Alumni of the Week “Mike Daley”
Mike Daley
Mike started training at Mountainside Martial Arts in January 2000 after watching his daughters Kiera and Alexandra have so much fun at Karate Kamp. Alex went all the the way to brown belt before she decided to commit to swim team. Kiera and Mike went on to achieve their black belts together in 2008, a special moment for both of them. Mike achieved Nidan (2nd degree) in 2014.
Mike is a captain for American Airlines, currently based in Los Angeles, flying the Boeing 777 internationally.
Mike likes to credit MMAC with demonstrating that hard work and persistence can enable anyone to achieve their goals. For the older athlete the challenge is to maintain fitness and enjoy new challenges while avoiding most injuries. Martial arts strengthens the body and increases flexibility that athletes need at any age but particularly when older.
Mike’s highlights at Mountainside were achieving black belt rank, competing in Japan in 2009 (along with Kiera), and all the classes he taught. He misses teaching the most.
