This Saturday, the Blue Corner will be hosting its Blue Corner Battles at the Voodoo Lounge at Harrah’s Casino in North Kansas City and Southeast Kansas will be well represented with three local fighters making their Blue Corner debuts.
Heather Crownover and Alicia Trester-Ellis are Iola natives who have just recently taken up mixed martial arts with the opening of The Alley — an Iola gym and training facility for MMA. The Alley — located inside Shields’ Barber Shop on 7 N. Jefferson Avenue in Iola — is run by Mike Aronson, Cody Tice and Jeremiah and Milton Ivy.
Trester-Ellis said that when she heard that they would be opening a program in Iola, there was no doubt that she wanted to be involved.
“Jeremiah is my neighbor and he said that he and Mike were going to be partners and open a gym, so I told him that so soon as he opens it to let me know and I’ll be there,” Trester-Ellis said. “I don’t know if they believed me, but I am here today and I stuck with it since March 27 when they opened.”
Trester-Ellis, who works at the Iola Nursing Center, told her coworker Crownover about the program and Crownover also immediately knew she wanted to join.
“Alicia told me that Jeremiah and my brother-in-law (Aronson) were going to open a gym,” Crownover said. ““I hollered at my brother-in-law and told him that as soon as they open to let me know. He did and I’ve been here ever since.”
Discovering the sport has greatly impacted the lives of Crownover and Trester-Ellis as they each recover from a previous addiction to methoamphetamine.
“I was in a lot of trouble growing up,” Trester-Ellis said. “I turned to drugs, but I’ve been clean for three years and Mike Aronson has helped me through a lot. All these trainers have shown me that I am somebody and making it to this point, I’ve proved it.”
Neither woman had previous done any MMA training or had any organized fighting experience but they both were eager to find a productive hobby to develop a passion for.
“I’m here because I am a fighter,” Crownover said. “Obviously I beat the addiction and this is better than going back out onto the streets or doing something worse.”
For Crownover, she is drawing additional motivational from the memory of her father, who she credits as the reason for her being able to kick her drug problem and turn her life around.
“This is going to be for my dad in heaven mainly, because I quit doing meth because of my dad’s passing,” Crownover said. “It has been strenuous and stressful training, but it has been worth it, every moment has been worth it.”
Crownover will face off with Jordan Kisiah-Sosa.
“It is going to be huge for me,” Crownover said. “I wish my kids could go because they know the struggle I have been through.”
Trester-Ellis’ match will be against Keira Sadi.
“I’m a combination of nervous and excited,” Trester-Ellis said.
CORY VOTH
The third member of the of The Alley that will be fighting this Saturday is Chanute’s Cory Voth.
The former-Blue Comet will have a title opportunity in his first career bout when he takes on Dave Boliere for the 185-pound Muay Thai Blue Corner Championship.
Voth came to The Alley program with a good deal more fighting experience than his teammates did. He had been involved in some form of martial arts dating back to his childhood.
“I have been in taekwondo for almost my entire life,” Voth said. “I started when I was six and then cross-trained into Brazilian jiu-jitsu and judo during my freshman year. I did the national competition for AAU taekwondo for two years. I was a second-degree black belt.”
The 27 year-old is also enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and has been participating in the Marines’ martial arts program, where he has advanced to the gray belt rank.
Now, Saturday’s match gives Voth a chance to display his skills.
“I am looking forward to it so much,” Voth said. “I’ve been looking to get back into competition for the last few years. Drilling for the Marine Corps parts a bit of a restriction on that.”
