ProComp Sport Martial Arts Continues Path to Championships
Quietly nestled on the north end of the square in Gilmer, you may notice quite a few cars parked along the street in front of the karate school at night during the week. It may be quiet outside but inside, there is real training going on! So much so that they are remodeling the building to better serve their ever growing clientele.
So far, ProComp has competed at 9 National events and 1 World event that was also on ESPN2, and have dominated at every one! There are still 6 events left to go for 2022! The group has 87 different national rankings as the moment scattered throughout the gauntlet of divisions within the regional rankings of the Professional Martial Arts Conference (PROMAC) with many also ranked in the top seeds in the North American Sport Karate Association (NASKA) as well! These two sanctioning bodies are the premier leagues within the competitive martial arts world today, and ProComp is having no problem navigating the tough schedule they have had so far!
This will all come to a head in November when they wrap up their season in Destin, Florida at the PROMAC National Championships, where all the top seeds in the regional standings will battle it out to see who is the National Champions in each division. The ProComp team is coached by Master Instructor and 6th Degree Blackbelt Mr. Clayton Watkins, Head Sparring Coach and 3rd Degree Blackbelt Mr. Joe Johnson, and new to the coaching ranks for ProComp, Head Weapons and Xtreme coach and 3rd Degree Blackbelt, Mr Cody Wilson. Watkins, the head coach of the team is very proud of the direction his team has taken thus far! “The whole team has really rallied around the slogan we have for our group, “One Team, One Family! I could not be more proud of their success in the 2022 season! They have faced adversity, extremely tough competition and they never shy away from it, in fact they embrace it as fuel to train even harder”
Students who are currently ranked are: Bricklyn Campbell, Tyla Ferrier, Jason Ferrier, AJ Johnson, Brenden Johnson, Ember Kirkpatrick, Adriana Tran, Zendaya Tran, Keyan Stegall, Conner Watkins, Cody Wilson, Tanner Jetton, Jessley Blackstone, Danette Potter, Oakley Campbell.
In 2023, ProComp will excel to NEW HEIGHTS as they introduce their new SELECT Martial Arts team that will travel the World Circuit and will attend 5 World Events in 2023 along with their usual National Schedule! Any Martial Artist in our area who is a green belt or higher may tryout for this team, they do not have to be a part of ProComp’s student base. “We want to open the team up to anyone, no matter what karate school they are from. We want to help raise the awareness in which karate is seen in our area that is dominated by traditional team sports. Karate is not meant to take away from team sports, but we want to be seen as equal, because these athletes work hard all year long and deserve the notoriety that is due them.” Watkins continues, “They are no less athletes than anyone else, and in fact achieve greatness that tends to go under the radar because of a lack of exposure in mainstream media and public perception.” In regards to this helping all martial arts schools in the area Watkins goes on to say, “When one wins, we all win. I don’t see other martial arts schools as competition, because I want us all to win; it’s hard to beat someone when they are rooting for your success too.”
Below is a list of all the events ProComp has been to so far and where they will finish the 2022 season.
2022 Events so far…
Texas Open-Tyler, TX
Memphis Open-Memphis, TN
Cowboy Up-New Braunfels, TX
Arkansas Showdown-Russelville, AR
Platinum Open-Sedalia, MO
Destin Open-Destin, FL
Natural State Classic-Little Rock, AR
Music City Smacdown- Lebanon, TN
US Open World Championships-Orlando, FL
Forge Championships- Birmingham, AL
Upcoming Events…
Sept 17 Arkansas Open-Little Rock, AR
Oct 1 Battle in the Midwest-Strafford, MO
Oct 7-8 Texas Revolution-San Antonio, TX
Oct 15-Middle Tennessee Classic- Galatin, TN
Nov 6 Texas Tough-Houston, TX
Nov 18-19 PROMAC Championships-Destin, FL
With the great way ProComp has represented our local area, we really need to get behind them as they continue their quest to greatness! This is not only a great thing for their team, but for our area as well! Martial arts is something that everyone should be involved in even if they are not competing nationally, there are a plethora of benefits to training such as agility, mental and physical toughness, self defense, coordination, and so much more! If you would like to get involved with this great program, you can reach them either by phone at 903-494-7040 or check out their website at goprocomp.com. They have locations both Downtown Gilmer at 202 Buffalo St, and in the Longview Mall!