Meet The Team

A world champion competitor and 5th degree black belt, Mr. Chance is the owner and lead instructor for New Era Martial Arts. He started competing nationally when he was 8 years old and has over 25 years of training in American Style Karate. He holds world titles in continuous sparring, point sparring, team sparring, and state championships in sparring, creative forms, and weapons.

 

Mr. Chance is an advocate for anti-bullying and a promoter for the Texas Karate Organization (TKO) circuit, with whom he holds The Centex Open Tournament annually here in Austin, TX. This event has been recognized by the governor for its contributions to the state and advancement of the sport. Mr. Chance continues to travel the country competing nationally for Team Gipsy.

 

When Mr. Chance is not working on New Era or immersing himself in the world of Karate, he is spending time with his son, Blake, another champion in training.

Ms. Lana, also known as The Head Momma In Charge, is Mr. Chance’s mom and New Era Martial Art’s Business Manager. She has supported Mr. Chance since the beginning, over 10 years, and brings a wealth of experience to the team as a business woman, caregiver, karate mom, and martial arts advocate. If you need anything, Ms. Lana is your Go To. She handles student registrations, tournament sign-ups, uniforms, communications as well as school pick ups. You name it, she does it!

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Ms. Lana is originally from Bertram, Texas but has been a long time resident of Austin, moving here in 1978. She earned two degrees, one is Psychology and one in Sociology, and has 35 years of experience in the grocery industry. After playing varsity basketball throughout her school years, she originally wanted to be a basketball coach, but became passionate about the sport of Karate after experiencing its positive impacts with her own children. Ms. Lana truly believes that Karate provides an unbreakable foundation of discipline, builds confidence, and creates a lifetime of comradery and community to those dedicated to it. Her favorite part of working at New Era Martial Arts  is watching how the children are shaped and grow through this positive environment.

 

In her free time, Ms. Lana likes visiting her happy place, affectionately called Turner’s Crossing, where she enjoys spending time with her horses. Ms. Lana also has 2 dogs, a cat and is a lifetime lover of animals. Other hobbies include photography, antiquing, and of course catching some amazing sparring! 

Mr. U, as the students refer to him, is a 4th degree black belt and has been active in the Sport Karate System for 18 years. Mr. U is a Self Defense Guru and instructs multiple classes at the facility. Mr U. founded the National Competition Team, Gipsy in the early 2000s, helping to spur a resurgence of Texas representation in Sport Karate. Gipsy is still known as one of the leading competition teams in the sport.

 

Mr U. has two children, who both went through the Karate system, inspiring Mr. U to begin his journey in Karate. Now he is passing the family tradition to his two granddaughters.