April 27, 2010
Story 9-Feature
TAYLORS FALLS---The Minnesota Bash Brothers, Marvin and Melvin Blumer, are identical twin brothers in their late 20s. These men are hard-working concrete installers who have been out of consistent work for over a year. Union workers who have had to travel to other states to stay employed, these fathers have been looking into reinventing themselves.
In classes at Anoka-Ramsey Community College there are many young husbands and fathers doing the same thing, reinventing themselves. As the construction industry has almost ground to a halt, these unemployed bread-winners are scrambling. In March of 2010, the Bureau of Labor Statistics divulged that the unemployment rate was holding firm at 9.7 percent. Temporary workers for the Federal Government changed those numbers a little with the hiring of census takers. Our nation has gone from having a 5 percent unemployment rate in March of 2008 to over 10 percent in September of 2009. Where will these people find jobs in the coming months and years?
Marvin and Melvin Blumer are the guys-next-door that grew up in a small Minnesota town. Maybe a little hellion thrown in, they found a trade that would support their families and still give them time to pursue their hobbies. Marvin said, “I always thought I’d do concrete work until I could retire from the manual side of it and then run a company of my own.”
With the lack of jobs and unemployment benefits winding down, the brothers have pursued another avenue of work. Being naturally athletic men and still wanting to work together, they have dedicated their time and energy into the world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). Wikipedia calls MMA a full contact combat sport that allows a wide variety of fighting techniques and skills…to be used in competitions. The sport has become extremely popular, rivaling professional wrestling and boxing. It is also a good avenue for men to release pent up aggression; while they wait for the country to rebound from this recession and re-employ them.
Mixed martial arts competitions are alive and well in Savage, Minn. at a bar called Neisen’s Sports Bar. The brothers started entering amateur competitions in September of 2009 at this venue. By February of 2010 they won their first amateur title belts on the same evening. Marvin won the feather-weight belt; Melvin won the light-weight belt.
After watching their fights on this winter evening, Sean Blumer said, “This was by far the most intense night of all. They each fought with text-book perfection. I’m so proud of them. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for these extremely talented athletes.”
Since that evening the brothers have opened their own gym and created a business called: The Minnesota Militia of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Fitness in Taylors Falls, Minn. Their website with information on the programs that they offer is located at http://www.mnmilitiammafitness.webs.com/ . “From the beginner to elite athlete, we make it our goal to provide members with the knowledge and skill necessary to meet their fitness goals; whether it be strength training, self-defense or competition level MMA.” is part of their mission statement.
Right now their class schedule runs:
Monday and Tuesday evenings (striking class)Wednesday evenings (grappling class)
Thursday evenings (Brazilian Jujitsu wrestling)
Friday evenings (MMA class).
Their motto is: To be the best, you have to out-work the rest.
Both men have wives who are attending college. Marvin’s wife is a college student majoring in law-enforcement at Century College and she also steps in to teach the ladies who have become members of their gym. She specializes in self-defense.
Is this an easy way to make a living? “No,” Marvin responds, “but I like to teach this form of martial arts. MMA competitions are new and growing with audiences all over the world. Getting in this business on the ground floor has the potential of making a lot of money and a reputation for our Minnesota gym.”
On April 23, eight men from the Minnesota Militia of MMA and Fitness, competed in Chicago, Ill. at the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) event. Competitors hailed from all around this country. Minnesota was well represented with Marvin winning fifth and tenth place in two different divisions (gi and no-gi) in his weight class. NAGA is offering competition venues in Las Vegas, Dallas, Atlanta, Newark and even Paris, France for 2010.
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