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What follows below is the letter I sent to my students and athletes yesterday. For those of you following this blog, it will continue. I may be a bit hit and miss over the next few weeks so I ask your understanding. If you have any questions feel free to call or write me.
After close to 20 years of teaching martial arts here in Fernley, I have decided to move to Dallas TX. Rather than close the doors a consortium of highly qualified teachers and students have decided to step up and continue the work this school has been doing in the community these last 2 decades. We will be moving the school to a (yet to be disclosed) new location. Wendy Tustin (soon to be 3rd degree black belt), Rick Lauk (soon to be 2nd degree black belt), Richard Lynn (soon to be 2nd degree), Scott Dalton (soon to be 1st degree)and Dennis Clark (soon to be 1st degree) will be leading the TaeKwon-Do side of the school, with Mr. Clark spearheading the After School Martial Arts Program. Matt Waipa, a Charles Gracie Team Purple Belt and Naron Antone, a Charles Gracie Team Blue Belt, will run the Brazilian JiuJitsu program. Dani Northington and Linda and Brian Pike will head up our FIT program. Working together Dani Northington and Linda Pike will also lend their years of organizational expertise in coordinating all three of these divisions and the resulting paperwork and administrative details.
I remain the overall leader of this venture. I will continue to guide the martial arts teaching, visiting several times a year to assist in the administration of tests and curriculum development. I will also be behind the scenes guiding and developing the FIT program into the premiere strength and fitness program it has already become.
I have been teaching here in Fernley for 17 years. Throughout the years, I have grown, changed, learned and formed friendships here. I have been deeply affected and I have not come to this decision lightly. As a matter of fact, it took a very unique opportunity to pull me away.
I have had thousands of children and adults who have earned belts in TaeKwon Do ranging from the basic white belt to advanced degree black belts. About 50 of you earned black belts. I couldn’t be more proud of your accomplishments.
Together, we have done many outstanding community projects ranging from the community garden (which donated over 2,000 pounds of food to our local food bank), to 15 days of kindness, to helping send care packages to our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have also produced thousands of acts of kindness over the last 7 or 8 years since we began the Acts of Kindness project. I like to think that we have made our world and Fernley a better place to live and play. None of those things would have been possible without you and your efforts.
To all of you, I hope our time together has been well spent. I have enjoyed being your teacher, coach, mentor and friend. Some of you I have known for a very long time; I have seen you learn and grow and become stronger and better with each passing day. For those of you I have not had the pleasure of spending a long time with, I apologize that our time has been too short and hope I have managed to impact your lives in a meaningful way.
If you want to shift your TaeKwon Do training, please call Grand Master Grasso at 775-813-1150 and he will welcome you at his school in Reno. For those of you interested in Gracie Jiu-Jitsu, please call Gary Grate at the Reno Gracie Academy at 775-830-4279. And for you CrossFitters, I highly recommend Battle Born CrossFit. Call Alena at 775-745-5144. Every one of these organizations is top notch and will be expecting your call.
I do have remote coaching and teaching programs available and there are some openings at this time. Call me at 338-2412 to discuss with me if this option is right for you.
I apologize to any of you who feel saddened by this decision. And I ask you to continue your training and keep doing the good work you have started.
Every beginning has an ending and every ending is a new beginning.
This is true for all of us.
I welcome people to stay in touch via my weekly blog at http://sunday-stories.blogspot.com/. My email will remain utffernley@gmail.com and my phone number is 775-338-2412.
Your friend,
John Mariotti
Namaste
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