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March 20, 2022

Community Members of the Month: Easton Training Center Longmont

Sandy Song

Community Members of the Month: Easton Training Center Longmont

We truly value our community at Easton Training Center. From our students to coaches and staff, and all those who put in extra time to help around the academy, it’s the heart and soul of the whole operation.

Time and time over, we hear our members say how it’s the people — their friends, partners, and classmates — that kept them coming back. The disciplines we teach are important, but in the end, they are tools. They’ll only go as far as the people who use them, and how.

This month, we highlight Aven Coffin, Brian Embry, and Taylor Lacovara. 

Aven Coffin, Easton Kids Assistant

Jiu-Jitsu became a popular topic of conversation around Aven once her brother and family friends started training at Easton. “They would talk about it all the time!” Aven remembers. “It sounded so interesting, especially since I already wanted to do martial arts.”

With encouragement from friends, Aven joined Easton Longmont in the beginning of 2020. Fast forward to now, she actively trains Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu both as a student and an assistant coach! 

What drives Aven?

“I love to challenge myself,” Aven provides the main reason that keeps her training. “But I find it difficult sometimes to be motivated by myself.” 

However, Aven finds that engaging in a community helps with that problem. “When you are surrounded by awesome coaches and training partners who support one another, I find it much easier to gain that drive back,” she says. “I appreciate that we build each other up!”

Easton is excited to continue being a part of her martial arts journey. Our Coach Jen would like to share this message about Aven: “Watching Aven grow into her own over the last couple of years has been a true joy! To say she is a diverse martial artist with true talent and determination would be an understatement. She’s a force. But where Aven really shines is her work in our kids program. She selflessly gives of her time in our Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu programs and flourishes in both. The kids in our classes benefit from her caring nature and ability to instruct and correct technique/behaviors in a consistent way. She is a valued member of our community, and I can’t wait to see what amazing things this young lady will accomplish!”

Brian Embry, Easton Jiu Jitsu

Brian joined Easton in summer 2021, but he started training Jiu-Jitsu back when he was in grad school. “I wanted an interesting way to stay in shape, and that is pretty much why I still train,” he describes why he chose the sport. “It’s such a great HIIT workout. It keeps me in much better shape than anything else I have done.”

“With other forms of exercise, I find it easy to quit or slack off,” Brian further adds on. “But if you quit in Jiu-Jitsu, you can get squashed or choked, so there is an incentive not to slack off when you want to.” 

He also values the intellectual aspect of Jiu-Jitsu. “It’s like full contact chess!” 

What drives Brian?

“I love the dopamine hit I get from learning new things and figuring out how to solve new problems,” Brian tells Easton. “That’s what drives me on and off the mats. I’m a software engineer by trade, and in a previous life I was a philosopher. The common thread that ties together Jiu-Jitsu, software engineering, and philosophy is the love of learning new things and finding elegant solutions to problems.”

He enjoys Easton Longmont due to one its perks of being a smaller gym. “The instructors are always willing to workshop problems after class,” Brian explains a major benefit. “That is invaluable, especially once you reach purple belt and can no longer rely solely on formal instruction to make steady progress.” 

Easton appreciates the holistic way Brian approaches Jiu-Jitsu, for both its physical and mental aspects!

Taylor Lacovara, Easton Muay Thai 

Growing up, Taylor was often told by her dad that she would be good at martial arts. However, what made her actually try it out was Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You music video, which features a storyline of a boxing couple. “I saw the video and the next minute I was looking up places to train at,” she recounts. 

So Taylor joined Easton in August 2020 and is now a green shirt Muay Thai trainee who recently became an assistant coach for kickboxing classes! 

What drives Taylor?

“It’s the coaches and the people around me that drive me,” Taylor shares. “I want to make them proud and help them as much as I can. I went through a really dark and difficult time in the last three years and people like my coaches, teammates, and family have really helped me push through.” 

And that is what Taylor loves about Easton.“ The fact that the community never doubts you and always pushes you to do more than you think… that’s something that I am really grateful for.” And due to such experiences, she is motivated to give back as much as possible.

Taylor would like to express her gratitude directly to her coaches and classmates: “You all inspire me every day to do something as simple as get out of bed. If you ever feel down or don’t want to push yourself any further, think about this one person that you helped grow and continue to wake up every day. Remember that you are important and loved. No matter what, you do make an impact. Thank you!” 

And to that Easton responds, thank you Taylor for being a super dedicated member of our community! 

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