When it came time for the Kids Jiu Jitsu coaches at Straight Blast Gym Atlanta to select a student to be our very first Kid of the Month, the choice was easy.
In the fall of 2021, Tom Lee enrolled himself and his son, Wyatt, at Straight Blast Gym’s newest location in Atlanta. The new martial arts school was still under construction but Tom was ready to become a part of the tribe and join SBG’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu team.
While the gym was being built, Tom began doing private lessons with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu coach Randy Garcia at The Hive (the home gym of SBG Atlanta’s Head Martial Arts Coach Phil Gentry). These private lessons gave Tom a headstart so that when Straight Blast Gym’s doors opened in March of 2022, he already had a very solid Jiu Jitsu foundation to build upon.
With the gym now open, Tom was no longer the only member of the Lee family training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Enter Tom’s son, Wyatt Lee.
“My son isn’t a very big kid, and some of the older neighborhood boys have been bullying him a bit. And he’s exploding with energy, all the time, which has lead to some disciplinary issues at school and home. Wyatt also loves learning new physical skills. We had enrolled him in parkour (free running) classes a year and a half ago, and he loved it, but being a smaller guy he had trouble with some of the bigger movements, and classes were only once a week. We watched a few kids BJJ competitions on YouTube, which really fired him up, and he wanted to learn. Our search for a school coincided with the opening of SBG Atlanta, and after meeting the coaches, we were sold.”
Wyatt hit the ground (or I suppose more accurately he hit the mats) running and immediately became an energetic and enthusiastic presence in SBG’s Kids Brazilian Jiu Jitsu classes. To date, he has attended every single Growing Gorillas Jiu Jitsu class that we have hosted at Straight Blast Gym Atlanta. Talk about dedication!
Wyatt’s coach (and the leader of SBG Atlanta’s Kids Jiu Jitsu program) Randy Garcia gave us the scoop on why he selected Wyatt to be his Student of the Month.
“Wyatt brings an energy that is infectious and it adds to the class. Sometimes it’s hard to get kids to want to make it to practice, especially after a long day at school, but he always shows up ready to go and is an active participant during drills and games.”
When asked about what Wyatt enjoys most about training at Straight Blast Gym, Tom said this on behalf of his son:
“Wyatt is crazy about Coach Phil, Coach Randy, and Coach Jim, who are really outstanding at engaging the kids and making things fun. The classes are structured such that it seems like the kids are just playing games, but the play has purpose – learning fundamental BJJ movements. And he really likes his fellow students in the Growing Gorillas program, and talks a lot about how much fun it is to play and compete with them. I decided to take adult classes, too, as a father-song bonding thing. Since we’re both taking classes, he wants to talk about BJJ all the time, and I get to be his practice dummy at home!
Young Wyatt’s Jiu Jitsu journey is off to a fantastic start and with his energy, enthusiasm, and dedication, we have no doubt that he will have great success both on and off of the mats.
