Fighting to keep enough space for its expanding roster of students, Paragon of Santa Maria has moved locations to 1775 S. Broadway.
By upgrading from a 2,600-square-foot to a 5,000-square-foot arena—almost double the size—Paragon intends to not only accommodate its current students but also recruit more by offering new venues to help keep people fit, trained, and at their fighting best.
In the past two years, Paragon has doubled its enrollment and increased its number of wins. Recently, one member brought home the gold in a nationwide event in Long Beach.
Still, owner Lance Glynn said his goal isn’t to win—unlike other gyms, which tend to focus on the belts.
“Don’t worry about the belts,” he said. “If you have fun and work hard, they will come.”
When it comes to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, owners Glynn and John Letters swear by the importance of technique.
“This is a sport where the smaller opponent with better technique can defeat a large opponent who relies on body mass,” Glynn said.
Students currently range from ages 4 to 50, and skill levels aren’t relevant to size, which allows someone who pays attention and learns the sport fully to have an edge over the much stronger opponent.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is the foundation of the business, but Glynn is excited to provide new services as well.
“We want now to have two classes running at once—children on one side, and parents on the other, for example,” he said.
Morning classes will be added along with classes specializing in women’s and men’s fitness, kickboxing, and weight loss.
Letters wanted to remind readers that this is a “gentle art” where the main focus is to get people active and healthy with a side of discipline.
“Our atmosphere is so unique. This is not a fighter’s gym. People expect big, tough guys, but in reality it’s not like that at all,” he said. “We encourage everyone to come and try one of our free classes.”
Paragon of Santa Maria is now at 1775 S. Broadway between Orcutt Burger and Egbert Family Chiropractic. The owners invite the curious and the serious to get involved in this community of “gentle art” to see what the sport can offer, and to get into a healthy lifestyle.
Highlights
• Margarita Adventures, an outdoor adventure company in Santa Margarita, is offering complimentary zipline canopy tours to active duty military personnel along with their spouses and children (maximum four people per family) on Nov. 11 and 12 in recognition of Veterans Day.
The company is offering $49 tours (a 50 percent savings) to military veterans along with their spouses and children (maximum four people per family) on those same days. To reserve a tour, call 438-3120. Availability is limited to tours at 10:30 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Active military personnel will be requested to present their current military identification when they arrive and check in for their complimentary tour. For more information, visit margarita-adventures.com.
This week Biz Spotlight was written by Intern Allen Achterberg. Highlights were written Managing Editor Amy Asman. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Nov 8-15, 2012.
