Chris attended his first local tournament at Shady Grove United Methodist Church in Wallburg when he was a yellow belt, in which he placed 2nd in sparring and 3rd in empty handed forms. Upon becoming a blue belt, he attended the Raleigh State Games Karate Open on June 24th, 2000, in which he won the gold medal in both sparring and empty handed forms, making him a state champion. He returned again as a red belt to the State Games in 2002 to compete in sparring, empty handed forms, and bow staff forms (even though his best weapon is the sai). He did not place in sparring, and unfortunately had no one to compete against in the other events. The last tournament he attended through his original school was held in 2003 again at the UM in Wallburg when he was a red belt. Chris placed 2nd in empty handed forms and 3rd in sparring.
Never failing a belt testing, Chris rose to a high red belt at Kicks, one rank from black, before other interests in life pulled him away and the school closed down. Through later endeavors and more training, Chris became a black belt. However, Chris did not rediscover his passion for martial arts until 2018 after he settled in northern Illinois. It was during this time that he restarted his training and began competing again.
In 2019, his new style became Traditional Chinese Kung Fu.
A true and dedicated martial artist knows the sweeping excitement of victory, the wrenching agony of defeat, and the unquenchable thirst to always come back for more.
- Chris Aldridge.
