As part of our ongoing "Getting to Know Your Local Businesses" series, this week we sat down with Michael White, owner of Rise Wrestling.
Tell us a bit about your business: What does your business offer, and how long have you been around?
At our gym, we offer wrestling and kickboxing training, bootcamps, self-defense and fitness fun.
Our mission is to train champions to be successful on the mats and in life through the discipline, teamwork and dedication that comes by participating in our fitness programs and classes. We are also committed to excellence and service to our members and our community.
Our first location opened in Houston in 2015 and our second location in Atascocita opened in August 2019.
How did you decide to get involved in this line of work?
I’ve run several businesses in my career. My son, Micah White, had a Jitsu background and started wrestling in high school at Humble ISD. He placed the highest in their wrestling program’s history, placing 5th in the State of Texas his second year in wrestling.
As I watched the passion and the huge impact that was made by good coaches as my son wrestled, I realized I was passionate about this sport and wanted the community to have access to this type of training.
As I watched younger kids build their self-confidence and realized that teenagers were more engaged and getting into less trouble when they were in our training programs, I knew I had made the right decision to offer these services to the community.
Tell us a couple things you are proud of about your business. What are you known for? What separates you from the competition?
I’m extremely proud of the expertise and caliber of our coaches: Head Wrestling Coach Derrick Waldroup, Wrestling Coach Terry Hale and Head Kickboxing Coach Jason Felton.
Derrick Waldroup dominated the junior college circuit, eventually winning the 1985 National Junior College Athletic Association championship. After junior college, Waldroup joined the U.S. Army and continued to dominate, twice named Army Athlete of the Year, winning a silver medal at the 1991 Pan American Games and being crowned a World Military Games champion.
Coached by Paul Aubrey and Mickey Martin, as well as his dad, Terry Hale went on to become the Texas State Champion for 3 consecutive years. He also won the Colorado Nationals in freestyle. He later traveled to Rio de Janeiro and became a World Gold Medalist in BJJ! He’s also a second degree Tae Kwon Do black belt and a Marine.
Jason Felton played various positions in both football and baseball; however, there was always a strong interest and pull towards the martial arts. Things shifted in 1996 when he moved to Texas and was able to train at Black Dragon Karate in Crosby, Texas, under Sensei Lee Mitchell. Jason is great with kids and has since gone on to train up many black belts who have been successful both on and off the mats.
What is your favorite part of running this business?I love the family atmosphere here as well as the discipline; we offer a good balance for families, enabling the whole family to participate in some way at our training facility.
I’m also proud that our coaches are innovative. They are always expanding our programs. In fact, our Head Kickboxing Coach Jason launched classes this past November for those with autism. I truly admire how patient he is with all our gym members.
Who is your ideal customer/client? Who do you serve best?
Our ideal customer is anyone who wants to learn wrestling, kickboxing or participate in fitness fun to improve their discipline and transform their body into the best version of themselves.
Is there any other information you'd like your potential customers/clients to know about your business?Those who mention this article will be able to waive their registration fee (a $100 value) and receive their first month free (a $100 value), for a total savings of $200.
To read success stories from our clients, view our upcoming class schedules or request sign-up information, visit our
website. To receive updates about our fitness programs, read reviews from our customers or send us a message, visit our
Facebook page.
How do you see your business growing and improving over the next couple of years?We will continue to educate the community about the advantages of wrestling, kickboxing and fitness fun. You can find a Karate school on every corner; however, there are no other wrestling training facilities in our community besides those inside the Humble ISD high school.
We will also continue to support our athletes, who are learning the value of teamwork, building their self-confidence and disciplining themselves to get in better shape both physically and mentally.
To learn more about Rise Wrestling, visit their profile at
Atascocita.com.
