As he attended his class at Tiger Rock Martial Arts, Killian Baudoin was told he had a special challenge to take on in front of an expanded audience.
Instructors summoned a “Final Boss” for the Mimosa Park Elementary student, and fittingly the Mimosa Park Pelican mascot emerged for a short sparring session on a special night honoring first responders.
Little did Baudoin know, at the end of their exchange the Pelican’s identity would be revealed. The young martial artist and his siblings got an amazing surprise upon the unmasking: their father Kyle was back home from military deployment, reuniting for the first time since April.
“They were a little confused, it was kind of funny,” said Kyle. “It was great seeing that shocked look. It’s just awesome to see them again.”
Baudoin has been a member of the U.S. Army National Guard for approximately 11 years and serves as a combat medic – he also works with the St. Charles Parish EMS as a medic as well.
Killian began with Tiger Rock in May and this was his father’s first chance to see him in action.
“He really enjoys it and I’m glad that he does, it’s really good for him,” Kyle said. “(It) was fun – I couldn’t really see anything (under the mask). He kicked me kind of hard! But it was great.”
Shelby Boyle of Tiger Rock said that when the subject of Kyle returning home for a short time came up in a conversation with his wife Mary Beth, it was a natural fit to surprise the children.
“It’s a very tight knit group here, and Killian and my son are friends,” said Boyle. “So, she texted me when she found out (Kyle) was going to have a little visit, and I said, ‘How are you guys going to do it?’ And he loves it here, so we thought it would be perfect.”
They set it up with Tiger Rock instructors and shifted the original plan of the evening from a parents’ night to one honoring first responders.
It was a special night for the Baudoins, one the Boutte family won’t soon forget.
“It was really exciting. I wasn’t surprised that our youngest realized who he was first or that our oldest was the most blown away. But it was everything I could have wanted,” Mary Beth said. “I’ve been looking forward to it since we set it up. Shelby and Collin (of Tiger Rock) were awesome, just amazing, and we’re so thankful they put it all together for us to have this moment.
“(Killian’s) face … I mean it’s been so long since they’ve seen him and I know how much they’ve been missing him lately.”
