I started at Tri State back in the Spring of 2015. I had done martial arts as a kid, and grew up around it since my father was competing/teaching/judging TKD, but I decided to focus more on dance instead. Well, I fell back in love with it after my intro session! Martial arts is very similar to dance, in that it has the perfect balance of structure (footwork, coordination, remembering combos) and freedom (finding your style, flowing with your partner, and experimenting... the "art" part). PLUS hitting stuff is fun! Tri State is also a pretty special school because it only attracts really genuine, humble, hard-working people; no big ego's or foul language here! I am so appreciative for everything I have learned, the friends I have made, and the calories I have burned. Thank you to Ajarn Jeff Jones, Sifu Kasaun Tramel and Sifu Aiden Sharkey; although I miss punching my friends in the face, you guys are absolutely CRUSHING IT on Zoom!

Our family joined Tristate in early March of this year. My almost 5 year old LOVES going. Once everything shut down, one of our disappointments was him missing out on his new found love of martial arts.. but they didn't take long to kick it into high gear and offer virtual classes as to not let any student miss a beat in their training. In our short time with them, they've been so dedicated in keeping us informed and making us feel welcome. We look forward to continuing to watch our son grow there, even if its through virtual classes for now.

I have been working out at Tri State for about 5 years, I started this journey a bit later in life, it's been a bit of a challenge however pushing through the challenges is very rewarding. Someone once asked "When is a good time to plant a tree?" A year ago? Kinda tough to go back and do it if you haven't already A year from now? I will probably forget about it by then