My name is Cynthia Santiago and I am 34 years old. I have been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for about a year now. As a teenager I trained a bit in Tae Kwon Do and Judo, but gave it up to compete in high school and college basketball. After my basketball career ended, I didn’t do anything athletic for many years. However, I was always looking for something to fill that void. A few years ago I was watching a UFC fight and knew I wanted to do something like that. I kept thinking about it throughout my teaching year with every intention to research if women could get in on MMA. Last summer I did a search for MMA schools in the Baltimore area and Crazy 88 was the first to come up. I signed up on the website and received a call within a day. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, that’s fast service!” I visited the school and was immediately impressed by the friendliness of the staff and by the fact that there were women training at the school.
Since that day last summer, I started training in Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu. I loved doing both, but as a busy prep school English teacher and mom, I decided to focus more on jiu-jitsu to get more training in. Jiu-jitsu has definitely filled the void I used to have. I feel mentally and physically challenged in every class I attend. Crazy 88 has everything anyone can ask for: excellent teachers, a lot of classes offered to fit your schedule, a variety of classes offered, and the largest number of women training in the area.
Jiu-Jitsu has definitely changed my life. It has given me a personal purpose. It has also motivated me to get in shape, has provided an outlet for my competitive spirit, and has relieved a lot of my general stress and anxiety that used to consume me. I even recently convinced my partner to try a class and she is hooked. I can’t say enough about what a great school Julius Park is running. My only suggestion is to come in and try out a class. Trust me, you will become addicted like the rest of us.
Come join our FamLI!!
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Tags: Baltimore Martial Arts, BJJ, Gym Review, Martial Arts, Muay Thai, Womens Only
