Testing and Other News

Posted on August 6, 2015

Hard to believe the summer is almost over! We’ve had a lot going on and more events coming up as summer draws nearer to a close.

First of all, a big congratulations to our newest First Degree Black Belts. We had 10 promotions on our July 18th test with 10 candidates who gave their best effort. Nice job Allison Jacobsen, Opal Lawrence, Harlan McKay, Dru Peirce, Carly Zawlocki, Ian Watson, Alexander Armstrong, Jay Franz, Madison Camilleri, and Zak Nowakowski! If any of you have a great group picture from the test, can you please share it? We’d like to get it into the newspaper.

For those of you who participated in our 20th Anniversary Open House — thank you very much for helping make the day such a success! We had a great turn out of current students, past students, and new students, a lot of great demos, and a ton of hot dogs. Our outstanding families are what make MPK a great place to be, and I appreciate all you do to help and contribute.

We have testing for colored belts coming up next week, August 10-14. For those of you who have all your classes and stripes and plan to test, here is the schedule:

  • No regular classes next week except for Sparring on Tuesday and Little Kicker class on Thursday. All other time slots are for testing only.
  • Monday — Testing for all ranks at normal class times.
  • Tuesday — Mandatory sparring for blue belts and higher who are testing.
  • Wednesday — Little Kicker testing at 5:00. All other ranks begin testing at 5:30.
  • Thursday — Regular LK class at 5:00. Make up testing for Intermediates and Advanced during regular class times.
  • Friday — Graduation for all ranks and ages beginning at 6:00 pm.

Super Saturday is this Saturday, August 8 for all Black and Brown Belts. Come on in and get your advanced training in at 10:30.

We’ll be holding a women’s self defense seminar in August. This is appropriate for ages 13 and older and is a great opportunity for girls starting high school or heading off to college in addition to those who just want to learn skills to stay safe. Details on dates and costs will follow soon – bring a friend!

Registration for our A+ After School Martial Arts program is in full swing. If you still need to enroll or would like additional information, please stop in during our normal hours or send us an email, and we’ll contact you.

20th Anniversary Open House

Posted on July 13, 2015

MPKlogo_FSPJoin us Saturday, August 1, to celebrate 20 years of MPK!

Stop in between 8am and 2pm for our 20th Anniversary Celebration. Bring the whole family, we’ll have martial arts demos every 30 minutes. We’ll have free brats and hot dogs, too!

Plus, you can enter to win door prizes, including one year of martial arts training — two will be awarded, one for a new student and one for an existing student!

We’ll also offer free intro classes:

  • 8 am — Total Fitness Training
  • 10:30 am — Free Self-Defense Class
  • 12:30 am — Free Self-Defense Class

Plan to be at the studio for a great time celebrating 20 years!

8/1/2015 8am-2pm — Let us know if you plan to come by visiting our “event” on Facebook!

Fourth of July Parade Notes

Posted on June 24, 2015

With the calendar on the back side of June, summer is flying by. I wanted to invite you all to join us at the DeForest 4th of July Parade this year. This is kind of a big year for us as it marks our 20-year anniversary!

Which also means this will be our 20th Fourth of July parade — and, I say the more the merrier. It is one of the events we enjoy most. So please come out and join us. If your worried about what we’ll do, it’s always a pretty simple routine. Moms and Dads are invited to come along as well to wave to the crowd or toss candy.

We will start at the High School:

  • 9:30am — arrive High School. We will practice and get everyone staged and ready.
  • 10:00am — parade crunch. Things get ready to move.
  • 10:30 — parade begins.

The Parade Route:

  • East on Halsar
  • West on Holum
  • Finish at at main St.

Expect the parade to take about 45 minutes or so.

PLEASE BRING: water bottle, sunscreen, MPK T-shirt, SHOES, and a plan for the end of the parade (who is going where and with whom).

Stop in and sign up at the studio or just email tony@karatedeforest.com. We will be practicing in class from now until the 4th…

— Mr. Armstrong

Relay for Life Info

Posted on June 12, 2015

Please remember to turn in your Relay for Life money tonight (Friday, June 12) from 5:30-7:00pm at the front desk. We will be going over our demo during Saturday morning’s 9:45 class. Please attend if possible.

Our Kick-a-thon and demo will begin at 4:30pm on Saturday at the High School track. Please arrive by 3:30pm in full uniform and don’t forget to bring your BOARDS!

Thanks again for all those who are joining us in supporting an incredible cause!

Events in June

Posted on June 2, 2015

Here are some very important reminders for what’s coming up this June and into July at MPK DeForest.

JUNEMPK $5 Buddy Program. Earn an easy $5 by sharing a power pass with a friend or family member. If they join an Easy Start Intro — either 1 month or our Summer Special — you get $5. See Mr. A or our Front Desk staff for a Power Pass or two.

June 8-11Promotion tests. NO classes for students not testing the week of the 8th-11th. However, Tuesday the 9th is a normal night due to sparring and Hyper Pro training. Advanced students Blue and higher must attend Wednesday night beginning at 5:30. Students who are testing plan to attend at your normal class times.

June 12Friday night graduation! All students who tested plan on being at the studio on Friday evening at 6:00 pm. This is a super fun event which show off what our students have grown and what they have accomplished. Invite your friends and family!

June 13Relay for Life Kick-a-Thon and board breaking. Please pick up a board and help us raise money and break some lumber! Your goal, find 10 people and ask for $10. Have your donors sign the board and then write down a bad habit you want to break. Bring your board to the relay and we will preform a short demonstration and then start breaking our boards. In years past MPK has raised over $6000 for the Relay and Our all time high was $13000. I know we can make a big contribution if we all contribute a little time and energy to this very worthy cause. Please have your donations turned in by June 8.

June 16 – July 23MPK morning class schedule for the summer: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-9:45am.

July 4DeForest 4th of July Parade. Super fun way to start the 4th of July here in Deforest … Stay tuned for a sign up sheet.

Intro to Nunchaku Seminar

Posted on May 7, 2015

On Sunday, May 17, from 5-7 pm we will be hosting an Intro to Nunchaku Seminar. This class will be appropriate for ages 9 and up with instructor and parent permission.

We will work on getting a handle on one of the most fun weapons in our program. Great for students who have not worked with nunchaku before. We will also work on some double chuck skills and forms for those students with previous experience. This will kick off our summer rotation of Hyper Pro Training which will begin after Memorial Day.

Please register at the front desk. (Sign up by Saturday the 9th so we can order your nunchaku)

When – May 17th
Time – 5-7 PM
Cost – $25 for Seminar

$20 for padded nunchaku (orange or blue, 12″ or 9″)
$35 for graphite nunchaku (black or red, 12″ or 9″)