judo while she's away in New Jersey attending college.

``A lot of people drop out of college when it's close to the big events and I don't want to do that,'' she said. ``I think I'll try to attempt to manage both (vigorous academics and judo) but the closest (judo) club is an hour away.''

Even if she does cut back on her training time, which now averages between two and four times a week in addition to her track activities, Ensler said she still hasn't given up the dream of reaching Olympic level.

``I want to do well at the Olympic trials,'' she said. ``Maybe I could go to the Olympics in 2004, but it's more reachable in 2008. Who knows though. In four years, so much can happen and I may find a different path.''