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LUBBOCK, Texas — Head Coach Bryce Marchington is making big strides right here in Lubbock with his Fire & Ice Sport Karate team. A martial arts phenom from his early youth, Bryce first opened up his own karate school in Hobbs, NM at just sixteen years old. His almost superhuman energy (he runs construction crews all day and teaches martial arts by night) seems to come from parts unknown. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just one of those things,鈥� states Marchington. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been a natural athlete, and it always came easy. By the time I was sixteen I was traveling the world karate circuit. I鈥檝e been competing all my life.鈥�

It鈥檚 pretty amazing to think of all that Bryce has accomplished in only forty-seven years. He was the Texas Blackbelt Competitor of the Year in 1987, just a year later (at the age of twelve) he beat out all adults in his class, has won over 1,000 awards by the age of eighteen, achieved seventeen Texas state titles, won five national titles and thirteen world titles. In addition to all that he attained a Sports Medicine degree at the University of the Southwest in New Mexico, then became the athletic director at a local prison there for four years while also serving as defensive tactics instructor at the police academy. 鈥淏ack then in my New Mexico days,鈥� says Marchington reminiscently, 鈥淚 was highly involved in the law enforcement side of things, both inside and outside of the prison. I鈥檝e never known how to not work all day long. My day starts at the crack of dawn and usually doesn鈥檛 end until 8pm.鈥�

Bryce thinks his upbringing and internal drive to excel and succeed in martial arts makes up a big part of his tireless work ethic. Through that and his intense spiritual faith, he never got caught up in the teenage pitfalls so common to most. 鈥淚 still have never had a drink of beer in forty-seven years, and never been involved in a street fight,鈥� says Marchington.

Four years ago, Bryce brought his skills, his karate school and his career here to Lubbock when the oil industry fell apart in Hobbs. A Lubbock friend offered him a full-time job as a builder with Betenbough Homes, which he accepted. He immediately opened up the karate school (FIRE & ICE) here as well.

What once was all about Bryce鈥檚 love for competition and traveling the world with a thirst to be always his best, has now turned into a balancing act for God, family, career and karate. 鈥淔ire & Ice represents balance鈥搈uch like the black and white colored Yin Yang symbol, which brings opposites into harmony and balance with each other,鈥� states the coach. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about helping kids between the ages of three to eighteen years be their best inside and outside. The dojo鈥檚 all around the state and the world too.鈥�

Proudly proclaiming that he and his team are 鈥楶owered-by-Christ鈥�, Bryce knows that kids are exposed to many negative things. He sees martial arts being as much about learning to be a positively-balanced and productive person in this world, as it is about competing as an athlete and learning how to properly defend oneself in case that situation ever arises.

鈥淚n the past,鈥� Marchington sincerely states, 鈥渋t was about me trying to be the best and win titles; then my students and kids started competing with me. For eight years I had the greatest opportunity that a dad could ever have by competing side by side with my oldest son and other Fire & Ice students. That was very satisfying.鈥�

Now it鈥檚 more about changing the lives of the youth for Bryce. He hasn鈥檛 competed in over two years, but gets all his fulfillment and excitement by watching his youngest son and students on the team compete, winning numerous Texas state and world titles.聽 “It鈥檚 kind of a legacy thing,鈥� says Marchington. 鈥淪eeing my students and kids compete is very cool and unbelievably satisfying.鈥�

I had to ask Bryce: What鈥檚 it like teaching a three-year-old karate? He just laughs. 鈥淲e have trial base for about a week, mainly to see if the student has the attention span to participate regularly and achieve in the class. We are real big on both respect and discipline as well as being able to follow guidelines.鈥� Bryce knows that karate is a very serious sport, art and craft. 鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty amazing. In the first week I can tell whether they are gonna be good, great or an outstanding once-in-a-lifetime student, simply by their initial focus and love for it. Our youngest blackbelt so far at Fire & Ice was awarded at seven years old and I don’t just hand out blackbelts easily!鈥�

Team Fire & Ice competes on the open sport karate circuit. This means that they can go out and聽compete against any and every style of martial arts across the board. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a bit of a challenge,鈥� says the coach, 鈥渂ut competing against the open styles beyond Tae Kwan Do opens up the doors for us to travel, meet lifelong friends and go to lots more events.鈥� Bryce doesn鈥檛 believe in pushing competition, but finds that students want to do it because they see how much fun it is. It helps that they make some great friends along the way and ultimately get an amazing experience that most youths today rarely get to be a part of.

Bryce teaches year round. 鈥淥ur tournament season,鈥� he says, 鈥渞uns from February through November. We have about sixty-two members at the school now, and twelve of them are currently very active on the SPORT KARATE team. Our team ranges from the ages of three to eighteen years old and we are all completely based out of Lubbock.鈥�

The team has done and continues to do very well. For three years in a row now they have been ranked 1st in the entire state of Texas (competing in the TKO Texas Karate Organization owned by Wayne Nguyen who was the white ninja in the movie Sidekick with Chuck Norris). 鈥淭his team by far,鈥� says Marchington, 鈥渋s the most talented team we鈥檝e ever had and I鈥檓 very proud of them. Since we started the school and team, we laid the guidelines that this initial group of students would be the foundation for the team for future of Fire & Ice. They have aggressively taken that to heart and have become the most dominant team I鈥檝e ever been a part of or coached.鈥�

And even more than that, Coach Marchington believes that the Fire & Ice team experience is about much more than just karate. 鈥淚f I give somebody a blackbelt,鈥� says Marchington, 鈥渢hen that means I personally have the confidence that they have the absolute confidence and ability to defend themselves should that situation ever arise in their lives. We don鈥檛 just give blackbelts away.鈥� According to Marchington it allows them the ability to do other big things in life than just karate. 鈥淢ost kids get picked on by bullies because they don’t have the confidence in themselves, in order to defend themselves,鈥� says Marchington with full conviction. 鈥淏ullies feed off weakness, and removing that weakness in a kid鈥檚 life can do wonders in a kids life鈥揵oth now and forever more. I鈥檝e never been in a street fight and have never had to use Karate for a purpose other than competition. Being able to avoid a fight is always the best solution. Karate gives you the mental strength to control your emotions, which in turn helps greatly to handle all life situations better and stay out of trouble.鈥�

In addition, Coach Marchington truly believes that confidence is an empowering feeling of satisfaction for youths in today鈥檚 world. 鈥淭o give kids confidence in today’s world is absolutely life changing for them鈥揵oth from a confidence standpoint, as well as an overall person in general,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 do this on the side to be an agent of change for kids and the potential karate students of Lubbock.鈥�

All kids from ages three to eighteen who are interested in getting involved with Fire & Ice can find them on just about every social media page in town. It鈥檚 a family run organization with his wife Hillary doing all the management and marketing for the karate school. 鈥淲e accept members year round. They can come anytime; classes are typically Monday through Thursday from 5pm to 8pm. All are welcome. We are all about the sport of Karate and anybody who wants to seriously get involved.鈥�

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