By Krystle J. Bailey
Heidi Devine, owner of Devine’s Martial Arts in Mayslanding, is no stranger to life changes and the ability to pivot when necessary. However, the Covid-19 pandemic took her creative thinking skills to new heights.
Ms. Devine has an education in teaching and has been practicing martial arts for 20 years. The two passions combined when she and her family decided to open a Martial Arts school in October 2014. By January, their entire building had flooded and they were forced to find a new location. They began renting space from a gymnastics studio until that gym ultimately closed and the Devine’s were once again challenged to relocate.
Eventually, in 2017 Devine’s Martial Arts found a home in the ACME shopping center in Mayslanding. Offering classes for ages three to adult, the Devine’s Martial Arts gym is always buzzing with high energy people.
Insert Covid-19.
The martial arts studio was challenged yet again to figure out their next move. Like many of us, Ms. Devine believed that quarantine would be short-lived, and we would be back in action in just a few weeks. With plans to close for a week and offer some sort of creative learning opportunity for week two, the Devine’s thought they had a plan.
We all know how those two weeks went. The Devine’s team quickly got creative and students did not miss a beat. Ms. Devine and her children immediately became a sense of normalcy in the homes of students during uncertain times. Zoom classes for all ages were offered several times per week. Students were also able to schedule one-on-one classes with Ms. Devine, attend virtual lunches with her, or find her presenting virtual storytime every Sunday on live feeds. Ms. Devine is one of the warmest, kindest, most welcoming people you’ll ever meet so the familiar voice during a time when so much felt unfamiliar was a gift for the families that train at Devine’s.
Devine’s team didn’t stop there. A Google Classroom was set up where various forms of at-home workouts were offered, weekly posts with different challenges were presented, and students could track their training time. They even began offering their Kids Night In (formerly, Parents Night Out) virtually, which gave parents two hours to unwind and offered the children a time of virtual games, challenges, and fun.
The biggest challenge came when Devine’s students were ready for their next belt test but like everything else, Heidi Devine and family made it a special experience for everyone. Heidi Devine shares, “The kids work so hard for four months to prepare for a belt test. It was supposed to be the week after we closed. Originally, we planned to just move it until the end of April but when things closed indefinitely and these kids kept showing up and training hard, I wanted to make sure they got the reward for their work.”
Students were broken up into small Zoom groups for their belt tests with several instructors watching on the other end to effectively moderate the test. Several weeks after testing, the Devines made their way across several towns delivering new belts, surprise gift bags, and a socially distant “air hug” to every student who had earned their new belt.
“I normally see students every week, multiple times per week. So all of a sudden to not see them and be with them all the time was hard. It was refreshing to see everybody during our belt deliveries.” expressed Ms. Devine.
Now that things have begun to open back up, Devine’s Martial Arts respects that not every family can, or feels comfortable enough to, attend in-person classes so they have continued to offer various angles of teaching. Currently, students can RSVP to attend a no-contact, in-person class where attendance is limited. When the weather permits, Devine’s offers classes in the park, which are well received by students. Zoom classes are still being offered weekly. During in-person classes, another instructor will facilitate a Zoom class for those who are not yet comfortable coming to the studio.
New students have the option of attending online or in the Devine’s Martial Arts studio as well. Ms. Devine and her family are hoping for a future of fewer restrictions but until then, they are doing their very best to accommodate and care for every single student that calls Devine’s their martial arts home.
For more information, visit www.DevinesMartialArts.com.
Krystle J Bailey. Multimedia journalist, Author, Poet
