x
  1. Home
  2.  News
  3.  Local News

Fitness, focus, socialization

| 13 Apr 2017 | 10:36
    The studio is now open! At the grand opening ribbon cutting was, from left, co-owner Rich Brand, Grand Master Won Keun Bai, co-owner Charlie DiGirolamo, Mayor Bettina Bieri, Luciano Signorino, Jr., co-owner James Cooke, and councilmen Lou Signorino and Pete McGuinness.
    The studio is now open! At the grand opening ribbon cutting was, from left, co-owner Rich Brand, Grand Master Won Keun Bai, co-owner Charlie DiGirolamo, Mayor Bettina Bieri, Luciano Signorino, Jr., co-owner James Cooke, and councilmen Lou Signorino and Pete McGuinness.
    Owner Charlie DiGirolamo and longtime student Alyssa Vinas.
    Owner Charlie DiGirolamo and longtime student Alyssa Vinas.
    A class as the new Northern Valley Martial Arts at Bearfort Shopping Center.
    A class as the new Northern Valley Martial Arts at Bearfort Shopping Center.
    A larger group celebrated the grand opening inside the building including, from left, Alyssa Vinas, Laura DiGirolamo, Councilman Lou Signorino and his son Luciano, Jr., Master Charlie DiGirolamo, Mayor Bettina Bieri, Grand Master Won Keun Bai, James Cooke, Rich Brand, Winona Brand, Councilman Peter McGuiness and Anna Brand.
    A larger group celebrated the grand opening inside the building including, from left, Alyssa Vinas, Laura DiGirolamo, Councilman Lou Signorino and his son Luciano, Jr., Master Charlie DiGirolamo, Mayor Bettina Bieri, Grand Master Won Keun Bai, James Cooke, Rich Brand, Winona Brand, Councilman Peter McGuiness and Anna Brand.

BY GINNY PRIVITAR
WEST MILFORD — Northern Valley Martial Arts held its grand opening in Bearfort Plaza on Saturday morning, April 1.
Owner Charlie DiGirolamo is a 6th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He has been in martial arts for 30 years and has another studio in Bergen County.
DiGirolamo owns this studio, along with partners Rich Brand and James Cooke. They all teach various martial arts, including Tae Kwon Do, mixed martial arts, kickboxing and Krav Maga. DiGirolamo and Brand are West Milford residents and were travel softball coaches for the last 10 years for the West Milford Extreme team.
The grand opening drew approximately 100 visitors and Mayor Bettina Bieri and Councilmen Peter McGuinness and Lou Signorino were in attendance. The opening featured a self-defense seminar, forms demonstration and tournament team sparring.
DiGirolamo's own Grand Master Won Keun Bai, a 9th degree black belt, was there to celebrate the event. Bai, now retired, had a studio in Ramsey for 40 years.
"Other store owners from the plaza came to watch the seminar," DiGirolamo said.
The newly refurbished interior "came out gorgeous," according to DiGirolamo, with new mats, mirrors and other equipment.
One of DiGirolamo's students, Alyssa Vinas, now 32, and a 5th degree black belt, has been with him since age seven.
"He creates a family environment and he makes the experience fun and he truly, for me, personally, he has made martial arts not just a sport, but a way of life. He's inspiring and helps build confidence. As a woman I feel martial arts has empowered me," Vinas said, adding "He's like a father to me."
All ages welcomeThe studio teaches teen and adult classes and a family class, as well as a "little ninja" program for ages 3 to 5, and a beginner martial arts program for kids ages 6 and up.
For the past seven years, DiGirolamo has also taught martial arts classes to children in Bergen County's Valley Program Foundation for Children with Autism.
Martial arts proponents say the classes help children with fitness, focus, self-discipline and socialization skills, as well as promoting self-confidence.
For those who act quickly, Northern Valley Martial Arts is offering a free month and a free T-shirt for the first 20 people who join, with a discounted tuition, too — and it's not an April Fool's joke — it's real. Stop by, meet the instructors and see a class in action.