Lauren Gartland receiving the award

Lauren Gartland, a bartender at American Legion Post 10, has been working with me at Champion MMA for about a year. She has grown into a great asset for the gym, helping with administrative needs, being a leader in classes, and even law enforcement training. She attends, and occasionally leads, classes every morning at 6:30 and every evening when she isn’t working at the Legion. To date, she has assisted in over 30, 8-hour certifications for my law enforcement training program called Offensive Strategic Body Defense (OSBD). The DMV License and Theft Bureau recently came to Post 10 from Raleigh to award her with a certificate and plaque for her help training them in a week-long course to become instructors of the OSBD system. She can scrap; whether it be ground, stand up, or firearms training, she is comfortable in all scenarios. I would go through a door with her anytime. Lauren will be leaving us soon to attend the University of Essex in England for 3 years in pursuit of a BA in Acting and Stage Combat. It is my hope that her training and fighting spirit will serve her well there. We are working on a replacement for her, but so far, we have drawn a big fat zero. It is hard to replace the best because the best never rests. I have never heard her complain or even once say “I can’t do that”. These are qualities of a warrior, and they are hard to find.

John 15:13

Thank you, young lady. Carry on.

John Maynard

Son of a WWII soldier

8th degree black belt

OSBD instructor

Firearms instructor

Champion MMA owner and operator

40+ years training around the globe

Lauren Gartland holding a large medal award

Lauren Gartland and police officers