Director
Ms. Christa Halonen
Ms. Christa Halonen began her involvement in karate at the age of five, when she joined the rest of her family taking classes at National Karate. She got her first degree black belt in 2000 and is currently a fourth degree black belt and the director of two locations, National Karate, St. Cloud and National Karate, Sartell. Ms. Halonen graduated St. Cloud State University at the age of 21 with a BS in business management and marketing. Her experience and education help her to keep her schools running smoothly.
Ms. Halonen is a top instructor and truly motivates her students to greater achievement while keeping classes exciting, challenging, and dynamic. She also competes successfully on the NASKA tournament circuit, and was ranked first in four divisions in 2007 in NCKA. She recently competed in Florida with her team partner Taiylar Mastey at the U.S. Open karate championships, and took 5th place. Christa and Taiylar also competed at the National Karate Team Championships and the Twin Cities Open Karate Championships and took 1st place at both events. Ms. Halonen believes the only way a student can fail to earn a black belt from one of her schools is to quit.
Ms. Halonen says, "I grew up in a karate school and the sport and the people have always been there for me. Martial arts training is more than just a sport, it's a way of life. I love helping my students succeed and grow in discipline and confidence. The self-esteem karate confers is an asset that anyone deserves to be able to develop."
