Martial arts community rallies after Debby floods Pincourt gym

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Kyle Lemon was 16 years old when he decided he wanted to open a martial arts gym. He had been training for four years at that point and wanted to share his love of the sport.

“I was a fairly troubled teenager,” he said. “Martial arts kept me in check. So it was my mission to give back to people that might have that hole in their life that they’re looking to fill, you know?”

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In January 2020, he became owner and head coach of Warriors MMA on Cardinal-Léger Blvd. in Pincourt. But Lemon’s dream was turned upside down last Friday after tropical storm Debby inundated Quebec and his gym was flooded.

“I opened the door and, briefly, for a second, I thought it wasn’t that bad with the lights closed,” he said.

But when he stepped down the stairs, he realized his training mats were floating on about seven inches of water.

Walking into Warriors MMA now, the only signs it was an active gym last Friday are the equipment banners on the walls and the hooks where punching bags used to hang. The flood and its aftermath left debris on the floor and a musty smell in the air.

Lemon spent the weekend trying to remove the water and salvage as much equipment as he could.

He put a request on Instagram for help cleaning up. On Monday evening, about 20 people showed up, some with their pickup trucks, to empty the gym.

Lemon also started a GoFundMe page to help pay for the damages, which is currently more than halfway to its $15,000 goal. He was amazed by the outpouring of support from his students and the wider kickboxing community.

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“The community that I’ve created in this small place of Pincourt, and it’s one dude in the basement here,” he said. “Sometimes, you do this for so long, you don’t realize that it’s bigger than you now.”

Since taking over the gym in 2020, Lemon has tripled Warriors MMA’s clients, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The gym is often represented in events around Montreal.

Anik Tavares-Dagenais was one of those helping at the gym on Monday. She has been training there for almost three years and, with seven fights under her belt, is hoping to go pro.

“I was absolutely devastated,” she said of the flood, “but even more so for [Lemon].”

Tavares-Dagenais was scheduled to have her first title fight later in August, but cancelled it as she and Lemon look for a permanent place to train. Despite everything, her outlook is hopeful.

“That’s what we do in martial arts,” she said. “Even when it hurts, you keep going.”

Maxime Tremblay, who has been training with Lemon for two years, wasn’t surprised by the number of people who showed up on Monday.

“They all came to help because (Lemon’s) a guy that gives back so much to others,” Tremblay said. “He’s someone who’s changed a lot of lives, including mine. He’s a really good coach and a really good person.”

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Jérémy Gauthier-Allard, who’s been training at the gym for longer than Lemon has been the owner, was hit hard by news of the flooding.

“It made me really sad,” he said. “This place is like my second home. I’ve been training here for seven years so, of course, it hurts.”

Lemon is giving one-on-one lessons wherever he can while he considers his options, such as finding a new space or merging with another gym. If all else fails, he may reopen in the current location, but fears more flooding.

“I’m just going to take the loss and move on,” he said. “One advantage of working so hard all the time is I do have enough money in the bank to reboot. But it’s a big loss, it’s a complete loss.” The gym was not insured.

For now, though, he’s impatient to give his community a new place to gather.

“I train kids as young as six-year-olds, and my oldest personal client is 79 years old,” he said. “It’s my responsibility to find a new safe place where I can continue to grow this community.”

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