People piled in the door at our new facility Saturday to be a part of our grand opening. We had sample classes, gave away some prizes, cut the ribbon, raised the American flag and had refreshments.
After a short break the day was finished with a boxing class by Ed Cabrera from Tampa. Ed's class was the biggest of the day with about 20 people on the mat with him. Ed's classes are always well-received and we appreciate him driving all the way down to work with our people.
The event was a success, and I thank everyone who came by. Special thanks to Jan and Mary who ran the behind-the-scenes stuff, and to my students who presented me with a bouquet of roses at the ribbon cut. Thanks so much.
Kevin Coykendall (Filipino Martial Arts) kicked off the classes at 10am with his joint lock class.
I followed with an intro on Parker Kenpo. Peter Annazone (Russian Martial Art) taught right after me with a well-received session on basic theory of Systema. The kids jumped into Genie Byrd's youth Kenpo class.
We had a ribbon cutting at about 11:30 with all the instructors at the ribbon and Peter, Kevin and myself sliced it with knives used in the three systems. Then Ft. Myers firefighter/paramedic Bill Damewood, also a kenpo black belt, placed the American flag in the new studio for the first time. 
After a short break the day was finished with a boxing class by Ed Cabrera from Tampa. Ed's class was the biggest of the day with about 20 people on the mat with him. Ed's classes are always well-received and we appreciate him driving all the way down to work with our people.
We had a lot of old faces show up and many new people interested in our programs. If we have a problem with our studio it's that we have four great programs and it's tough for people to decide which one to take (although we do offer cross-training programs).
The event was a success, and I thank everyone who came by. Special thanks to Jan and Mary who ran the behind-the-scenes stuff, and to my students who presented me with a bouquet of roses at the ribbon cut. Thanks so much.
More pictures on my site in the photo gallery.
1 comment:
Professor Wedlake,
Congratulations on your new chapter of martial arts instruction in Southwest Florida. The studio looks great, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the grand opening. Wishing you continued success,
Lee A. Heilig
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