07/26/2026
This past week, six members of Empower Family Martial Arts had the incredible opportunity to travel to Little Rock, Arkansas, for the GTMA Global Tournament. While tournaments are exciting, this trip was about so much more than medals. It was about learning, growing, and training alongside some of the very best.
Mrs. Spear, Ms. Jenae, Brooke, Kylie and Mr. Brighton and Curtis spent the week training with our Grand Masters in Bo Staff, Combat Stick Sparring, Nunchucks, BJJ, and a special women’s-only training focused on empowering women through martial arts. They returned home with new skills, greater confidence, and memories that will last a lifetime.
On tournament day, Mr. Brighton put on an outstanding performance, earning 🥇 First Place in Traditional Sparring and 🥇 First Place in Combat Stick Sparring.
Mr. Curtis demonstrated incredible perseverance and determination. Just last weekend, he suffered a severe finger injury in a motorcycle accident. Many people would have understood if he chose not to compete, but instead he showed up, adapted, and gave everything he had. His hard work earned him 🥇 First Place in Traditional Forms and 🥈 Second Place in Traditional Weapons Forms. We couldn’t be more proud of his courage and resilience.
I was also grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Tournament of Champions, earning:
🥈 Traditional Forms
🥈 Traditional Sparring
🥉 Traditional Weapons Forms
🥇 Combat Stick Sparring
Those results qualified me to compete for Grand Champion, where I was honored to finish 🥉 in both Traditional Sparring and Combat Stick Sparring.
But if there’s one lesson this week reinforced, it’s this: martial arts is about so much more than trophies. It’s about having the courage to step onto the mat, learning from incredible mentors, pushing beyond what you thought was possible, and becoming a better version of yourself.
A heartfelt thank you to our Grand Masters, Chief Master Kassebaum, Chief Master Smith, Senior Master Cunningham, and the entire GTMA family for investing in us. We came home inspired, motivated, and excited to share what we’ve learned with our Empower Family Martial Arts students.
Success isn’t measured only by medals. It’s measured by the courage to show up, the willingness to learn, and the character you build along the way. This week, our students represented Empower Family Martial Arts with excellence, humility, and heart. We couldn’t be prouder.
