 I like to hit boys!" she laughs. "Maybe I shouldn't admit to that! I know I'm supposed to practice kung-fu for self-defense, self-discipline-all the 'self' stuff-and I do! But I really enjoy putting guys in their place when they start treating me like a delicate little flower. I can't help it!"
Maybe the boys can't help it, either. Fair-skinned, platinum-haired, and possessed of the sort of exotic features normally found only in the realm of Japanese anime, Sarah Burch seems tailor-made for flowery metaphors from smitten lyricists. Don't be fooled, though; this sweet-faced little gal packs a mean punch, both on and-occasionally-off the sparring mat.
"A few months ago, I'd just finished up a gig with my band, The Violent Spectators, and this guy was trying to impress me by going on and on about karate; how he'd been training for however long it was with great-grandmaster whomever in some style I can't remember the name of-you know how green belts can get-and I was like, 'ehhhh, whatever.' I was just trying to get all the equipment packed up and go home, but he just kept on and on, and finally he decided he was going to show me this quote unquote 'cool' technique so I'd know how to take care of myself. Well, at that point I'd had enough of his talking to me like I was this helpless little girl and I sure didn't want him putting his hands on me, but he grabbed me anyway. I didn't even think; I just reacted to his cool karate technique and put him on the floor. Later on, I heard that some of the band guys told him that I was a kung-fu chick from way back, and he didn't believe them. He wanted to try me out. Well, he found out, I guess."
Sarah's take-no-prisoners attitude has spilled over into success in several venues. Along with rambunctious rock 'n' roll, Sarah pulls time in magazines (including several issues of IKF), as an Internet model (check her out as a "ninja babe" at www.entertheninja.com and www.etnwear.com) and as, of all things, a chef, catering gourmet meals for clients with specialized diets ("vegetarians, vegans, diabetics-people like that").
She recently appeared on "Sidekick Cinema," a TV program showcasing "the best and the rest of guilty-pleasure martial arts movies," and has just launched www.ninjahot ties.com with several of her martial arts model buddies.
"When I started kung-fu training, I never dreamed I'd end up modeling ninja T-shirts, acting on Sidekick Cinema or any of that. I just wanted to learn how to take care of myself, and get some health benefits as well. I'm not very 'bendy' by nature-my flexibility really stinks-and kung-fu makes me stretch and bend and stay strong. That's all I was after. The rest-well, that just sort of happened."
So what's next for the 22-year-old ninja hottie?
"Ninja hottie!" she says with a laugh. "You know what 'ninja hottie' means? It means that all the good ninja Web site names were already taken! Still, fans were asking if I had a Web site they could go to, so I figured I'd better get one quick! Ninja hottie, though-that's going to take some getting used to!"
The question remains, "What's next for this martial arts star of the future?"
"I want to try skydiving! I want to finish recording The Violent Spectator's new album! Of course, ninjahot ties.com is going to take up a lot of my time. Oh, and I want to learn the bullwhip! Anthony De Longis, the guy that hosts 'Sidekick Cinema,' is the whipmaster that trained Michelle Pfeiffer in 'Catwoman!' She was so sexy and tough in that-the bullwhip rocks!"
Boys out there, be advised: This no-nonsense "ninja hottie" is about to become a "kitten with a whip!"
Name: Sarah Burch
Birthdate: June 7, 1984
Residence: Roanoke, Va.
Height: 5-3
Weight: 105 pounds
Siblings: One older sister
Styles: Mostly choy lay fut and Yang-style tai chi, plus a little wing chun
How long? Since 2002.
Cool fact: I was born without a belly button! Seriously, my tummy is as smooth as a Barbie doll.
10 years from now? Riding mini-bikes in the circus!
Contact info: www.ninjahot ties.com and www.sidekickcin ema.com
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