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Ronald J. Day, founder of Kitchener Kicks Martial Arts Centre, grew up in London where his father was a police officer, mother a homemaker, with four sisters, one older and three younger. He started studying Karate/Kung Fu in London at the age of 10 at a Judo club that had a part time Karate School – Canadian Karate/Kung Fu Association. The school’s main club was in Toronto run by the Chong brothers. He would travel to Toronto for training once a month. Ron trained with the Yip Brothers Kung Fu Academy in London and with Canadian Fire Dragons, headed by Grand Master Daniel Pai from the USA. At the age of 16, he moved to a small town outside London called Exeter, and opened his first club, with locations in Exeter, Centralia, Listowel and Kincardine.

Sigung Day continued to travel to London to train on a regular basis. In 1973, he got married with a desire to relocate to a larger city and picked Kitchener after checking out other cities. In 1975, he opened a club in downtown Kitchener – Scarlet Dragon Society Academy of Martial Arts. The club moved to several locations on King Street due to the climate of the downtown and concern for the growing number of youth in our club.

1968 – received the rank of Black Belt in Karate/Kung Fu. Won numerous tournament championships during training years
1983 – set Canadian breaking record, which was a full page feature in the Kitchener Waterloo Record

  • Was a pioneer in the sport of Kickboxing in Canada, promoting, managing and training fighters, which include provincial, national and world champions as featured on Wide World of Sports, ESPN and TSN

  • Promoted 20 Kickboxing events at the Professional, PRO/AM, CAN/AM and Amateur levels over a 10 year period

  • Has been the subject of numerous interviews printed in newspapers, Martial Arts magazines, as well as on the radio and television

  • Trained youth, teen and adult sport Karate/Kung Fu champions in all levels of competition, traveling throughout North America

  • Hosted annual open Martial Arts Seminars over the past 2 ½ decades with notables such as Bill Wallace, Jeff Smith, Joe Lewis, Jean Yves Theriault, Kerry Roop, George Sylvan, John Therein, Leo Loucks, Walli Jay, Grand Master Pan, Pat McCarthy, Ken Tallack, Wally Slocki, Jim Fields, Murray Sutherland, Scott Hogarth, Don Warner, Jean Fernette, Don James, Robin Young, Nick Grecian, Brian Lentz, Ron Beer, Bob Wilcox, Paul Biafore, Jake Klaus, Shawn Tompkins

  • Successfully ran 31 open Martial Arts competitions – Karate/Kung Fu Maynia, attracting competitors from Canada and the US – May 2007 was the 30th anniversary of the tournament

  • Was a member of, or sat on the board of: PKA, (Professional Karate Association), the Canadian Chinese Kou Shu Federation, a member of PKC (Professional Karate Commission)

  • Was the top ranked Kickboxing judge by the Ontario Athletic Commission

1993 – inducted in the ‘Black Belt Hall of Fame’ for his dedication and promotion of the Martial Arts in Ontario

  • Proudly boasts a club with 24 Black Belt/Sash instructors who volunteer their time and talent to others wanting to learn their chosen art

  • Prompts a family environment, structuring courses according to our changing society

  • Community work included, Parks and Recreation, John Howard Society and the Waterloo Regional Food Bank doing demonstrations, displays and seminars

  • First club to teach a physical education credit course for the Waterloo Regional School Board for a total of 18 years

  • Club has been a family affair from the beginning from Master Ron’s wife of 28 years, to his children (two girls and one boy), to extended family (niece and nephew) and now four granddaughters

  • Currently our club teaches Shaolin Kung Fu, Shotokan Karate, North American Kickboxing and Aikido/Self Defence

Sep 1998 – inducted into World Head of Family Sokeship Council International Black Belt Hall of Fame, in Orlando Florida

Sep 1999 – PKC Award for Tournament of the Year – Karate/Kung Fu Maynia 23

Oct 1999 – inducted into the North American Martial Arts Hall of Fame in Toronto

  • Branch, satellite or affiliated schools at present include: Waterloo Kun Fu Academy, Sifu Bob Schneider, Waterloo; Blue Crane Martial Arts, Sifu Bob Robins, Owen Sound; Scarlet Dragon Society, Sifu Marlene Mallett, St Johns, Newfoundland; Tompkins Karate Kickboxing Academy, Sensei Shawn Tompkins, Tillsonburg

  • Board member of PMA (Professional Martial Arts Alliance) from 2000-2002

Jan 2001 – Head of the Kung Fu Division of Team Canada at the Good Will Martial Arts Games in Cancun, Mexico. Medals won by Kitchener Kicks students include: 13 gold, nine silver and three bronze plus two MVP awards
Jan 2002 – part of Team Canada, competing in Venezuela at the World Congress of Martial Arts Americas Cup. The K/W division brought home 14 gold, four silver, five bronze plus four special MVP awards
2002 – nominated Grand Master of the Year (Chinese Martial Arts Division) by the World Karate Union Hall of Fame
Sat on the board as International Director for the World Congress of Martial Arts Goodwill Sports Festival held in Mexico in Jan 2003
2008 – Master Day celebrated 33 years of teaching in Kitchener, a total of 46 years in the martial arts. He always acknowledged that without the support of his family, peers, instructors, students and parent volunteers, Kitchener Kicks would not be what it is today.

Master Ron Day passed away in September of 2008.

The legend lives on, and the memories shall never die.

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