Alexander’s Martial Arts collects food for Londonderry pantry, awards black belt to four

On March 3, members of Alexander’s Martial Arts of Londonderry competed in a charity fundraising tournament at the Londonderry dojo.

The entry fee for the event was a food donation for the local food shelf, the Neighbors Pantry, which is open from 1 to 4 p.m. on the third Friday of each month at the Second Congregational Church on Main Street in Londonderry. Alexander’s  raised nearly 500 pounds of food during the event, in which students ages 3 to 16 participated.

Following the tournament, four students tested and earned their black belts. The test began with a 2-mile

run, 500 pushups, 500 situps and 1,000 kicks as well as a written test of general knowledge of martial arts and the lineage of their organization, which is owned by Huzon Alexander.

The test lasted seven grueling hours, during which time students displayed their mastery lessons through the years at Alexander’s Martial Arts.

On Wednesday March 7, all four were promoted to Black Belt. They are Noah Johnson of Saxtons River, and Mia Ciccone, Rylee Gabert and Tristan Alexander, all of Londonderry.