Karate Joins PAL Lineup

According to PAL Executive Director James Deoria, the success of the PAL boxing program has enabled them to expand into karate. "We are excited about beginning a karate program," he said. "We are into our fifth year for PAL in the Phoenixville area. The goal of this program is to help keep kids off the streets and to establish a positive relationship between young children and the police officers in our area."
Deoria said Rob Matthews of the Pottstown Karate Club will be running the program from his training area in Pottstown. "Rob expressed an interest in doing something special for the Phoenixville community so we came up with the concept of being a part of the PAL team," he said. "I presented the karate program to our board of directors and they agreed. Karate is definitely a welcome addition to the PAL program. Rob's experience will help provide the kids good karate skills and help them become better adults in the future."
Matthews said he's been involved in karate back when he was attending Phoenixville Area School District schools. "I've been doing karate since I was 14-years-old," he said. "I got bullied a lot ..., I finally got tired of it and decided to do something about it. After attending Phoenixville schools, I went on to the United States Army." Upon returning from the service, Matthews began teaching karate in Phoenixville in 1987. "I left the Phoenixville area and opened up my own dojo in Pottstown," he said. "The Pottstown Karate Club began fielding quality teams into competitions throughout the world. We are registered with the United States of America National Karate Foundation (USANKF). Only two clubs are sanctioned by the USANKF and my club is one of them. Karate is a growing sport and the time is right for a karate program such as this." Matthews, 39, is a certified shodan, a first degree black belt, which he received back in 1989. "This PAL Karate Program is my way of giving back to the community," he said. "I expressed an interest to Jim Deoria and we've come together to offer this. My mother raised four kids by herself, and most of my current clientele come from broken homes. Most of my kids now have competed nationally and won awards. The kids who stick with karate have moved on to become a vital part of their community."

The karate program is available to boys and girls from the surrounding Phoenixville area between the ages of 12 and 18. The beginner classes will begin at 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Pottstown Karate Club, 182 Hanover Drive, Pottstown.

Sign-ups for the PAL Karate Program will begin effective Nov. 1, 2003 and the program will commence shortly thereafter. Sign-up sheets are available at the Civic Center in Phoenixville, or by calling 610-917-3735. For more information on PAL Karate Program, contact Rob Matthews at 610-327-1321 or e-mail at robert.matthews9 @verizon.net.