Brandon Billings - Brandon started karate at the age of 4. He achieved his black
belt in April 1999. He earned his third degree black belt in American Open Karate
in August 2007. He is currently a senior at Monacan High School.
Amanda Stepp - Amanda has been practicing karate for 7 years. She earned her 2nd
degree black belt on April 9, 2008. She attends James River High School and aspires
to become an Elementary School teacher. She is also on the crew team at James River
High School in her spare time.
Karen Florence - When not overseeing the Little Ninjas Preschool Development Program,
Karen Florence is a teacher at Winfree Preschool in Midlothian.
Her professional experience with children, and her role as mother of two children,
has had an important impact on her development of this special fitness program for
children. Karen is keenly aware of the needs of preschool children on both the physical
and emotional levels.
In creating the pre-school program for Ultimate Karate Academy,
she drew on her experience to fashion a course that would be engaging, playful, and
challenging while still meeting the fitness needs of children in this age group.
Mrs.
Florence holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and an Associates Degree
in Early Childhood Development.
Kevin Mayers - Kevin started Karate at the age of 5, received his black belt in October
1995, achieved his 3rd degree black belt in May 2004. He currently attends Radford
University where he will graduate in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in History.
He has trained with Dr. Jerry Beasley, a world renown professor of the Martial Arts,
at Radford.
Erick Easter is a native of the Richmond area. Mr. Easter is a well respected Martial
Arts professional and competitor. Erick Easter has studied American Modern/Open Style
Karate for over twenty years. As a Karate instructor with many years of experience,
he has honed his ability to give young students the guidance they need to meet their
goals.
As chief instructor at Ultimate Karate Academy he is responsible for the entire
instruction staff, class schedule, and the curriculum. He is committed to making
Ultimate Karate Academy THE martial arts fitness program in the area.
Erick Easter
is a Fifth-Degree Black Belt and has trained under World Heavyweight Champion Joe
Lewis. Mr. Easter is a five-time state point-fighting champion and has competed on
the Amateur Kickboxing Circuit. In addition to karate, he is a certified instructor
of Kardio Kickbox Fitness.
Michael Florence, a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, has spent more than thirty
years in Richmond. He is a well respected businessman in the community. Prior to
starting Ultimate Karate Academy, Mr. Florence was Senior Vice President for a local
company engaged in business on an international scale. Mr. Florence has done business
on every continent in the world.
In addition to his commitment to UKAcademy, he is a husband and father of two children.
He is active in many community activities and serves his community in several service
organizations. He received his black belt on May 1, 1994.
Susan King - After watching a child do karate I decided to give it a try. Currently
a red belt in karate. I joined UKA in 2003 and in 2005 decided to get certified by
IFTA to teach kickbox fitness and boot camp style classes. I love feeling a part
of the UKA family.
Josh Martin - Josh started karate in 1997. He earned his black belt in 2002 and
his 2nd degree black belt in 2004. In the fall of December he
graduated Longwood University with a degree in Music Education.
Chad Wolf - Chad started karate in the fourth grade at the age of 10. On April 9,
2008 he obtained his 2nd degree black belt. It was a tough journey but infinitely
rewarding. He is now 16 and attends Midlothian High School in all honors courses.
He hopes to go to Virginia Tech and major in architecture. He volunteers at the
YMCA in a program called the Leaders Club. He is also an Eagle Scout.
