American Martial Arts Institute

The main Utica location of the American Martial Arts Institute holds a mid-winter break indoor martial arts program annually in February. The program runs from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and is open to students of the American Martial Arts Institute between the ages of six and seventeen. The program is taught by Grand Master Crandall, and this year he was assisted by black belt instructors (Mrs. Freleigh, Mr. E. Stalloch, Mr. Wereszynski, Mr. Fiore), Nichole Stanulevich who is a junior rank black belt assistant, and Mr.John Freleigh who is a former American Eagle Style student and a certified Music Teacher.

Classes were taught on punches, kicks, basic forms, katas, stretching, takedowns, tumbling, obstacle courses, sparring, bones of the upper and lower body, woodwind instruments, French, Japanese, martial arts manners,chess, and many more.

Nicholas Baran
Michael Bartkowiak
Robert Bartkowiak
Alexander Catera
Michael Dubiel
Joshua Farr
Douglas Hotvedt
Sabrina Kowalski
Jon Lyon
Shaun Pratt
Gabriel Richardson
Philip Spiridigloizzi
Mackenzie Weber
Morgan Weber

Tuesday began at 9:00 a.m. with stretching and a kata class where the students worked on improving their stances, techniques, and katas in preparation for their next testings. This intense class was followed by the second round of the chess competition. After an hour of mental focus and fun, the group prepared for the first round of the sparring competion. Grandmaster Crandall set up the ring with mats as the boundaries and took center ring as the chief judge. Mr. Fiore and Mrs. Freleigh each took a corner to call for points and watch for control. Everyone had a good time and then broke for lunch. After lunch, the group was taken through stretching by Nicole Stanulevich before beginning the class on tumbling. The group worked on forward rolls, backward rolls, cart-wheels, roundoffs, the balance beam, head stands, and more. The tumbling warmed all of the students up for an exciting hour of "Whack-a-doo Karate," a competition where students wear full sparring gear and work as teams to move a balloon to the other team's goal using double-ended blocking staffs. Everyone had a great time. Whack-a-doo karate was followed by a lesson in String instruments presented by Mr. Freleigh who is also a certified music teacher. Mr. Freleigh taught about the history of the violin and viola, and he also explained how each instrument is played, different pieces of music written for the instruments, and how they are used with other instruments. Mr. Freleigh played a piece with Douglas Hotvedt on the violin and a piece on the trombone with Mike Dubiel and Michael Bartkowiak. All of the students learned a lot. Quizzes were given throughout the day and scored toward the academic award to be given on Thursday. The students also had the chance during the day to break open a pinata using proper martial arts techniques.

Click on images to enlargen.

Wednesday

Wednesday began with stretching and a class on empty handed self-defense techniques and knife techniques. Grandmaster Crandall demonstrated how each technique should be done and Mr. E. Stalloch and Mr. Fiore helped by working with the students as they practiced. Nicole Stanulevich was also there as a partner for the instructors to demonstrate with. After the class on self-defense, the group sat down for a lesson on bones of the upper body taught by Mr. E. Stalloch who is also a certified biology teacher. Students learned the functions of bones, types of joints, the names of bones of the upper body, and how different techniques in American Eagle Style work by using the physics of the body. After the class on bones, the group had a chance to work with an instructor on homework assignments that they were given over break by their public school teachers. Students without work got the opportunity to practice chess and their katas. After lunch, the class stretched and learned SD-1 and SD-2, demonstrating what they learned for the class. This class was followed by a class on katas. After katas, the group worked on jump side kick on the bag, and each student learned how to improve their martial arts skills by observing others while they waited their turn. The kicking class was followed by a music class on the Cello and Bass taught by Mr. Freleigh. The students reviewed what they had learned on Tuesday and listened to pieces by Mr. Freleigh and Douglas Hotvedt. Throughout the day the students took quizzes toward the academic award. Everyone had a great time.

Click on the images to enlargen.

Thursday

Thursday was the final day of the indoor martial arts program for 2005, and it began with stretching lead by Nichole Stanulevich. After warming up and getting their minds ready for the day's excitement, the group sat down for a class on bones of the lower body taught by Mr. E. Stalloch. The students reviewed what they had learned on the previous day, and also learned how bones and muscles are connected and the names of the bones of the lower limbs. The students got to see the how each of the parts worked together to create movements on a dissected chicken wing, and they got to assemble a skeleton model by working as a team. Three students volunteered to try to assemble the skeleton on their own, and Mike Dubiel won a prize for the fastest, most accurate assembly. After the anatomy class, the students took another academic contest quiz and practiced chess for the finals competition. They also broke up into groups for self defense with Grandmaster Crandall, Mr. E. Stalloch, Mrs. Freleigh, and Mr. Fiore. After lunch, Jon Lyon was given the opportunity to lead the class through some punches while Grandmaster Crandall and the instructors watched the class. Though this only lasted a few minutes, Jon did an excellent job. After warming up, the students competed in obstacle course with ten challenges. Points were awarded for completing each challenge and the students were timed. After the fun and challenge of the obstacle course, the chess finals were held. Students not competing practiced chess or katas. Following the chess matches was the sparring finals with some intense matches between competitors. Though the sparring was full of energy and excitement, the student's were also courteous and exercised concern for each other's safety. After the sparring, the students sat down for some awards. The winners are listed below. Everyone received a medal for participating and doing their best over the four days. An especially exciting moment came when Grandmaster Crandall announced that Jon Lyon had been accepted into the Red Top Program (junior rank black belt assistants). Jon's enthusiasm and care for the students was evident throughout the week. After the awards, the students were divided into teams for the final round of Whack-a-doo karate. It was an hour of great fun! As the day came to a close, Grandmaster Crandall gave out a few final rewards to students who stood out during the week. Mike Dubiel and Nick Baran recieved awards for setting a good example for other students. Shaun Pratt received an award for good focus during the week's training. Nicole Stanulevich received an award for giving freely of her time and working at the program instead of competing. Douglas Hotvedt received an award for best effort during Whack-a-doo karate. Michael Bartkowiak, Mike Dubiel, and Douglas Hotvedt received certificates recognizing their perfomance of instruments during the week. Everyone who attended had a wonderful time and left excited about their martial arts training and looking forward already to next year February's indoor martial arts program.

Competition Results

Sparring (A Division)

1st place: Sabrina Kowalski
2nd place: Gabe Richardson
3rd place: Nick Baran

Sparring (B Division)

1st place: Alexander Catera
2nd place: Robert Bartkowiak
3rd place: Douglas Hotvedt

Academic Competitions

1st place: Mackenzie Weber
2nd place: Sabrina Kowalski
3rd place: Jon Lyon
4th place: Nick Baran

Special recognition: Nichole Stanulevich

Chess (A Division)

1st place: Morgan Weber
2nd place: Jon Lyon
3rd place: Nick Baran

Chess (B Division)

1st place: Shaun Pratt
2nd place: MackenzieWeber
3rd place: Joshua Farr


	*Press Releases*

	Mid-Winter Break Indoor Martial Arts Program February 21st through 24th

		The main Utica location of the American Martial Arts Institute holds a mid-winter break indoor martial arts program annually in February. The program runs from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and is open to students of the American Martial Arts Institute between the ages of six and seventeen. The program is taught by Grand Master Crandall, and this year he was assisted by black belt instructors (Mrs. Freleigh, Mr. E. Stalloch, Mr. Wereszynski, Mr. Fiore), Nichole Stanulevich who is a junior rank black belt assistant, and Mr.John Freleigh who is a former American Eagle Style student and a certified Music Teacher. Classes were taught on punches, kicks, basic forms, katas, stretching, takedowns, tumbling, obstacle courses, sparring, bones of the upper and lower body, woodwind instruments, French, Japanese, martial arts manners,chess, and many more. This year the students who participated in the program were: Nicholas Baran Michael Bartkowiak Robert Bartkowiak Alexander Catera Michael Dubiel Joshua Farr Douglas Hotvedt Sabrina Kowalski Jon Lyon Shaun Pratt Gabriel Richardson Philip Spiridigloizzi Mackenzie Weber Morgan Weber Monday The day began with stetching lead by Nichole Stanulevich. Students who had never played chess before sat down with Grand Master Crandall to learn the rules while Mr. E. Stalloch took the group through a class on punches. After punches Mr. Werezsynski took the group through a class on the thirty-six basic forms taught completely in French. The students learned how to read body language and listen while practicing their basic forms. After the class the students took a quiz on French. The students then competed in the first round of the chess competitions. During lunch, the group got a chance to practice chess, stretch and socialize before the afternoon excitement. After lunch, the students warmed up with some streching then went into their next class with Mr. Wereszynski on Pal-gwes 1 and 2 taught completely in Japanese. Another quiz was given on Japanese. After katas, the students broke up into groups to learn the takedowns, and everyone got to demonstrate what they learned for the class. They also got a chance to have their forms worked on with an instructor. Mrs. Freleigh, Mr. E. Stalloch, and Mr. Wereszynski helped Grand Master Crandall teach the classes throughout the day, and Mr. Freleigh helped with chess, lunch, and the quizzes. The students took the final quiz at the end of the day. Results of the French Quiz: 1st place: Sabrina Kowalski 2nd place (tied): Mackenzie Weber and Gabe Richardson Results of the Japanese Quiz: 1st place (tied): Sabrina Kowalski, Joshua Farr, and Shaun Pratt Click on images to enlargen. Tuesday Tuesday began at 9:00 a.m. with stretching and a kata class where the students worked on improving their stances, techniques, and katas in preparation for their next testings. This intense class was followed by the second round of the chess competition. After an hour of mental focus and fun, the group prepared for the first round of the sparring competion. Grandmaster Crandall set up the ring with mats as the boundaries and took center ring as the chief judge. Mr. Fiore and Mrs. Freleigh each took a corner to call for points and watch for control. Everyone had a good time and then broke for lunch. After lunch, the group was taken through stretching by Nicole Stanulevich before beginning the class on tumbling. The group worked on forward rolls, backward rolls, cart-wheels, roundoffs, the balance beam, head stands, and more. The tumbling warmed all of the students up for an exciting hour of "Whack-a-doo Karate," a competition where students wear full sparring gear and work as teams to move a balloon to the other team's goal using double-ended blocking staffs. Everyone had a great time. Whack-a-doo karate was followed by a lesson in String instruments presented by Mr. Freleigh who is also a certified music teacher. Mr. Freleigh taught about the history of the violin and viola, and he also explained how each instrument is played, different pieces of music written for the instruments, and how they are used with other instruments. Mr. Freleigh played a piece with Douglas Hotvedt on the violin and a piece on the trombone with Mike Dubiel and Michael Bartkowiak. All of the students learned a lot. Quizzes were given throughout the day and scored toward the academic award to be given on Thursday. The students also had the chance during the day to break open a pinata using proper martial arts techniques. Click on images to enlargen. Wednesday Wednesday began with stretching and a class on empty handed self-defense techniques and knife techniques. Grandmaster Crandall demonstrated how each technique should be done and Mr. E. Stalloch and Mr. Fiore helped by working with the students as they practiced. Nicole Stanulevich was also there as a partner for the instructors to demonstrate with. After the class on self-defense, the group sat down for a lesson on bones of the upper body taught by Mr. E. Stalloch who is also a certified biology teacher. Students learned the functions of bones, types of joints, the names of bones of the upper body, and how different techniques in American Eagle Style work by using the physics of the body. After the class on bones, the group had a chance to work with an instructor on homework assignments that they were given over break by their public school teachers. Students without work got the opportunity to practice chess and their katas. After lunch, the class stretched and learned SD-1 and SD-2, demonstrating what they learned for the class. This class was followed by a class on katas. After katas, the group worked on jump side kick on the bag, and each student learned how to improve their martial arts skills by observing others while they waited their turn. The kicking class was followed by a music class on the Cello and Bass taught by Mr. Freleigh. The students reviewed what they had learned on Tuesday and listened to pieces by Mr. Freleigh and Douglas Hotvedt. Throughout the day the students took quizzes toward the academic award. Everyone had a great time. Click on the images to enlargen. Thursday Thursday was the final day of the indoor martial arts program for 2005, and it began with stretching lead by Nichole Stanulevich. After warming up and getting their minds ready for the day's excitement, the group sat down for a class on bones of the lower body taught by Mr. E. Stalloch. The students reviewed what they had learned on the previous day, and also learned how bones and muscles are connected and the names of the bones of the lower limbs. The students got to see the how each of the parts worked together to create movements on a dissected chicken wing, and they got to assemble a skeleton model by working as a team. Three students volunteered to try to assemble the skeleton on their own, and Mike Dubiel won a prize for the fastest, most accurate assembly. After the anatomy class, the students took another academic contest quiz and practiced chess for the finals competition. They also broke up into groups for self defense with Grandmaster Crandall, Mr. E. Stalloch, Mrs. Freleigh, and Mr. Fiore. After lunch, Jon Lyon was given the opportunity to lead the class through some punches while Grandmaster Crandall and the instructors watched the class. Though this only lasted a few minutes, Jon did an excellent job. After warming up, the students competed in obstacle course with ten challenges. Points were awarded for completing each challenge and the students were timed. After the fun and challenge of the obstacle course, the chess finals were held. Students not competing practiced chess or katas. Following the chess matches was the sparring finals with some intense matches between competitors. Though the sparring was full of energy and excitement, the student's were also courteous and exercised concern for each other's safety. After the sparring, the students sat down for some awards. The winners are listed below. Everyone received a medal for participating and doing their best over the four days. An especially exciting moment came when Grandmaster Crandall announced that Jon Lyon had been accepted into the Red Top Program (junior rank black belt assistants). Jon's enthusiasm and care for the students was evident throughout the week. After the awards, the students were divided into teams for the final round of Whack-a-doo karate. It was an hour of great fun! As the day came to a close, Grandmaster Crandall gave out a few final rewards to students who stood out during the week. Mike Dubiel and Nick Baran recieved awards for setting a good example for other students. Shaun Pratt received an award for good focus during the week's training. Nicole Stanulevich received an award for giving freely of her time and working at the program instead of competing. Douglas Hotvedt received an award for best effort during Whack-a-doo karate. Michael Bartkowiak, Mike Dubiel, and Douglas Hotvedt received certificates recognizing their perfomance of instruments during the week. Everyone who attended had a wonderful time and left excited about their martial arts training and looking forward already to next year February's indoor martial arts program. Competition Results Sparring (A Division) 1st place: Sabrina Kowalski 2nd place: Gabe Richardson 3rd place: Nick Baran Sparring (B Division) 1st place: Alexander Catera 2nd place: Robert Bartkowiak 3rd place: Douglas Hotvedt Academic Competitions 1st place: Mackenzie Weber 2nd place: Sabrina Kowalski 3rd place: Jon Lyon 4th place: Nick Baran Special recognition: Nichole Stanulevich Chess (A Division) 1st place: Morgan Weber 2nd place: Jon Lyon 3rd place: Nick Baran Chess (B Division) 1st place: Shaun Pratt 2nd place: MackenzieWeber 3rd place: Joshua Farr

American Martial Arts Institute, © 1999-2005