Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1512887
92 maconmagazine.com | DECEMBER 2023/JANUARY 2024 Kicking it Up NEW HEIGHTS KARATE STUDIO ON TEAM USA BY TALEEN HANNA AND MACON MAGAZINE STAFF F ounded mid-pandemic in March 2020 – less than four years ago – New Heights Karate Studio (NHK) on Riverside Drive may have a small physical footprint, but its team is precision-kicking across the world stage. In June, the NHK team returned home from the World Karate Commission (WKC) National Championship competition in Detroit with piles of medals adorning their uniforms – and 14 spots on WKC's Team USA. In October, NHK sent 10 students and two coaches to the WKC World Championships in Orlando, representing 12 of the 232 spots won by our nation in the international competition. Over 30 countries sent their best martial artists to compete for gold medals in Forms, Traditional Weapons, Extreme Forms, Sparring and more. The results for NHK? Incredible. (See their wins on the next page). What does it take for an independent karate studio from Macon bring home multiple national and international titles? We asked co-founders and coaches Tim Conkel and Rissa Kilar, the champions behind the program. Conkel describes it this way: "For anyone to make Team USA, it requires the Five Ds: Discipline, Dedication, Determination, Drive, and Discipline. But to have 12 people make it from one school, it takes one additional thing: magic. I believe we are setting a new standard for what a single school in a single community can achieve with the right training and the right community." When Macon Magazine visited the studio, we saw the Five Ds in action with some Southern flair. As students perform their exercises, they shout, "One, ma'am! Two, ma'am!" Will the champions be traveling to Portugal for the 2024 WKC Championships? Yes, ma'am, or yes, sir, that's the plan. Rissa and tim, what can you tell us about your story and how Nhk began? Tim C.: I started New Heights because it's been my life dream since age four. My inspiration started with Jason, the Red Power Ranger. I wanted to teach karate in an environment like the Angel Grove Juice Bar. My good friend Corky Sikes says it best: Our job isn't just to teach karate; it's to love karate. And the reason why I became a world champion – because I love karate and the impact it's made in my life. I have ADHD, so perhaps the most challenging part has been splitting my focus between teaching and competing. Winning World Champion titles alongside my students was truly special. Rissa and I love sharing karate's impact with students by humbly bringing top-tier, world-class martial arts to the Macon community. ABOVE Rissa K.; Braxton G. Photos by Matt Odom. Additional team photo on page 16.