Bethel Family Opens Karate & Exercise Studio in Bethel

Firebird Karate & Exercise Science is set to open this September in the St Thomas Episcopal Church, 95 Greenwood Avenue in Bethel

When Donna and Malcolm met at Lee's School in Darien in the late 80's they had no idea it would lead to a marriage, two children, several businesses and a lifetime of karate.  Well, perhaps Malcolm knew as he told Donna after their third date that "she was the one."   

Their son, Alex began taking karate lessons when he was five.  Today, he is a second degree Cho Dan (blackbelt) in Soo Bahk Do (a traditional Korean Martial Art) and next year will be eligible to test for his third degree and has competed in local, regional, and national tournaments.  Alex is currently attending Norwalk Community College for exercise science and works part-time at Greenwood Physical Therapy.

When Donna and Malcolm moved to Bethel, they tried to find a school that incorporated the type of training they had experiences in the 80's, endurance/conditioning. Malcolm mastered this while training Kyokoshin. It was the exercise science that their son Alex was learning, but Donna and Malcolm couldn't find a school in the area that brought all those aspects together. 

When their instructor, Benjamin Cortese, a 7th degree master instructor (Sa Bom Nim), agreed to help them set up a certified Soo Bahk Do school in Bethel, they sought out a place to train. As they searched, they came across a church in town, and the message from the pastor, Norma Schmidt at the St Thomas Episcopal Church, 95 Greenwood Ave, that read,"Drop me a note and we'll talk about life, and maybe martial arts...."  Donna thought this was a sign.   

Fall classes begin on Sept 4th for martial arts and follow the Bethel school calendar.  Exercise programs run year round.

Firebird Karate will be holding 3 FREE open house sessions:  Aug 11, 18, 25 from 9 - 11 in the St Thomas Episcopal Church.   Anyone that pre-registers for the fall sessions will get 1 month of unlimited training for $45, plus a free uniform.   

Learn more on Firebird Karate's Facebook Page here.