Impact Martial Arts & Fitness
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June 2025 Graduates
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About the Graduates
4th Degree Elite Force Black Belt
Deshi Stephanie Maturo - 4th Degree Team Leader
I’m Steph and I’m thrilled and proud to be receiving my fourth degree black belt with my husband, Ed, who is achieving his 3rd degree black belt. We have been training as a family since 2011 and it is one of the most meaningful and rewarding things we have done together. My son Aidan obtained his second degree black belt with Emma and me in 2017. My daughters Olivia and Emma achieved 3rd degree with me in December 2020. Emma and Olivia train when they're home from college and Olivia works with the ISKA as a fight inspector. Aidan, when home from college, will join a run as a run coach.
I love being a run coach for our dojo though sometimes my runs are a little rainy. I am also a certified yoga instructor. Professionally, I work with the amazing teachers and students in Oswego County as the Instructional Technology Director for CiTi BOCES.
3rd Degree Top Gun Black Belt
Edward Maturo - 3rd Degree Black Belt
My entire family has trained with Team Feidt. My wife is a Deshi and is receiving her fourth Degree, my daughters Emma and Olivia are 3rd degree Black Belts and my son Aidan is a second degree Black Belt. I am deeply honored to achieve this goal training alongside my wife and best friend and cannot thank her enough for her love and support throughout the process this cycle. I would also like to thank my instructors and my Shihan for their patience and guidance as I have walked this path from White belt to today.
2nd Degree All-Star Black Belts
Alex Natali - 2nd Degree Black Belt
Hi, my name is Alex Natali! I am 14 years old, and I've been training since I was 7. I achieved my black belt in December of 2022. I am in 8th grade, on High Honor Roll, and I was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society for Durgee Junior High School. I train with my dad Michael and my mom Kelly who started a little after I did.
Outside of karate, I play trumpet, and I am in my district's marching band. Last season we placed 2nd in the state! I also love hockey. I am a big fan of the Colorado Avalanche! I am also learning Spanish as I need to know it for school, but I am also learning some at home for fun. I’m a big fan of video games. That is why when I am older, I want to be a software engineer, so I am currently learning how to code. I am thankful to be earning this new rank with such an amazing team! I’m looking forward to seeing what's next with this group!
Alyssa Smith - 2nd Degree Black Belt
My name is Alyssa smith. I am a first-degree black belt at Impact Martial Arts and Fitness. I am a sophomore at Liverpool High School. I have a sister and mother who train. My sister is a third-degree black belt, and is an instructor, and my mom is a green belt. I love to hang out outside, enjoy nature, hang out with my family and friends, and watch movies. I enjoy playing basketball sometimes with friends and I am always up for a new adventure or activity. I love all of my animals at my house and to visit other animals at shelters and pet places. Karate has taught me to be myself and believe in myself. I have found such an amazing group of people who I think of as my family. I could not have done this without them.
Mia Znaczko - 2nd Degree Black Belt
I started karate in 4th grade and received my first-degree black belt during the summer of 2023. Karate has helped me grow so much as a person and helped me discover how much I love running. Karate has not only helped me grow self-discipline but has also helped me a lot with confidence. When I first started karate, I was very shy and quiet and would only talk to people I knew but as I went through training it helped me be more confident in myself. A big part of that was also my team, showing me, they will always have my back and helping me get better and grow. I also wouldn’t have been able to do this without my mom and dad always supporting me and telling me how proud they are of me. Karate also helped me discover my love for running. I started track in 8th grade and now I am running cross-counter, indoor track and outdoor track. At the beginning of this cycle, I struggled finding a balance between karate, school, and just having fun, but as I went through cycle, I grew more self-disciplined and found a good way to balance everything without being overwhelmed.
1st Degree Black Belts
Alivia Childs - 1st Degree Black Belt
My name is Alivia Childs. I’m 18 years old and the youngest in a family of five. My oldest sister lives in Kentucky and works as a nurse, while my other sister lives in Ohio and is a teacher. I was homeschooled this past year and recently graduated from Penn Foster High School.
I was first introduced to karate in eighth grade when a friend invited me to try a few classes. Although she didn’t continue, I quickly found a passion for martial arts and began training at Team Feidt. Since then, karate has helped me grow both mentally and physically, and it has become a big part of who I am.
Outside the dojo, I enjoy working with kids. I help out at an in-home daycare and often babysit for local families. I’m incredibly thankful for my amazing parents, who have always supported me—especially by driving me to and from practice and encouraging me every step of the way.
I’d also like to thank my karate partner, Amie, for always pushing me and helping me refine my material. A huge thank you as well to my coach, Miss Jordyn Maloney, for her guidance, support, and for helping me perfect my skills. I’m also grateful to all the karate moms, who have become like second moms to me.
Looking ahead, my goal is to join both the demo team and the fight team and continue growing in the sport I love.
Amie Lorini - 1st Degree Black Belt
I am a wife, mom, and nurse. My daughter, Olivia, trains at the dojo and is a red belt. My son, Sam, also trained at the dojo and achieved his red belt as well. I’ve been a Registered Nurse for 30 years. I have worked at Upstate for the past 25 years and am currently the Nurse Manager of Child and Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry. In my leisure time, I enjoy listening to music, camping and spending time with my family. We have a summer camp, where I enjoy riding our 4-wheeler, sitting by the lake watching the sunset, napping in my hammock, or just sitting by the campfire.
I am proud to say that I am achieving my 1st degree blackbelt at the age of 49. Beginning my training as a martial artist in my mid-40s was not easy. But through hard work, dedication, and perseverance, I have successfully achieved my goal.
Ameenah Mahmoud- 1st Degree Black Belt
Hi, my name is Ameenah Mahmoud. In my life outside of the dojo, I like to be creative. This means I enjoy drawing. I also have fun playing basketball with my friends at school. Since Spring made its way here, I always have fun playing outside, especially on my trampoline. Because of karate, I like to stay active and exercise when I’m not at the dojo. One person who also trains like me is my mom. She started her journey in March which gave me another reason to keep going with my own training. An accomplishment I’ve been excited about is getting into my school's talent show. I’ll be performing my creative kumite in front of all my other classmates and teachers. At school as well, I was able to get 13 minutes 44 seconds for the pacer test, which was an improvement from what I had before. The timing I got was around 17 minutes the first time. The most important accomplishment of all was the health obstacles I faced and overcame these past 4 years. An award I was able to achieve outside of the dojo was earning the highest attendance record in school. Another award I received was being student of the month in school this month, in May.
Chance Norrison - 1st Degree Black Belt
My name is Chance Norrison and I am 10 years old and in 4th grade at Stonehedge Elementary. I have been training since just before I turned 4 as a little Dragon. I train with my Mom and Sister Eva who are both second degree black belts. When I am not training, I enjoy playing my video games, playing with my friends, Baseball, swimming and I discovered that I like running. At school this year I was selected to be part of the safety patrol. I look forward to continuing my training.
Graduating Black Belt Class of June 2025
