WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES FEBRUARY 23, 2017 19 BUZZ Donation-based Bushwick studio trains students in martial arts BY KATHERINE LLOYD BUSHWICK DAILY, SPECIAL TO THE RIDGEWOOD TIMES INFO@BUSHWICKDAILY.COM Donation-based yoga classes are popular at studios across the city, but Brooklyn Masterskya in Bushwick is the fi rst martial arts school in town to off er a donation based program for its students. Alex Ecklin and his business partner Evor Guevarra opened the studio in June 2016 to off er inexpensive classes with quality trainers. Both Ecklin and Guevarra hold black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and have been training together for the past seven years. “Evor and I had a big idea to make martial arts accessible to everyone,” said Ecklin. “I had seen donation-based yoga classes but no martial arts. My program is donation based because I didn’t want to deal with a person behind a desk and billing. I wanted everyone to be able to aff ord it,” he added. Both Ecklin and Guevarra are from Brooklyn, and chose the location based on the neighborhood and studio demands. “We found a very good deal in the neighborhood with a landlord who believed in what we were doing, which has made it easier. It was previously a dance studio, so it was set up for our needs,” Guevarra said. In a separate program at the studio, Guevarra teaches children ages 9 to 14 years old. The program is $100 for the month, which, according to the two partners, is immensely more aff ordable than most. “Many martial schools in Manhattan are over $200 a month for children. We’re really trying to provide a space for people to train and not worry about money,” Ecklin said. Guevarra does not require uniforms for the children, as it is an unnecessary expense. Ecklin encourages that all adults at any level join his class. “When someone is brand new I partner the student with myself or someone who is experienced so they can catch up,” he said. The ultimate goal for the two partners is to off er the best training possible at aff ordable rates. They also provide work for martial arts instructors in Bushwick and surrounding neighborhoods. The full schedule can be found at on their website at Masterskya.com with instructions on how to attend a class. This article fi rst appeared on Bushwick Daily, www.bushwickdaily.com. Photos by Lanna Apisukh TV icon to help lead St. Pat’s for All march BY ROBERT POZARYCKI RPOZARYCKI@QNS.COM @ROBBPOZ Anyone and everyone proud of their Irish heritage will be marching through the streets of Sunnyside and Woodside again during the St. Pat’s For All Parade on Sunday, March 5. The 18th renewal of the all-inclusive celebration of St. Patrick’s Day will be led by two grand marshals: television icon Phil Donahue and human rights advocate Anastasia Somoza. St. Pat’s for All began in 2000 as an alternative to the city’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade along Fift h Avenue in Manhattan, at a time when LGBT groups were prohibited from marching by the organizers, the Ancient Order of Hibernians. Even as LGBT groups have been permitted to march in the Manhattan parade in recent years, the St. Pat’s for All Parade has grown into one of the largest celebrations of Irish heritage in Queens, attracting thousands of participants and numerous elected offi cials each year. Donahue might be one of the most notable fi gures to lead the St. Pat’s for All Parade as a grand marshal. For nearly 30 years, his eponymous daytime talk show attracted millions of viewers nationally and internationally, earning him an array of television awards. Somoza, a daughter of a mother from Ireland and a father from Nicaragua, is a longtime supporter of the parade that now honors her as a grand marshal. Somoza is a consultant with the Shield Institute, a group dedicated to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The 2017 St. Pat’s for All Parade begins at 1 p.m. on March 5 at the corner of Skillman Avenue and 43rd Street with a brief ceremony. Marchers will step off at 2 p.m. from the location and head east along Skillman Avenue to 56th Street, then turn north on 56th Street to Woodside Avenue and back east on Woodside Avenue to 58th Street, where the parade concludes. Visit www.stpatsforall.org for additional information on the St. Pat’s for All Parade. Photo by Josef Pinlac
RT02232017
To see the actual publication please follow the link above