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MMA veterans Alex Martinez (bottom left) and Tristan Connelly (bottom right) trained with members of Legend Martial Arts Academy during charitable seminars on Family Day weekend. (Legend Martial Arts Academy, Facebook)<\/p>\n
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MMA veterans Alex Martinez (bottom left) and Tristan Connelly (bottom right) trained with members of Legend Martial Arts Academy during charitable seminars on Family Day weekend. (Legend Martial Arts Academy, Facebook)<\/p>\n
DAWSON CREEK, B.C. \u2014 A Dawson Creek-based mixed martial arts (MMA) gym stepped up to support the Tumbler Ridge community in the wake of last week\u2019s school shooting, raising $2,515 for the victims\u2019 families.<\/p>\n
The incident on February 10th involved 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar shooting five students,<\/a> a teacher, and her mother and stepbrother before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, with more than two dozen more injured.<\/p>\n Legend Martial Arts Academy head coach Evan Ollenberger had already scheduled seminars throughout the weekend with a pair of special guests: MMA veteran Tristan Connelly and seasoned grappler Alex Martinez.<\/p>\n But after the tragic events, he decided to hold them as a charitable event, with entrants giving donations to the Tumbler Ridge Parents Advisory Council fundraiser.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Seven seminars took place throughout the weekend, with two on February 13th, three on February 14th and two on February 15th, with topics including positioning and strategy for both no-gi and gi competitors.<\/p>\n Members of the academy are residents of Tumbler Ridge, and Ollenberger remembers his first reaction after learning of the news of the shooting:<\/p>\n \u201cOnce I got online, I\u2019m like, \u2018holy smokes, this is real\u2019\u2026it seemed like something that wouldn\u2019t happen here,\u201d said Ollenberger. \u201cI had to digest it for a couple of days. [It was] just so horrible, and you\u2019re kind of in your own space feeling helpless.<\/p>\n \u201cI was just sitting in that sort of negative mind frame for a couple of days, and decided, \u2018well, I should at least do what I can.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Typically, seminars involving a pair of professional fighters can cost up to $100 or more. But Ollenberger made the event by donation only, with some attending for free, and invited local clubs from around the region.<\/p>\n While martial arts as a whole is for combat, knowledge and defence, Ollenberger said in times such as the aftermath of traumatic events, it can be therapeutic with participants getting themselves in another mindset.<\/p>\n \u201cLots of people just came for free to relax and rather use it as meditation,\u201d Ollenberger told Energeticcity.ca. \u201cIf you are focused on anything else, you might get thrown or submitted.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is just such a good thing to put your mind off it. It\u2019s good to do something positive.\u201d<\/p>\n A total of $2,515 was raised from the seminars, with proceeds benefitting Tumbler Ridge\u2019s Parents Advisory Council, an organization of parents and caregivers who support students at the district\u2019s schools, according to its Facebook page<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ollenberger said his academy \u201cwould like to help out any way they can\u201d and the gym members\u2019 \u201chearts go out\u201d to the victims of the shooting.<\/p>\n On the competitive side, Legend\u2019s grappling team will be heading to Grande Prairie to take part in the Peak Grappling Winter Classic starting on Saturday, February 21st.<\/p>\n What began as a hobby gym in 2022, Legend began focusing on just adult classes, but later incorporated children\u2019s lessons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Current membership at the gym is around 130 members, according to Ollenberger.<\/p>\n To donate to the Tumbler Ridge PAC fundraiser, visit its GoFundMe page<\/a>.<\/p>\n