"She's only new on the scene, [but] I'd give her another three or four years and she'll be awesome."
Not so lucky at the New Zealand Open earlier this month was one of Nordstrand's more experienced fighters Shane Tregidga.
While Tregidga managed one gold medal, in the team kumite, he was runner-up twice in the men's open and under-75kg kumite.
The 21-year-old, who is living and studying for a master's degree in Auckland, is realistic as to why he came second and clear on his goal within the sport in years to come.
"I haven't been training as much as I'd like to [due to balancing study and sport], but I just manage what I can," said Tregidga, who is a former national champion.
"I think I just haven't been training as much as I should be to be at the top.
"[At the moment I'm] trying to keep in touch with karate while I'm finishing my masters, and then after that I want to pick the training when things settle down."
Nordstrand said he could see more in Tregidga, noting he is potentially world champion material, who a week before the NZ Open was eliminated in the opening rounds of the Australian Open.
"For me, I want him to do better," Nordstrand said.
"He hasn't beaten the number one guy here [in New Zealand] and I know he can. But, they've got six years' more experience than him.
"I'm confident of getting Shane and some of these little ones to the top. [At the moment Tregidga and I are] working on technique, because it doesn't matter who you fight it's the technique which will win it for you."
Medal winners at the New Zealand Open were Tana; Tregidga; Imogen Ear, two silver, in the 9-year-old girls' kata and kumite; Cameron Sear, gold in the 11-year-old boys' kumite and bronze in the boys' kata; Tynika Lafaele-Edwards, two bronze, in the 11-year-old girls' kata and kumite.
At the Australian Open a week before the New Zealand event, Sear and Lafaele-Edwards came away with bronze medals for their kumite divisions.
