When Karrin Swenson opened a Bobby Lawrence Karate and dance studio in Coalville last November, it was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, she said.

A fan of karate since 1992, Swenson said she had two dreams growing up: become an astronaut and own a dojo. The first plan didn’t work out, but after moving to Coalville five years ago, Swenson decided karate was just what the North Summit community needed.

A black belt with the Bobby Lawrence franchise, Swenson has taught periodically at the Park City location. Most of her professional career has involved teaching of one kind or another, including in day cares and on resort slopes. She spent many years teaching group-fitness classes.

When she got back into karate after having a family, Swenson said it just clicked.

“It was my niche. Everybody has their thing,” she said. “I fell in love all over again.”

Her dojo is the third Bobby Lawrence studio in the Wasatch Back and 17th in the West. She enjoys the teaching style because it combines traditional Japanese styles with more contemporary styles that are easy to learn.

“This is fun. There’s strictness to the class; there are rules to the class and a discipline to how they learn. But it becomes a part of their life because they enjoy it,” she said.

Karate teaches children the importance of achieving proper form and that’s a skill that has come in useful in many parts of her life, she said.

“Everything in my life has form. Driving has form, school has a form when you learn discipline of form in karate you can implement it in other parts of life,” she said. “I’ve been amazed at the things I’ve accomplished just with the principles I’ve learned.”

Bobby Lawrence Karate also teaches respect, concentration, focus and how to harness inner strength, Swenson said.

“When they learn to reach deep inside and find that strength, they can achieve more and achieve more of their goals. And goal setting is a huge element of what we teach here,” she added.

With a client base from Wanship to Henefer, there are a lot of people in the area, she said. So far, she has enough students for five classes to teach herself. As her student base increases, she’ll add offerings.

Currently there are three levels of karate for children as young as four years old and up to adults. Each karate class is held twice a week. Group dance-fitness classes like Zumba and Turbo Kick are also offered twice a week in the evenings.

Turbo Kick is cardio kickboxing that is more “funky” and dance-like than other kickboxing workouts, Swenson explained.

She also receives regular training from Bobby Lawrence himself to make sure what she’s teaching is consistent with other studios.

For more information on Bobby Lawrence Karate, visit www.BLKdojos.com

Bobby Lawrence Karate Coalville

23 South Main Street

435-336-5455