Evergreen gym to host free women's self-defense clinic

It all started out so normally.

He was nice in the beginning — everything she thought she wanted.

And for a while, she was happy.

But slowly, things began to change for Tracy Blaylock.

Her boyfriend stopped her from discussing their relationship with friends, and over time, convinced her that only he had her best interests at heart, only he could be trusted.

“If it’s too good to be true, it probably is,” she said. “I felt like I couldn’t tell my friends what was going on, I couldn’t talk to my family about how I felt…otherwise [I was] betraying [him.] It was drilled into my head, ‘loose lips sink ships.’ Just drilled into my head. Don’t discuss anything.”

After two-and-a-half years in an abusive relationship, Blaylock got out.

The road back to normalcy wasn’t an easy one, but with the help of friends and the local powerlifting community, she was able to regain her confidence.

And confidence is exactly the focus of an upcoming women’s self-defense clinic to be hosted at Evergreen’s Beast Athletes, where Blaylock now works.

“We definitely see [abuse] every day in the community and … it’s really important for the women in the community to have the confidence to be able to go about their daily routines,” she said.

The clinic will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. Feb. 17 at Beast Athletes located at 1430 Hwy. 35, with refreshments served by the gym’s members and personal trainers from 3:30-4 p.m. There is no cost to participate in the event.

Local boxer and two-time national Taekwondo champion Taylor Reed will be coaching the seminar, drawing on his 16-plus years of martial arts training. In addition to his Taekwondo practice, Reed is active in the local amateur boxing scene and works as a personal trainer at Beast Athletes. He’s hosted a dozen self-defense clinics over the past year as a means to give back to the community.

“As an athlete, it’s a very selfish path, so to speak. I’m constantly trying to pull from other people and get better at what I do,” Reed said. “It’s one of those things where I wanted to find a way to give back and I don’t necessarily have a ton of money to just go throw at things, but I have a craft and a trade that I take very seriously and I wanted to use that to benefit the community.”

The first clinic Reed led drew more than 25 participants, and attendance has fluctuated from six to more than 30 over the past year.

During the self-defense clinic, Reed will cover what to do in common hand-to-hand situations that arise in domestic violence cases. The 90-minute training portion of the event is more technical than it is physical — in other words, attendees don’t need to be in great physical-shape to learn the skills covered and no experience is necessary.

“I have probably the most fun working with people who have never done martial arts before. I thoroughly enjoy getting to come up to someone who is scared to do what they’re doing and support that person so they can be different on the other side of it.” Reed said. “So for me, if you’re nervous about it, I’m even more excited to have you in here because you’re going to see an even bigger transition in yourself by the end of it.”

Watching participants come out of their shells and stand up a little straighter after undergoing training is what keeps Reed inspired to continue passing on his knowledge.

A couple years ago, a man recognized Reed while he was accompanying his younger sister Keira around their neighborhood while she sold popcorn for an athletics fundraiser. As Reed introduced himself, the man stopped him.

“I know who you are … you trained my daughter for three years.”

He then explained how a man attempted to rape his daughter while she was away at college. But using the skills Reed had taught her, she was able to knock out her assailant and even hold him down until the police arrived.

“I’m there crying and he’s crying …we’re just having a tear-fest — And he bought like $100 worth of popcorn,” Reed said, smiling. “Things like that, that makes it worthwhile to me.”

To round out the event, Beast Athletes’ trainers will not only serve food to the participants, but also share their own stories about overcoming adversity.

“Part of the reason why we want [trainer] Marcus (Applegate) in there, and [gym owner] Donny [Tudahl] is we to talk about how to build your own personal strong community. That’s part of the healing process,” Reed explained.

“For me I’ve had to completely shift my circle of friends to get to be where I’m at. It was a very hard place where I used to be, suffering from depression and a lot of things. If you need help, we’re here to help you. We want to build that strong community. You’re not on your own, you’re not by yourself and that’s what we’re trying to communicate.”

Reporter Mackenzie Reiss may be reached at 758-4433 or mreiss@dailyinterlake.com.