BUSINESS NEWS
Wilkerson’s Martial Arts, an ATA martial arts school in Gray, has been around a while and wants to talk about what they offer to the community of Jones County through martial arts.
Charles and Stacey Wilkerson, owners and teachers of Wilkerson’s Martial Arts, said they want to get people interested in their school.
The martial arts school is located at 300 West Clinton Street in Gray.
For those interested, call 478-986-0161.
Stacey said she’s lived in River North since 1987, while her husband moved from Panama City, Florida to open up the school in Georgia. He said he moved from Florida in 1998.
“It’s the hometown feel, and everyone knows each other here,” she said. “It’s a nice place to live, and the schools are wonderful. All of our kids are successful and have been through the schools. Jones County is a great place to raise a family.”
She said they are excited to be available for the community at Wilkerson’s and hopes people will take advantage of one of their classes.
“We’ve been here probably 15 years. We actually opened in Macon, and we had some parents who wanted us to open in Gray, so we moved here then,” Stacey said. “We do traditional martial arts, and our base is taekwondo.
We are an ATA martial arts school. My husband has been doing this for 30 years, and I’ve been doing it for about 20 years.”
She said they started a jujutsu program at the martial arts school; they do that on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She said she does a self-defense class for ladies Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. She said it’s for ladies to learn how to defend themselves and stay in shape.
Charles said he had a bad attitude, and he was bullied in school, so he started martial arts.
He said it’s taught him a lot about how to handle different situations in a positive way.
He said he’s glad he can teach others now.
“We are important for Jones County, because we focus on the inside out.
We are looking for that one percent improvement, whether it be behavior or confidence. We are an ATA martial arts school, so we aren’t just a fly by night school who just showed up. We are family owned and Jones County residents,” he said.
Stacey said she wanted to learn self-defense after a bad relationship and she had zero self-esteem.
That’s how she got her start in martial arts. She said she never imagined she’d be teaching classes at a martial arts school.
“We’ve had our kids go through these martial arts classes, and we’ve seen the changes it can make.
We’ve watched martial arts transform kids. Since we are connected to a bigger organization, we are always learning. We are tied to a standard,” Stacey said.
Charles said everything is earned, not given at Wilkerson’s Martial Arts.
He said they have opened Gray’s Best After School Program at Wilkerson’s.
He said they pick them up from school, have them do their homework and do karate until it’s time to go home.
“This will set them up for the future,” he said.
“Everything they learn here they can apply when they are older. They learn to follow through, have goals, build confidence, and communication skills here at Wilkerson’s Martial Arts.”
For more information about Wilkerson’s Martial Arts, visit https:// maconkarateforkids.com/ contact-us/gray.
The layout of Wilkerson’s Martial Arts in Gray, showing the area where students learn their different skills.
ALAINA CLARKE/Staff
A photo of Charles and Stacey Wilkerson at Wilkerson’s Martial Arts in Gray.
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