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Student of The Month of December 2019

For the month of December we awarded Alicia Mccall Student of The Month. Alicia is an amazing mom, a talented dancer and a white belt here at Checkmat Charlotte. She is one of the hardest workers in the room and is always eager to learn. For her performance on and off the mat during December, Alicia is being recognized here on our Blog and wins a $50 gift card to Five Guys Burger based upon Cheeseburgers being her favorite food. Enjoy our chat with Alicia and come see us on the mats! Oss. What is your name, how old are you and where are you originally from?
My name is Alicia McCall. I am 28 and I am from Charlotte, North Carolina. What brought you to BJJ and Checkmat Charlotte?
....
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Female Student Of The Year (2019)... Amanda Cargile

1. What is your name, how old are you, and where are you originally from? My
name is Amanda Cargile, and I’m 41. I grew up in Roswell, GA.
2. What brought you to BJJ and Checkmat Charlotte? I was training with Joe Pacheco, doing kickboxing and strength/conditioning. We moved to a gym with a cage, and he decided we needed to learn to grapple. Not long after, Checkmat Charlotte moved into the gym as well. Michael saw me in the cage (probably failing around trying some sort of takedown and only succeeding in taking myself down) and invited me to try a class. I was hooked within minutes.
2a. You recently were promoted to Purple belt. How was that? Receiving my ....
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Male Jiu Jitsu Student Of The Year

Male Student of The Year Jordan Varela
December 8 was Checkmat Charlotte’s annual end of year seminar and awards. Some students were promoted as well as recognized for their accomplishments. One student, Jordan Varela was awarded Male Student Of The Year. We sat down with Jordan and learned a little more about him and got his thoughts on everything from Jiu Jitsu, other Martial Arts and food. Enjoy this read with a fantastic person and Jiu Jitsu enthusiast.
What is your name, how old are you and where are you originally from? My name is Jordan Varela, I am 40 years old and am from Long Island, NY What brought you to BJJ and Checkmat Charlotte? I trained Muay Thai ....
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9 Dec 2019
Jiu Jitsu Student of the Month (November)

Student Of The Month for November winner, Jeff Zazarro answered some questions for us about his martial arts journey and his experience at Checkmat Charlotte. Jeff has been with us since 2017 and currently holds the rank of Blue Belt. Per his answers Jeff won a bag of delicious coffee from Forte Lagato, a local coffee company in nearby Fort Mill, SC. What is your name, how old are you and Where are you originally from? Jeff Zazzaro . 48 years old. Originally from Southington, Connecticut
How do you manage training bjj, and having a family at the same time? Checkmat Charlotte offers multiple times for classes. I go to morning and afternoon classes and spend evenings with ....
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22 Nov 2019
Jiu Jitsu Student of The Month for October 2019

Jiu Jitsu Student of The Month For October Every month at Checkmat Charlotte we will be featuring one of our students here on our blog as The Jiu Jitsu Student of The Month. For the month of October, the winner was Megan Melber. Megan has been with us for two years, is currently a blue belt and a assistant instructor in our Power Pawns kids program. We awarded Megan last night with this honor and she gladly accepted her prize of mini Snickers (her favorite candy).
Afterwards, we sat down with Megan to get an idea of who she is and her journey in Jiu Jitsu. Enjoy the article anddon't forget to check in for specials at Checkmat Charlotte .

1- What is your name and how old ....
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2 Nov 2019
The Queens Experience

Jiu Jitsu came into my life as I was at a crossroads. I joined Checkmat Charlotte about three months after moving to Charlotte knowing no one but my sister. As a remote employee, I worked from home every day and felt extremely isolated after my move. I would finish working for the day and ask myself “now what?” I took stock of the things missing in my life: friendships in a new city, physical activity, an outlet for my competitive nature, a sense of community and a coping mechanism for daily job and relationship stress. I chose Jiu Jitsu thinking I would be crossing off one or two items from my list - get a good work out in, maybe make a friend or two. I researched every gym ....
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10 Aug 2019
Sunday Open Mat at Checkmat Charlotte

Every friend group and social circle is like a little sitcom - diverse personalities and backgrounds come together and mix in interesting ways: we share stories, experiences, and just generally grow and learn together. Our gym at Checkmat Charlotte is no different - it's the funniest group of characters who all get together and practice "folding clothes with people in them" as someone once described jiu-jitsu to me. In this post, I'm going to take you through a typical Sunday open mat and describe some of the people and personalities that make up the day to try to give you a sense for what being a part of this community is like. Before diving into that, a quick intro. I'm Josh - ....
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3 Aug 2019
Final Destination? ..... Checkmat!

I’ve been training Jiu Jitsu extremely sporadically for the past several years. My first experience started up in upstate New York at what I didn’t know at the time was a McDojo. Unfortunately, the closest legitimate school at the time was over an hour and a half away, so options were limited. Since then, I’ve been to quite a few different gyms due to work, moving, and gaining a better understanding of my own needs when it comes to choosing a gym. The first gym that I had joined started out fine as a small group of friends that would show up in our nogi attire, try YouTube techniques, and occasionally compete at the local NAGA or US Grappling tournaments. Because ....
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27 Jul 2019
Jiu Jitsu....MY Life Changer

My Life Changer WOW…Who knew moving jobs from little oh Lincolnton to the Big Queen City would change my life in so many ways. Hi everyone! My name is Ashley and I am going to tell you a little bit about my journey and how I found this AMAZING place I now call home. I am 28 years old and I have been working in Charlotte for about 6 months. I was recently accepted into UNC Charlotte as well. When I decided to make the move I knew I wanted to find a gym and learn Jiu Jitsu. At that time, I had been taking self-defense classes in Gastonia and honestly I was not fully satisfied. My family background in wrestling demanded that have that one on one contact that ....
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19 Jul 2019
Jiu Jitsu and...... Jesus??

It’s funny how life happens sometimes. My name is Rebecca Dailey, my friends call me Becca. I’m a 30 year old married girl who wants to follow Jesus even when sometimes I really don’t want to. It’s hard. I feel like I haven’t had a community in such a long time. I don’t really have a church that I go to regularly and for the past few years I have gone in and out of different ways to feel like I’m connected. Let’s back up a bit. A little over a year ago I was trying yet again either out of guilt or longing maybe both to feel that connection. A friend and teacher (I met my husband through a class he was teaching 😊 ) was seeking out ....
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Becca Dailey

Checkmat Charlotte is amazing!! The talent and passion of this school is something you notice as soon as you walk in the door! These people are amazing at the art! Amazing school! The thing is you can get that at a lot of places in the area( albeit maybe not quite the level of tenacity that Professor Allen not only expects but also demonstrates) The thing that Checkmat Charlotte has is the community! I have only been here a short time but have met soo many encouraging teammates! And teammates that come alongside and teach inspire and challenge you to treat yourself well in this art and in life.

but seriously don’t just take my word for it! Come train!!! Come join the community that I’m now so happy to be a part of!! :)

Avery Richard

When I get the opportunity to attend the lunch class I take it! Professor Allen is extremely knowledgeable in both BJJ and catch wrestling. He presents the material in a way that is simple to understand. If your in the area check it out

Jordan Varela

From I guy (me) who thought BJJ was a joke 3 years back... Michael Allen changed that within a month! I now at 39 years of age have done 4 competitions, am a blue belt and decided one Day I want to teach. All this in over 2 years... I’m have nothing but passion for BJJ because of this school...need I say more about Checkmat Charlotte?

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