Travel to the Thai Boxing Association Tournament

Hi, my name is Greg Bander, I'm the owner and head coach of Ringcraft Muay Thai in Portland, Oregon. As our community continues to expand, our fighters keep training hard to achieve their fighting goals. Two of our fighters, Andy and Huxley, have seen tremendous growth throughout their fighting careers and now have the chance to attend the Thai Boxing Association tournament this June. The TBA tournament is the largest amateur Muay Thai tournament in the country and holds many opportunities for young fighters to build their professional fighting career. As a coach who encourages his fighters to strive for their goals, I never want my student's potential to weigh as a financial burden. Competing in the TBA tournament in Iowa is something I always wanted to do as a fighter, but due to a lack of support from my coach and the financial toll, it never seemed like an attainable goal.

 

Now that I am a coach myself, I have the opportunity to support my fighters in competing at these larger national amateur tournaments. This experience will be invaluable to both Andy and Huxley as fighters and to me as a coach; it will certainly improve the overall level of training and coaching in the gym as a whole. Oil prices and airfares are at an all time high. But we’re determined to compete in this tournament regardless of the cost. Any amount you can give will go a long way in helping us all to pay for these travel expenses.

 

Here are some words from Andy and Huxley.

 

Andy: "I want to go to the TBA tournament to represent Ringcraft Muay Thai and potentially bring the belt back home to the gym. Aside from winning a belt, this is an amazing opportunity to test myself against competitors from around the nation and to bring some of that experience back to the gym with me. I’m very thankful to those who are willing to donate anything to help me reach this goal as it has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager."

 

Huxley: "Going to the TBA tournament will be a great opportunity for me to get experience and help me reach my long term goal of becoming a professional fighter. Muay Thai has given me so much to be grateful for. I have a new community of people I call family, I've learned more about myself and feel like I have purpose. Each donation will be a huge help to me continuing this path. Thank you all for supporting me."

 

We’d like to give something back in appreciation of your support as well. The following donation amounts will get you the corresponding gym apparel:

$20 - Combat Corner hand wraps

$50 - RCMT T-shirt

$90 - RCMT sweatpants

Any donation, no matter how small, is greatly appreciated as every little bit helps us reach our goal.

 

I can’t thank the RCMT community enough for just existing. The most consistent feedback I receive from new people who attend the gym is that everyone has been super friendly and welcoming. Nothing makes me prouder than this. Talent will come and go, but the culture of our community has become one of openness and inclusivity. It’s difficult for me to just ask for help without giving something in return, especially in the form of monetary compensation. So I just want to say, I appreciate you all, more than you know. Thanks for your consideration.