Wake Up Calls

Posted by Kara on February 1st, 2012

Good morning! We’ve been up and at it at Kwest for quite awhile already today, since this marks the second class of our morning Women’s Boot Camp. This morning class, taught by our Wednesday night Level 2 strength and conditioning specialist Joscelyn Bailey, is the latest program to come to Kwest and we (and the almost 30 women taking part!) are loving it so far.

With 6:00am classes on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for 5 weeks, this Boot Camp is designed to kickstart your day, as well as kick your butt and get you on the road to a happier, healthier you. The Boot Camp focuses on goals and what it will take to help you achieve them. For those who chose to participate, we are helping to monitor nutrition intake every day, providing advice and showing how to approach a healthy and maintainable weight loss and/or transfer of body fat to muscle. Measurements, weigh-ins and body fat readings all help us to take a snapshot of the beginning point, and now it’s a matter of learning how to fit fitness and nutrition into daily lives.

Speaking of benchmarks – Kru Jos had us sweating it up on Monday with his benchmarking tests! A series of exercises, done for 1 minute each, helped us to see where we were at as of Day 1 and we can’t wait to compare that to the next time we try these same 1 minute exercises and see just how far we’ve come. Nothing is more motivating than having a goal and competing against your self.

We at Kwest couldn’t be more thrilled at the turnout for this class and excited to see all of these ladies blast through all of Kru Jos’s creative torture. Kru Kelly has stocked the equipment room with tons of new equipment, including new medicine balls, resistance bands, hurdles, weights and agility ladders…all of which I personally am very much looking forward to – and just a little bit dreading – getting to know. If you didn’t get signed up for this session but are curious about the course and interested in the March 5 start date, check it out here and let us know! All you have to do is set your alarm, and let us give you a wake up call as to just how fit you can be.

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The MPL and Into the Fire – Episode 2

Posted by Kara on December 16th, 2011

Rounds 1 – 3 are in the record books, and Round 4 is the queue as the MPL continues to put on great shows with arguably some of the best MuayThai fighters in the world. Have you been watching? Round 3 just aired a couple of weekends ago on The Score, the Canadian network which has signed a deal to air these events in Canada, and did not disappoint.

Not only is the MPL putting on round after round of exciting MuayThai action, but they are also producing this great series with a behind the scenes look at training and fighting and the pure love of MuayThai. Since it’s Friday, it’s probably a good day to watch this if you haven’t already.

Into the Fire – Episode 2 from Warrior Caste Productions Inc. on Vimeo.

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Rumble at the ROCC 3 – Well, that was fun!

Posted by Kara on December 13th, 2011

Hello Kwesters! We know it’s been awhile since we’ve posted and quite frankly, things have been a little crazy. But we wanted to get back in the swing of things here with a few screen shots of our fighters in our recent event, Rumble at the R.O.C.C. 3. We had a great event, perhaps our best yet, with first-rate performances, a good crowd and an amazing group of volunteers who have really become a well-oiled machine – they blew us away with their hard work and efficiency.

An equally big thank you must also be said to all of you who came out to support the fighters and our club – you may not realize it, but without the support of our membership base  attending these events, the costs of putting on fight cards would be too prohibitive and we would not be able to provide our fighters and fighters from other clubs with the opportunity to achieve their dream of fighting in the ring. So from all of the fighters and from Kru Kelly and the rest of the Kwest staff, thank you for making this possible. Your continued support is invaluable to keeping these opportunities happening for those who love to compete and those who dream of pushing themselves to that point even once.

Enjoy a few shots of our fighters at last month’s event – congrats to all of the fighters!

Joscelyn Bailey; exhibition fight

Kara Westerlund; win, unanimous decision

Holli Moncrieff; loss, unanimous decision

Jennifer Willis; win, unanimous decision

Jordan Long; exhibition fight

George Davis; loss, split decision

Wayne Pokornik; win, split decision

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Offical After Party announcment – The Cheer!

Posted by Kara on November 2nd, 2011

Hello, Fight Fans! Just four days to Fight Night and we could not be more excited to be bring another night of great MuayThai to the city of Winnipeg. We’ve got a full line up of fighters from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, including 6 from our home club.

As those of you who have been to past events know, the fun doesn’t stop when the bell rings on the last fight. This time around we are super excited to announce that the Official After Party will take place just down the street at a new sports-focused venue in Winnipeg – The Cheer Bar and Grill! No arranging of rides or calling cabs will be necessary – just grab your friends and do the short walk over to the corner of Stradbrook and Osborne to keep the party going. Even better than the perfect location, Rumble attendees will by-pass the cover charge simply by showing your ticket. This new sports bar is a great place to unwind after the fight with tons of space, huge screens and a fun atmosphere. Come by to congratulate the fighters, give the coaches a well-deserved handshake and enjoy a beverage and some food with your friends.

Check out The Cheer’s website for location map, menu and more and find them on Facebook and Twitter. See you there!

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Tickets on Sale! Rumble at the R.O.C.C. 3

Posted by Kara on October 16th, 2011

We’re officially three weeks away from Fight Night and all of the fighters and training team are super excited to be this close to the big night. The next three weeks will be busy with hard training and lots of preparation work and we can’t wait to put on another great show for you all! The support we’ve seen in the past has been unbelievable and just makes us work that much harder each time to make sure the event is a great night of MuayThai for everyone. We look forward to seeing old friends, new friends and everything in between in the seats, in the ring and behind the scenes.

Tickets are officially on sale for the event on Saturday, November 5. We’re looking at a full card of great fights with fighters from Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. As an added bonus, our 50/50 draw means you might leave with your wallet a little heavier than when you walked in! You can pick up tickets online right here, or in person at the gym anytime within our hours.

We can’t wait to see you there!

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Hand-wrapping video

Posted by Kara on October 12th, 2011

Since we’ve had lots of new students coming in over the summer, I thought it might be a good time to post this handy tutorial video on hand wrapping. If you’re still bare knuckle punching, but not quite ready to invest in a pair of gloves, a cheaper alternative for now is hand wraps. If you are already wearing gloves but are starting to punch harder and have noticed any pain in your wrists, consider wrapping your hands under your gloves for some added protection. Wrist injuries can take many months to heal and no one wants that! Check out the video below.

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Fight Camp – Week 4

Posted by Kara on September 30th, 2011

Follow the members of Fall 2011 Fight Camp as they work toward the ultimate goal – the ring!

Week 4: By Holli Moncrieff

Photo by Marc Gallant
They say exercise can improve your mood, but I had no idea how much. On Wednesday, I was feeling sorry for myself. I was hurt, I was sore, and I was tired. The last thing I wanted to do was go to the gym and train, but I’m so glad I did.

Kru Kelly had designed a special circuit training class for us. It was challenging. It was brutal. But strangely, it was also a lot of fun. (Is this fight camp insanity catching? I think so.) Through every exercise, every laboured breath or grunt of effort and pain, the five of us were in it together. We cheered each other on just by being there and by never giving up. Every circuit we survived felt like a real accomplishment.

Getting through something that difficult as a team is a huge bonding experience, and we even exchanged sweaty hugs at the end.

I left the club a completely different person than I’d been when I arrived. I was happy, I had tons of energy, and I was back to feeling like fight camp is the best thing ever.

It may seem counter intuitive, but sometimes when you feel down and like you really need a break, the best thing you can do is move.

If someone could figure out how to bottle this feeling, they’d make a million.

For more on Holli’s Fight Camp experience, check out her blog right here.

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Fight Camp: Week 3

Posted by Kara on September 23rd, 2011

Follow the members of Fall 2011 Fight Camp as they work toward the ultimate goal – the ring!

Week 3: By Wayne Pokornik
Half into week 3 of Fight camp and it is going strong.
Kru Kelly asked me to lead the Level 2 class last Friday, i was very honored and excited to do so. Although it was a smaller class than the week before, it was a very energetic group. As many may guess I loved the sparring! Always a great class when you get punched in the face!
I was super excited to see Lindsey Hawkes back teaching the boxing class on Saturday. Lindsey is a great coach, he has that personality to push you further than you ever thought was possible yet still make it fun. For anyone who hasn’t been to boxing class you are missing out and you should definitely come out. [ed note: Let Kru Kelly or Kara know if you want to come out and try a free boxing class!]
This past week a good one, I started off clinching with Grant and George. Those two big guys have a ton of strength and definitely make me work extremely hard.
With such great training partners I know each and every Kwest fighter is going to obliterate their opponents!
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Fight Camp: Week 2

Posted by Kara on September 19th, 2011

Follow the members of Fall 2011 Fight Camp as they work toward the ultimate goal – the ring!

Week 2 – Jennifer Willis

I started with Kwest about 4 – 5 years ago and I have developed a great love for kickboxing.

I can still remember my first class. I never felt so awkward in my life. I was sure I was never going to get this right: kick your leg, pivot your foot, up on your toes, turn your hip over, arm down by your side, other hand up to your face …  wow, how can anyone be expected to remember all of that?! It amazed me how people could do this without falling flat on their faces. After a lot of persistence and a lot of help from the instructors I finally got it. I was thrilled. Now, throw a punch in there … WHAT!!??

We are done our 2nd week of Fight Camp and it is tough and it is tiring, but at the end of the day we all walk out with a smile on our face. We are doing something we love to do. This is my third fight camp and there are so many great things about being part of a group like this.

Firstly, you really get to know your team mates. There is a special bond that forms when you train together and work towards a goal.

There is a feeling of relief when you realize other people are just as sore as you are. You are not alone. We encourage each other to push just a little bit more every day, getting physically and mentally stronger. At the end of the day you smile. You really accomplished something and you are thankful for the people who helped you through it.

The best thing about Fight Camp is the passing along of knowledge. We are all at different skill levels but everyone has something to offer. We all have our strengths and we all have our weaknesses. Building up the strengths and helping with the weaknesses is what it is all about and we are thankful for the vast amount of knowledge available to us.

Fight Camp is a long, hard road but it is a worthwhile trip.

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Fight Camp: Week 1

Posted by Kara on September 16th, 2011

Follow the members of Fall 2011 Fight Camp as they work toward the ultimate goal – the ring!

Week 1 – Wayne

It’s been just over a week into Fight Camp, and I couldn’t be happier. I have really missed getting punched in the face on a regular basis!
Training is going strong, we had a great week of training last week. But this week has been a little tough for the majority of the group. A nasty cold has been dragging down everyone, and they’ve all been fighting to stay healthy. But even though at times they haven’t felt the greatest everyone has brought a great enthusiasm and work ethic!
I am looking forward to Friday’s sparring class.
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