Fayette is losing its Taekwondo school. ATA Karate Elite hosted its final classes on Tuesday, June 30. Owner and instructor Jason Jones made the announcement to his students earlier this month.

The building the school currently inhabits, located on North Main Street a block off the downtown square in Fayette, was recently purchased. The new owner, Landon Ball, plans to relocate his State Farm Insurance office there. Without another suitable location, Jones decided the time was right to step away from teaching.

“I think the universe was telling me to take a break,” Jones said. “I’m not saying it’s done for good. I don’t want anybody to take it that way.

“I need to get back to me. I was giving so much to everyone else, I didn’t leave anything for me.”

Owning a martial arts school takes a great deal of time, and Jones is eager to give his family the attention they’ve been denied over the past eight years. And the physical nature of Taekwondo instruction has taken a toll on his body. 

Jones is also a veteran of the U. S. Army where he served as an Airborne Ranger in the global war on terror. He has developed significant arthritis since leaving the service in 2002.

“I’m giving my body a chance to heal.”

And now without a building to hold classes, Jones contends that the time is right to take a break.

“It’s a beautiful space. And I don’t have any hard feelings for anyone. If I was in his shoes, I would have done the same thing,” Jones said.

Jones said his biggest regret is not that the school is closing, it’s that it took so much time away from his family. He and his wife, Claire, are raising five children together. “It wasn’t fair to her. My only regret is that I can’t get that time back.”

Jones opened the school in July 2013 on the west side of the square. He wanted to turn a tragedy into a positive force in the community he came to love. After a motorcycle accident claimed the lives of his mother and father, he used his inheritance to open the school.

“I wanted to take something horrible like my parents’ accident and turn it into something positive. And helping young people realize they can do a lot more than what they give themselves credit for…I’ve gotten to see that many times over.”

The variety of students Jones has taught over the years has included special needs children and those in foster care. He said he still receives messages years later from many of those students. In addition, he has taught rape-prevention classes for students of Central Methodist University. 

“That’s my silver lining in all of this. I’ve helped a lot of people.” Jones said he is thankful that a small, rural community such as Fayette, supported the school for eight years. “I was welcomed as a business individual. I got here and I loved the town.”

Now a third-degree black belt, Jones has finished in the top-five in the world for three straight years with the katana and also has taught a slew of champions. His school has produced at least one champion every year until competitions were halted due to the pandemic. He has trained nine students all the way from beginner white belt up to black belt. 

“I really love teaching,” he said. “The joy for me is watching these kids grow and gain confidence.”