08/16/2026
Lucas is testing for black belt today! His mother, Maxine Morales, wrote the following heartfelt review of him and his time training at Red Dragon:
Lucas started attending classes a few months after turning 5, and like most boys at that age he was best defined by the quote, "a boy is a noise with dirt on it." We knew we had to introduce him to an activity that could hone his energy into something productive and rewarding. We walked through the mall countless times and Lucas always enjoyed stopping by the dojo window to watch the lessons, aways curious about the weapons, especially the Sai; He was a collector of sticks of all sizes at the time. Tiger Moe always came out to greet us, and one day, Lucas decided he wanted to give it a try. We took advantage of the trial classes offered and soon signed Lucas up for the Happy Dragons classes. Little did we know that life would change drastically beginning early 2020. Through the height of the pandemic, Lucas continued to take classes virtually via Zoom. Try to imagine teaching, redirecting, encouraging, and supporting a group of energetic kids who unbeknownst to them, were slowly being transformed into stronger, more focused and centered little people. It sounds impossible, but they did it. Tiger Moe and Grand Master Hill’s dedication during this time kept Lucas engaged and has led us into his 7th year of training at RDMA. He has represented RDMA in local tournaments (and medaled), taken many 1:1 lessons to refine his kata and weapon skills, joined the bags, pads and gloves fitness classes and currently practices with the adults twice a week. Lucas has gained so much confidence and focus by learning from not only Grand Master and Tiger Moe, but from the diverse members of the dojo. He is elevated, challenged, and supported by his martial arts family and we truly believe that this has been a big part of helping him learn to push through challenges with confidence, courage and determination. After years of steady practice, now he gets to reap the fruits of his mental and physical labor. He has earned the chance to test for his black belt and join the Black Belt family at RDMA. His dedication and determination did not waver, and we are so proud of him.
We are thankful for GMH, Tiger Moe and the other black belts who have lead by example and have inspired Lucas on this journey.