MAC NEWS AND INFORMATION

Congratulations to all Martial Arts Connecticut members who participated in the 1st Federation Challenge Tournament of the year. More than 100 participants from across the Federation participated in this competition for sparring and weapons divisions. It was an awesome day. Our MAC competitors performed extremely well, taking the lead in almost all of their divisions. Congrats everyone and thank you for your loyalty, support and participation in this exciting event! Special congratulations to Mr. Sean Bunyan who competed for the first time and earned 1st place in his sparring division. Way to go!
Keep in mind that our next scheduled tournament is on Sunday, March 18, 2012 for forms and breaking divisions. This should be a roaring good time. Start practicing your routines now, the competition is getting very interesting. Always a challenge but always beneficial, competition is an essential part of our martial arts curriculum. If you haven't already, take the plunge and mingle with your peers in Cheezic Tang Soo Do at our next competition for Federation members.
All events for the year have been updated and posted on our
events page, so please take a minute to review the list!
Our Winter 2011 Karate Gup Grading was held on Saturday, December 2, 2011. It was a standing-room-only event that showcased the wonderful martial arts talents of students from our Bridgeport, Shelton and Stratford YMCA dojangs. Congratulations to our newest Martial Arts Connecticut graduates and to our 2011 Martial Arts Connecticut Award Winners:
STUDENT NAME | NEW RANK | STUDENT NAME | NEW RANK |
Gabrielle Saffan | 9½ Gup Yellow | Mea Davitt | 4 Gup Green |
Ethan Saffan | 9½ Gup Yellow | Shania Davitt | 4 Gup Green |
Camryn Irby | 8½ Gup Blue | Shyla King | 4 Gup Green |
Camille Irby | 8½ Gup Blue | Alexa Choi | 3½ Gup Red |
David Prause | 6 Gup Green | Jason Loh | 3½ Gup Red |
Tina Prause | 6 Gup Green | Marisa Choi | 3½ Gup Red |
Julia Prause | 6 Gup Green | Pamela Dewitt-Smith | 3 Gup Red |
Jason Corey | 6 Gup Green | Kristina Foye | 1 Gup Red |
Travis Purvis | 6 Gup Green | Lakshmi Manne | 1 Gup Red |
Ceasar Irby | 5 Gup Green | Lohitha Sakamuri | Apprentice Black |
Lydia Demeny | 4 Gup Green | Therell Mayes | Apprentice Black |
|
| Zuri Lazaro | Apprentice Black |

2011 SPECIAL AWARD WINNERS | |
2011 Youth Student of the Year BRIDGEPORT | Travis Purvis |
2011 Adult Student of the Year BRIDGEPORT | Shyla King |
2011 Youth Student of the Year STRATFORD YMCA | Camryn Irby |
2011 Adult Student of the Year STRATFORD YMCA | David Prause |
2011 Youth Student of the Year SHELTON | Shannon Mencel |
2011 Adult Student of the Year SHELTON | Jason Pugh |
2011 Indomitable Spirit Award | Melissa Lemieux |

Congratulations Martial Arts Connecticut 2011 Cheezic Tang Soo Do Hall of Fame 2011 MAC NOMINEES MAC Bridgeport Zuri Lazaro, Under Black Belt Jason Corey, Youth Award MAC Shelton John McKenna, Honored Friend Kristina Foye, Under Black Belt Leonard Kovalik, Black Belt Mason Pugh, Youth Award Nick Kovalik, Teen Award MAC Stratford YMCA Julia Prause, Youth Award 2011 MAC FINALISTS Kristina Foye Leonard Kovalik Nicholas Kovalik Zuri Lazaro John McKenna Mason Pugh |
November 13, 2011 Cheezic Tang Soo Do Federation Interclub tournament for forms and breaking was a huge success for Martial Arts Connecticut participants. Congratulations everyone! Congratulations to the following students for their fine participation and success: Lenny Kovalik, Nick Kovalik, Alexandra Dillon, Zack Dillon, Matthew McKenna, Sean McKenna, Gabi Camarero, Michele Camarero, David Camarero, Melissa Lemieux, Kristina Foye, Shyla King, Jason Corey, Tina Prause. Thank you for our audience of MAC supporters: Therell Mayes, David Prause and Julia Prause. Go MAC!
Martial Arts Connecticut's FREE SELF DEFENSE SEMINAR FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS was held on August 21, 2011 at the Rinks at Shelton. Sponsored by the Bridgeport SoundTigers, the event was a huge success with more than 50 participants receiving vital personal protection information. Seminar participants learned how to identify, avoid and escape violent attack. Stay tuned for the next seminar, and click here for photos!