Meet our Instructors
Kru Hope
Kru Hope is the founder and owner of Short North Muay Thai. She has been training in Muay Thai for over 20 years. She has trained under Master Lek, who is her master. She has competed at the national and international level, including the accomplishment of being world ranked. Kru Hope teaches classes on Mondays and Wednesdays. She is also one of the instructors on rotation for Beginner's Courses and Saturday mornings.
Jackie Bean
In addition to being a student of many years, Jackie has been a successful Muay Thai fighter. She has a winning fighting record, inclusive of winning first place in the WKA tournament in 2014. Jackie is a trainer and an accountability coach. She loves to hike with her dog, explore the world and cook - especially brunch (w/locally roasted coffee).
Justin Martinek
Justin has fought in a variety of tournaments. When Justin isn't at the gym he enjoys finding the simplest solutions to non-trivial technical problems, enjoying new experiences in far away places, and bringing smiles to the faces around him with elaborate mixtures of wit and 80's rock music.
Iggy Sweeney
When Iggy is not at the gym, he enjoys spending time with his son and is an avid coffee enthusiast; his favorite is Cuban coffee! He is also has over twenty years of experience as a tattoo artist, specializing in realistic tattoos. Muay Thai has been instrumental in reaching Iggy's fitness goals. He was once a heavy smoker and overweight before finding the gym.
Curt Everitt
Outside of the gym, Curt is dedicated to Art & Design. He’s spent many years as a fine artist and designer before focusing on tattooing. Curt truly believes in putting in the hard work to find your path of happiness in life. He consistently is working on positivity and supporting his friends and community.
Jen Noland
Jen has been training at SNMT for over a decade. She was born and raised in Florida and found her second home at SNMT when she moved to Columbus. Jen has a winning fight record, including winning a belt at the TBA Classic Tournament. She teaches on Sunday mornings. When she isn’t training or teaching, she loves traveling, fishing and spending time wih her two pitbull rescues.
Evangelia Fragoulis
Evangelia has been training in Muay Thai under Kru Hope since college. She has had a winning fighting record, including winning a belt at the TBA Classic Tournament. When she isn’t training in Muay Thai, she is running her Optometry practice and helping people take care of eye health. She loves to shop and travel and tries to leave the country at least once a year.