Astro Valley Mom Gets Her Kicks Out Of Mixed Martial Arts Business
You’d never guess from her amiable personality and diminutive appearance that Tammy Stone has a fondness for Mixed Martial Arts fighting—one of the most popular competitive sports today.
“I had a business here before, and for a while the building was empty, so I wondered what I should do with it,” said Stone, owner of MMA Progear. “When my son Noah had a (martial arts) tournament, there was no place here to buy his equipment, and that’s where the idea came from.”
So Stone gave the building a completely new look, and brought in a wide assortment of MMA competition equipment and apparel.
“I’ve really been busy keeping things in stock,” said Stone. “We have people come as far as Modesto, Pleasant Hill and Berkeley to shop, and I always know when I hear tires on the boulevard that someone will be coming in.”
Stone’s passion for MMA started with her 13 year old Noah, who has garnered trophies from competitions under the training of JiuJitsu trainer, Ralph Gracie.
“I’m loyal to Ralph because he trains my son, but there are a lot of studios and trainers I support in Castro Valley and in the Bay Area,” she said.
Stone enrolled her son in martial arts classes after he was subjected to bullying at school, and said it has since boosted his confidence and self esteem.
Last month, Castro Valley MMA enthusiasts attracted worldwide attention when film crews from the Discovery Channel filmed fighters and Masters competing and instructing at downtown locations for it’s upcoming show, “Fight Quest.”
“It was really exciting to be involved with the Discovery Channel production,” said Stone, who had producers and fighters shopping at her store in preparation for filming. “I’ve gotten a lot of new interest in the shop from that.”
Photo from Stock.xchng.
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