07/23/2025
𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐓𝐨𝐩 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫 (𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞)
It is with profound sadness that we share the news: Top Tier will be closing its doors, for now.
After 13 years of serving the North Platte community - through taekwondo, kickboxing, boxing, jiu jitsu, self defense, large-scale events, and more - we are being forced to pause operations due to the loss of our training facility. Our last day of classes will be Wednesday, July 30th.
As you may know, back in October, we were given just a couple weeks to vacate the space at the D&N that had been our home since the beginning. In an incredible show of resilience, our members rallied to help us move - in record time - into the old Osgood Elementary building. It was a mutually beneficial temporary solution while the district prepared a long term plan for the building with likelihood of listing the property for sale. We made no secret of our intention to purchase it when the time came. We did everything right: Emily abstained from all things school board, we prepared our finances, arranged insurance, drew up plans - we were ready.
But on May 1, the property went up for auction. A few years back, Hall School sold for $200,000 at a similar auction. We budgeted up to $400,000, confident that would be more than sufficient all things considered.
It wasn’t.
Mid-Plains Community College (MPCC) entered the auction with deeper taxpayer-funded pockets and outbid us at $450,000. This was after we had attempted to reach out to them in good faith about the possibility of partnering, knowing they were considering a wrestling program and we were planning multiple spaces lined with wrestling mats. They declined to engage.
The college took ownership of Osgood on June 14th. Before that, they were required by law to hold a public hearing about their intent to purchase. That hearing - incredibly - was held over an hour away in Broken Bow. Not in the community where the purchase would directly impact people. We attended anyway, driving through thunderstorms and tornadoes to do so, and pleaded our case. But not one question was raised when the board reached the point of discussing that item on their agenda. Not one concern discussed. The purchase was rubber-stamped.
We were told they needed the space for academic growth. But that’s not what’s happening. In-person classes are smaller than before with more students moving to online platforms for schooling.
Instead, MPCC has leased the building to a daycare - not a new community program, but a relocation of an existing one. The college appears to be using taxpayer money to act as commercial landlords. Worse still, o our knowledge, that lease is not currently in compliance with city zoning laws. They would need a conditional use permit to operate a daycare in that space - a permit that has not been applied for, let alone approved.
When we expressed our concerns, they offered us a lease as well. But we can’t participate in something we know is not legal. Nor can we ask a sitting city councilman - Top Tier owner Brad Garrick - to vote in favor of enabling a taxing entity to become a landlord simply because it’s convenient. That goes against our beliefs and what we stand for, even if it benefits us personally in the short-term.
And so, we are forced to walk away. Again.
There are currently no available properties in North Platte large enough to house our gym. We’ve looked. Hard. Hours and hours and hours spent searching listings, deep-diving the internet, talking to realtors, scoping out buildings. And while that’s a testament to the growth and momentum in our city (thanks Brad!), it means that for now, Top Tier will pack up once again - this time into storage. Our mats, our weights, our bags, our cage, and our dreams will wait for a new home.
We are heartbroken. We are angry. We feel betrayed.
By those we thought were friends. By leaders we’ve supported - personally, professionally, politically - who chose silence or convenience over standing for what’s right. Local leadership told the college not to worry about zoning, bypassing the very checks and balances that protect this community. Entities whose missions we’ve championed through our businesses, have sat in on meetings about this “project” without once asking questions on our behalf. We’re left questioning who actually has our back - and who only shows up when it’s easy.
But we are not done.
Top Tier has always been more than a gym. It’s been a home for kids looking for structure, adults seeking purpose, families trying to heal, women learning to protect themselves, and people of all backgrounds coming together in pursuit of something greater. We’ve never taken a paycheck. We’ve reinvested every dollar into programming, people, and place.
The actions taken by MPCC - from the questionable location of their public hearing, to their use of public funds for private leasing, to their disregard for our community and our legal process - are not just disappointing. They’re wrong. And we will continue to shine a light on it.
We are not done fighting.
We will not be charging any membership fees next week, so we encourage anyone who has been apart of our Top Tier family, currently or in the past 13 years, to come out and do one last class with us. Snag a t-shirt or a hoodie. Help us pack. Cry with us. (And watch for a follow up post that will be coming with our plea for help moving in such a short time.)
We are so beyond grateful for every student, every parent, every volunteer, and every supporter who has made Top Tier what it is. You are the reason we’ve held on this long, and you are the reason we will find a way to come back. Please help us spread the word, as we know this comes as a shock and with little notice.
With love and grit,
𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘥 & 𝘌𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘬
Top Tier
