T-L Photo/CARRI GRAHAM Stacy Sikole, owner of Olympic Tae Kwon Do, instructs students ages 6-10 during a martial arts class Thursday evening.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — A local Tae Kwon Do studio that has been in business for 15 years recently celebrated its first anniversary in its new facility.

Stacy Sikole, owner of Olympic Tae Kwon Do, said she is in the process of planning something for later this month to celebrate the one-year anniversary of opening the new building. Prior to the move, the studio was located near the St. Clairsville Area Chamber of Commerce. The business is now located in a 4,000-square-foot building on Main Street near the Plaza West and Riesbeck’s Food Market, where there is much more space for classes, she said.

Sikole said once the new building was ready and they were set to open the doors to the new facility in March of last year, the coronavirus pandemic hit and they were forced to delay the opening for a few months. She said business is going well now that restrictions have lifted and students have been able to return to classes.

“We have all of our students back, and a lot of new students as well,” she said.

Sikole said she and fellow blackbelt instructors offer a range of Tae Kwon Do classes for children and adults beginning at 4 years old and up.

“We have different classes and programs based on age and experience — most people start at beginner so if it’s your first time doing martial arts, we have a lot of beginner classes,” she said. “It’s a Korean martial arts, so they’ll be learning a lot of kicking and punching and step work.”

Sikole said the studio offers beginner, intermediate and advanced classes as well as competitions and specialized self-defense courses.

“We have sparring and board breaking competitions that kids can get into,” she added.

Sikole said a competition is set for June 5 in Akron, Ohio, where a team from the studio will fight in a championship.

“Were pretty excited about that,” she said.

The studio offers five classes a day, divided into age groups and experience levels. As students gain experience, they progress into more challenging classes, Sikole said. She said new students are accepted year round.

Olympic Tae Kwon Do is open 4-8:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday and 3-8:30 p.m. Thursday at 301 W. Main St., St. Clairsville. For more information or to sign up for classes. call 740-695-2997. The studio can also be found on Facebook.