Extreme martial arts group performs at UNC

Ten years ago Steve Le and other high school friends knew they were on to something great when they decided to combine their love of martial arts with the then-growing trend of extreme sports.

From that, the Aurora boys created Team Highflyerz, which promotes a unique blend of martial-art technique with aerial acrobatics. No coach or official dojo needed, the six-member groups usually takes what members already know and adds some flair by turning each demonstration into a performance.

"We are each others' coaches," Le said. "We do it for the fun and passion of it."

The group performed for several people Saturday at the University of Northern Colorado's annual Asian Festival, which drew more than 150 through out the day."We had little less people than we were expecting," said Edward Nance, a student at UNC and one of the organizers for the event. "I think it was because of the weather.

"Organizers began wrapping up the event about an hour before it was scheduled to end because of cold weather.Team Highflyerz was the last group to perform. This was their second year at the Asian Festival and the group plans to attend again next year to show off aerial tricks.

Le said what makes their style and performance so unique is that each of the members, all of who are in their early 20's, bring with them a different form of martial art techniques."We are all very close like family," Le said. "It's just fun being together and doing what we enjoy."

All of the members in the team hold black belts and travel throughout Colorado to compete in extreme sport competitions and perform demos for various events. In 2003, the group walked away with several first place awards from a competition hosted by the Colorado Karate Association.

Want to know more? For information about team Highflyerz e-mail Steve Le at teamhighflyerz@yahoo.com.