Antonio Brown Meet & Greet

Kumite Classic is excited to announce that Pittsburgh Steeler Superstar Antonio Brown will be making an appearance at the Expo Saturday May 26th from Noon-1PM.  The meet and greet will include autographs for fans on a first come first serve basis.

Brown is the first player in NFL history with at least 1,000 yards receiving (1,108) and at least 1,000 return yards (1,062) in the same season.  The 2011 Pro Bowler was also named Steelers MVP by his teammates, an honor that Troy Polamalu held in 2010. We are honored to have Antonio Brown as our special guest, he is a proven leader and role model!

Hines Ward Positive Athlete

Kumite Classic is proud to support Hines Ward’s Positive Athlete Program. Kumite Classic Champion Dominic Leader was recently honored by Hines for his accomplishments in Martial Arts and his dedication to community service. Congrats Dom.  Pictured below left to right: Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Jeff Karstens, Dominic Leader, and Hines Ward at the Heinz History Center.

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Several young athletes were honored this weekend for their positivity both on and off the field.

The first ever Western Pennsylvania Positive Athlete Awards were held Saturday afternoon at the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum at the Heinz History Center. Retired Pittsburgh Steelers’ star Hines Ward and Pittsburgh Pirates’ pitcher Jeff Karstens were on hand for the festivities.

Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl also proclaimed April 21 as Positive Athlete Day in the city.

The 26 honorees, representing 23 area high schools, received an award certificate and a Positive Athlete Dedication t-shirt signed by Ward.

They will also be honored on May 9 at a Pittsburgh Pirates’ home game at PNC Park.

Each student-athlete nominee was required to show excellence on the field, an optimistic attitude, teammate encouragement, leadership, heart for others, an ability to admit imperfections, giving 100 percent and realizing the team is more important than the individual.

Here is the full list of winners for 2011-2012:

• Baseball – Ben Swaby – Pittsburgh Allderdice (12th grade)
• Basketball (Girls) – Brittany Jackson – Westinghouse (10th grade)
• Basketball (Boys) – Christian Joiner – Pittsburgh Central Catholic (12th grade)
• Cheerleading – Lauren O’Connor – Montour (12th grade)
• Cross Country (Boys) – Dylan Anderer – South Side (11th grade)
• Cross Country (Girls) – Emily Strohm – McKeesport (10th grade)
• Football – Steven O’Hara – Blackhawk (12th grade)
• Golf (Boys) – Austin Grieger – Quaker Valley (12th grade)
• Golf (Girls) – Michelle Klein – South Side (10th grade)
• Gymnastics – Abbie Porritt – North Allegheny (12th grade)
• Ice Hockey – Koby Uhrig – Moon (11th grade)
• Lacrosse (Boys) – Zach Simpson – Canon-McMillan (12th grade)
• Lacrosse (Girls) – Emily Jamison – North Hills (12th grade)
• Martial Arts – Dominic Leader – Norwin (12th grade)
• Soccer (Boys) – Alex Burbules – General McLane – Erie (12th grade)
• Soccer (Girls) – Victoria Fedora – Serra Catholic (12th grade)
• Softball – Ali Chambers – Avonworth (12th grade)
• Swimming (Boys) – Erik Brinkhoff – Bethel Park (11th grade)
• Swimming (Girls) – Mia Pietropola – Plum (11th grade)
• Tennis (Boys) – Paul Scherer – Hampton Township (12th grade)
• Tennis (Girls) – Julia Vandrak – Seneca Valley (12th grade)
• Track & Field (Boys) – Dominic Gibson – Uniontown Area (12th grade)
• Track & Field (Girls) – Kasey Kemp – Norwin (12th grade)
• Volleyball (Boys) – Tommy Keisling – North Allegheny (11th grade)
• Volleyball (Girls) – Nicole Addleman – Indiana (12th grade)
• Wrestling – Andrew Wood – Pine-Richland (12th grade)

Royce Gracie

Due to the overwhelming response, UFC Legend Royce Gracie will be hosting 2 seminars Friday May 25th 2012 @ The Kumite Classic. Reserve your spot. Space is limited and will sell out. Questions 724-861-5162

Rockwall

The Pittsburgh FAST Expo is proud to partner with the National Guard once again. The giant rockwall will be a featured attraction at the 2012 Expo. For more info on the National Guard, please click the logo below.

2012 Memorial Day Weekend

The FAST Expo is bigger and better in 2012! Join us May 25-26^th at The Monroeville Convention Center for Pittsburgh’s most established fitness expo.  The media has dubbed The FAST Expo as a “One stop shop for everything fitness.” The expo showcases the latest fitness products, exercise equipment, sports gear, clothing, nutritional supplements, health foods, and cutting edge cosmetic advancements.

The Fitness And Sports Tour campaign is dedicated to promoting healthy active lifestyles through a full scale interactive consumer expo. The event is Pittsburgh’s most established fitness expo, celebrating its 13^th annual season attracting thousands of fitness enthusiasts and health conscious consumers from across the country. The multifaceted expo is surrounded by “non-stop action” playing host to simultaneous championships, competitions, and demonstrations in one expansive area for spectators to enjoy. The audience is one of the most diverse (demographic & geographic) in the fitness industry attracting fans from over 15 different sports. The prestigious Kumite Classic brand is synonymous with athletic excellence.

Health and wellness consultations are available with industry professionals and onsite evaluations are presented by doctors, physical therapists, chiropractors, and natural health experts. The FAST Expo collaborates with health professionals and educators on comprehensive and sustainable approaches to preventing and reducing serious health problems from both conventional medical and holistic approaches. The expo provides spectators the opportunity to participate in workouts, seminars, certification courses, competitions, and challenges.

The general public can meet & greet with celebrities, professional athletes, Olympic champions, and fitness icons. The expo highlights sports performance athletes, strength competitors, and fitness experts though a multitude of athletic skills competitions and world class sport championships.

City of Champions

The Champions Association presented the 36th Annual Pittsburgh M.V.P. awards at the Willie Stargell Memorial Awards Banquet, Monday December 5th.  The distinguished ceremony honors industry leaders and professional athletes who are making a difference in the community.

North Huntington resident Bill Viola Sr. received the “Pittsburgh M.V.P.” award for his work as a Mixed Martial Arts pioneer.  Viola co-founded CV Productions in 1979, a company which is credited with creating a new sport, known today as mixed martial arts..   The award brought recognition to the city of Pittsburgh and the Western PA region celebrating the true birthplace of modern Mixed Martial Arts in the United States.  Most fight fans had believed that the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) established the first mixed martial arts competitions, however Viola and his partner Frank Caliguri actually developed the sport in 1979.  They promoted 10 competitions across Pennsylvania in 1980 until the State Legislature banned mixed martial arts with the passage of  SENATE BILL No. 632 Session 1983. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum of the Heinz History Center in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institute unveiled an exhibit on June 23rd 2011 to document Viola’s role in developing mixed martial arts in America.  Dr. Fred Adams of Penn State University is currently writing a new book the history of Mixed Martial Arts that will chronicle Viola and Caliguri’s creation.

Over the past thirty years, The Willie Stargell Banquet has attracted some of the countries most prolific figures including basketball legend Michael Jordan and  World Boxing Champion Muhammad Ali.  Viola was honored to be recognized with such an elite alumni.   Viola said, “Pittsburgh is known as the City of Champions and now they can have pride that the fastest growing sport in the World (MMA), was started here as well.”  Dr. Fred Adams of Penn State University is currently writing a new book the history of Mixed Martial Arts that will chronicle Viola and Caliguri’s creation.

Other distinguished guests and honorees at the 2011 banquet included Pittsburgh County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and Judge Dwayne Woodruff just to name a few.  The event was co-sponsored by The Hillman Foundation and the Pittsburgh Pirates.  The banquet was hosted by Champion Enterprises founder Bill Neal, who has dedicated his life to community service.  Proceeds from the event support a Christmas Toy drive for underprivileged kids in Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh has Talent!

The region’s top performers showcase their skills each year at The FAST Expo.  Our Alumni have competed on America’s Got Talent and MTV’s America’s Best Dance Crew.

Media Coverage

The FAST Expo attracts media from across the world including some of the industry’s top fitness photographers.The Kumite Classic is part of the exclusive Fitness Universe World Tour. The American Sports Network broadcast’s these elite competition highlights on major networks worldwide. The Fitness Universe television show has been seen throughout the world including North America, Latin America, Asia, Pacific Rim, and Europe. The global audience reaches nearly 200 million homes on ESPN International, TSN/RDS Canada, Star Sports Asia, and Eurosports.

Disney in the house

Disney was at The FAST Expo promoting their newest hit show, “Kickin’ It” The series stars former Hannah Montana star Jason Earles, Leo Howard from Leo Little’s Big Show, and Dylan Riley Snyder from Disney’s Broadway production of Tarzan. Read More.

Franco & Fans

Pittsburgh Steeler legend Franco Harris poses with some fans at the 2011 FAST Expo.  Harris hosted the World Teen Football Combine Challenge.  Jeannette High school standout, Demetrious Cox, won the inaugural competition.