I’m a little late blogging about the Muay Thai Ontario Youth Camp in 2024 for a couple of reasons. At the time, I was very new to the community, and I couldn’t really write about the people I barely knew. I also hadn’t been appointed as the Kingdom Blogger back then. But better late than never, so here it goes (get comfortable in your seats as this a longer read):
I had started group training at the Kingdom only about a month or so when Kru Arash told the Kingdom about the Muay Thai Ontario Youth Camp. The camp was free and funded by the Thailand Embassy. As I was hoping to get my 6 year old daughter started in training as well, I thought the youth camp was a great opportunity to get to know the community I had become a part of. I live in Richmond Hill, so driving to Stoney Creek every day for the camp all weekend, with two kids, wasn’t easy. I was feeling good about myself and the effort I was making until I spoke with moms who had come from Scarborough, Ajax, and King City, all for the same purpose. I was humbled!
Kru Alin hosted the MTO Youth Camp at his gym, House of Champions, and Ajahn Suchart ran three-hour training sessions for three days straight, from August 31 to September 2, 2024. I know Ajahn Suchart looks young, but …the hours felt long and tiring, even for those of us who were just sitting around. I had a chance to talk with Ajahn during breaks. I asked him what the MTO Youth Camp was trying to achieve. He said, “Muay Thai is a religion, and religion brings people together and gives them direction. Our Muay Thai community is developing with great leaders who are creating more leaders. What we need is support and awareness of the Muay Thai culture and practice. This is what the youth camp is for.”
When I spoke with Kru Dylan, he said that our fighters are greatly at a disadvantage on the international scene because there is no funding to support their training and travel. He mentioned that he has to pay out of pocket to accompany his students/fighters to international events. And that’s the case for the fighters too, as they have to fund their own trips. And, “because everyone’s resources are limited, we’re being restricted on how much we can grow.”
I met Tyson and his mom very briefly at the House of Champions during the MTO Youth Camp, and when I decided to write this blog, I asked Tyson’s mom if I could interview Tyson.
For those who don’t know Tyson:
Tyson stepped into the House of Champions at the age of 4 and never really left the place! He trains in Muay Thai 3 days a week, BJJ 2 days a week, and wrestling 1 day a week. For him, “a good training session is about 3 hours.” At the age of 11, Tyson has had 7 fights, won a belt, and earned 5 gold medals.
I asked Tyson how he was first introduced to Muay Thai. He said, “I saw a ring one day and just thought I wanted to fight inside a ring. So I asked my parents, and they took me to House of Champions. I loved it. Kru Alin mentored me and coached me! I want to become an MMA fighter.” I asked Tyson who drives him to training 6 times a week. Tyson said, “Mainly my mom, sometimes my dad. My parents do a lot for me. When I’m sick or can’t go to the gym for some reason, like during the pandemic, my parents hold pads for me at home” (I teared up a bit). “Kru Alin has also done a lot for me and has always been there for me. He is like a second father to me!”
I asked Tyson if he gets into a lot of fights at school. He said, “I’ve never gotten into a fight, but I break up a lot of fights. Everyone knows I’m a fighter, so they don’t bother me.” I asked Tyson to talk about his first fight. He said, “I was 8 when I had my first fight at the 2022 MTO Provincial. Kru Alin is my coach and my mentor. He told me I was ready to fight. I was very nervous because it was my first fight, but also because I was in front of a lot of people. I thought to myself, ‘This is the time for me to shine.’ When I won, I felt like I was the king of the world.”
Tyson continued, “I won another fight in 2023, and in 2024, I won the belt at TBA in Iowa!” I asked Tyson to tell me about his fight in Thailand. He said, “I was so honored. Kru Alin is my coach and my mentor. He told me, ‘Tyson, I think you’re ready to fight for Team Canada. Let’s see what you’ve got.’ I went to Thailand to fight at the 2024 IFMA Youth Tournament. My parents and Kru Benny took me. It was a close fight with an Australian. It was all body shots and no head shots. I wasn’t as good at clinching. I also made a mistake and kept moving backward during the fight… Judges saw that as I was losing the fight. I lost, but when I returned, Kru Alin, Coach Diana, Coach Derek and all my friends, at House of Champions received me as if I had won. I wasn’t sad.”
I asked Tyson how he does in school, training for almost 3 hours, 6 days a week. He said, “I do okay. I get Bs. I don’t mind school, but I like training more.” I asked Tyson if he wished he had done anything differently or joined another type of sport. He said, “No, I’m very happy. I tried basketball, soccer, flag football, baseball…” I said, “What about hockey? You know they fight in hockey!” Tyson said, “They’re not supposed to!” I tried hockey too. I like fighting more.”
If you’re still reading this blog, you’re likely a parent and agree with me that putting your kids in a sport is the best thing you can possibly do for them. It’s very unfortunate that those who need it the most are often the ones who can’t afford it. It’s a fact that doing sports and physical activity is a preventive measure for depression. So, why organizations like Muay Thai Ontario and Muay Thai Canada are not funded by our government to support and invest in our kids remains a mystery.
I’ve never had a chance to talk with Kru Laura as much as I would like, as she is always way too busy before the fights. During our very brief conversation, Kru Laura mentioned that she came out of retirement at the age of (classified) in 2005, fought, and won silver for Canada. So, I think the future is not that difficult to predict for kids like Tyson.
I asked Tyson one last question: “Who did you say your mentor was?” Tyson smiled and said, “Kru Alin is my coach and my mentor.”
The last day of the camp was held at Etobicoke Martial Arts, and the youth participants received Certificates of Completion from the Thai Ambassador, Mr. Vipattipumiprates, and the Minister of Mental Health and Addiction, Mr. Tibollo. We, the parents, received big smiles from our kids as they proudly held their certificates.
Another Muay Thai Youth camp is coming up in September 2025. Parents, fasten your seatbelts!
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