04/18/2022
LaClair Academy Announcement:
Ever since the Governor ordered us to shutdown in March 2020, due to the start of the Covid pandemic, we have been struggling just to keep our doors open.
The government business assistance was only of minor help; while I did receive some assistance, multiple screw-ups in the state offices leave me STILL waiting on the paperwork and bureaucracy to get straightened out, and I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll be able to get the balance of what I was supposed to have received.
Before the pandemic, we were a thriving academy with record-breaking attendance numbers three months in a row in both our adult and children’s BJJ programs. Since the pandemic, however, we have lost members who moved away, we lost members who were nervous about coming back, and we’ve lost students who life just took down a different path.
With nearly half of our membership at the beginning of this past winter commuting to Lyndonville from New Hampshire, and at the urging of a couple of them, I decided to take an enormous risk and open a second academy location in Littleton. That risk paid off, the Resiliency Martial Arts Academy has exceeded all initial expectations, and in just the first two months of business we broke all the records from more than two decades of teaching in Lyndonville! The vibe in Littleton is just different, the people are “hungry” to train, and we have an absolutely WONDERFUL group of people training together there!
However, in launching the Littleton location, I knew I was sabotaging Lyndonville’s classes even further. Even though enrollment was up a little over the winter, we have lost and are about to lose several more people due to career changes, graduation from school, and other life circumstances.
On that note, I have decided to shut down and close the LaClair Academy in Lyndonville, effective immediately.
This past week we held our final class, and we will be MOVING back to the Pride Fitness Performance Center in Newport, with classes beginning in May. Since I actually live in Derby, this will save me a great deal of expense and travel time, and I am excited about holding classes in the Newport area again for the first time in more than 2 years!
The LaClair Academy page will be updated and converted over the next few weeks, along with possibly a name change, to reflect our new class lineup and location at Pride Fitness.
I want to take a moment to thank Heather Hannux for the opportunity and flexibility to work with us.
I also want to express my gratitude to Joshua Simpson for being the best and most patiently understanding commercial landlord ever.
Finally, to each and every person who has ever trained with me in Lyndonville over the years:
Some of you trained during the 1995-2007 era at the original Pleasant Street location, before Jan died. You are the “old-school” group that will always, always have a special place in my heart, and so very many of you were “family” to both Jan and myself. My love will always be with you.
Others of you have trained with me in the 2013-2017 era, after I returned to Vermont and begin teaching inside (and then took over) NEK Fitness. You folks are also special, as some of you stuck by me as my daughter nearly died, but finally emerged victorious over leukemia. Again, you all possess a special place in my heart, and will never be forgotten.
The most recent group of you trained with me since moving out of the basement gym and across the street to the current location in 2017. It is this group that has propelled the LaClair Academy forward in the BJJ world the most, and has seen the biggest evolution of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu overall. When we opened the street-level location, I was still just a (very experienced) purple belt with a couple of activeblue belt students, and a handful of former students who never went beyond blue belt…
Today, just a little more than four years later, we have culminated in me not only receiving my BJJ black belt last years, but we now have a total student alumni from Lyndonville of one brown belt, several purple belts, and a plethora of blue belts, the vast majority of which were “home grown” and have trained directly under my lineage in one way or another since they first began. Several of you have become lifelong friends for sure, and while some of you may have left, know that you are always welcome on my mats and for a good catch-up conversation. Anytime!
Each and every student that has left their ego at the door and rolled out onto the mats with us over the last 27 years has my respect and gratitude, as I’ve certainly learned even more from all of you about performing, teaching, and mentoring, than I’ve ever taught you all. You are all very, very dear to me!
For those who have already left or are leaving, I wish you the very best on your future journey and all that you do. Always remember the lessons of Jiu-Jitsu, as those lessons are really metaphors for “life” as well. Forever seek to be better than you were last month, and never stop seeking to realize your full potential!
For those who will still be training with me at either the Littleton or Newport locations, I am excited to continue down our paths together...
The rest of 2022 is going to be an especially extraordinary year!!
Much respect and tremendous gratitude to you all, from the bottom of my heart,
Coach/Sensei/Professor Adam LaClair
