Reyna Preciado is KGUN 9's Southside and City of South Tucson reporter. Send your story ideas to Reyna at reyna.preciado@kgun9.com.
TUCSON, Ariz. — The jiu-jitsu community is strong in Tucson, with a few gyms available in any given part of town. In Phillip Aguilar's experience, that wasn’t always the case. He’s a jiu-jitsu coach and owns the Eyrie Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym.
He started doing jiu-jitsu at the age of 19, and never stopped. Growing up on the Southside, it was difficult to chase his passion. “When I first started jiu-jitsu, there were maybe three schools in town. They were either in Midtown, or Eastside, or on the Northside, so my goal was when I'm established, I'd have to open up a gym on the south side to give back,” said Aguilar. His work was focused on providing an outlet and opportunity for Southside kids, but his gym grew quickly. Now, his Eyrie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym serves families that drive from all parts of Tucson. “He is wonderful with the kids, he has inspired a lot of kids, especially on this side of town who didn’t know what jiu-jitsu was. Muay Thai, boxing, anything of the sort, so he’s built a great community here, it’s fun, it’s a home away from home and I never want to leave it,” said gym member Rachel Hoffman.“We pass three other gyms and we love it here and we’ve been here almost three years now,” said Marla Frost-Alperstein, a mom to two gym members. One of those members is AJ Frost-Alperstein. She shared her dedication to jiu-jitsu and her school work, and how Phillip Aguilar always encourages her and others to succeed in both. “If you're doing good in school, he wants to know about it. he wants to congratulate you, he wants to make sure you know that this kid is a really great student and is doing good in school, but also in jiu-jitsu,” she said. If that’s not the case, Aguilar makes sure the students know his expectations when it comes to being able to practice jiu-jitsu. “If you’re not getting it done at school, you’re not getting it done at home, you can’t come to jiu-jitsu. And they love to come to jiu-jitsu, and I love that they love to come to jiu-jitsu, but you gotta get those things done first,” said Aguilar. The Eyrie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Gym is located at 918 W. Irvington Rd. For more information, visit www.eyriebjj.com.Reyna Preciado is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2022 after graduating Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Reyna by emailing reyna.preciado@kgun9.com or by connecting on Instagram, or Twitter.
Please follow us on Google to support us United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The word is out: Lopez family selling Mi Nidito legacy restaurantReyna Preciado is KGUN 9's Southside and City of South Tucson reporter. Send your story ideas to Reyna at reyna.preciadokgun9.com.
Read more »
Church heavily damaged in fire on Houston's southside, fire officials say'We're still going to worship because church is not the building, church is the people,' the pastor said. ABC13 cameras captured parishioners gathered outside in the parking lot, holding hands and praying.
Read more »
Shooting on Tucson's Southside leaves one woman dead, one man injured22-year-old Daniza Ferrales Sanchez was killed and an unidentified man was injured after being shot near East Benson Highway and South Bonney Avenue.
Read more »
'Be Bold, Be Brave:' Young artists tapped to teach class on SouthsideEdward 'Eddie' Celaya is a Multimedia Journalist here at KGUN9.
Read more »
Democrats choose Carranza for high-profile Southside state House raceKristian Carranza, a progressive political organizer, will go up against Republican John Lujan in November's Texas House District 118 race.
Read more »
Have photos from the past in South Tucson?Reyna Preciado is KGUN 9's Southside and City of South Tucson reporter. Send your story ideas to Reyna at reyna.preciadokgun9.com.
Read more »