Adept Colorado Academy of Martial Arts practitioners can become Seizan Ryu teachers only through acceptance to, and participation in, a rigorous teacher training program referred to as Takenoko.
Additionally, the Director and Head Instructor of the school, Roland Roemer, and Lead Instructor for the Youth and Young Adult programs, Melinda Gentry, are both certified school teachers each with over a decade of teaching experience in public school classrooms. Roland Roemer sensei has been teaching martial arts for 47 years, since 1967, and Melinda Gentry for almost 10 years. Furthermore, the Lead Instructor for the Children’s program, Laurel Roemer, and the Lead Instructor for the Adult program, Rob Tharp, each have over a decade of experience teaching the comprehensive martial arts system known as Seizan Ryu.
Our teachers continue to actively train in the martial arts they teach, to keep their skills superb and continually “hone” the best methods for teaching those skills. They are passionate about Seizan Ryu and eager to share that passion.
Teacher Biographies
Roland Roemer Roemer Sensei is the Lead Instructor for the Weapons Program, the Director and CEO of Colorado Academy of Martial Arts, and the Founder of Seizan Ryu. Seizan Ryu is a comprehensive system of conflict management which evolved from a deep study of Japanese, Filipino, Chinese, and Indonesian martial arts, as well as Western Boxing. Roemer Sensei holds a Master of Arts Degree in Education and taught in the primary and secondary public school system for 14 years. He has been chartered as a Master teacher in five martial arts systems and holds blackbelt level martial rank as high as 7th degree in seven martial arts systems. Moreover, Roemer Sensei has owned and operated a school for 35 years, and has trained in martial arts for 64 years since the age of four.
Rob Tharp Tharp Sensei is the Lead Instructor for the Adult Program. Colorado Academy of Martial Art’s highest ranking teacher and student, Tharp Sensei was recently promoted to Shinden Ura (which is essentially a 6th degree blackbelt and the highest rank possible at CAMA). Tharp sensei started his training at Colorado Academy of Martial Arts 18 years ago in 1996. He is a dedicated and amazing martial artist who began teaching in 2000 and has been a student favorite ever since. An invaluable part of the teacher education program at CAMA, Tharp Sensei spends hours each week helping the teachers at the dojo grow and become better martial artists. Further, as the head instructor for adult unarmed classes he has helped mold Seizan Ryu students for over a decade. In addition to decades of martial arts training, Rob played a lot of sports growing up and studied boxing for a couple years as well.
Laurel Roemer Laurel Roemer is the Lead Instructor of the Children’s program. She spent five years as an early childhood and primary private school classroom assistant teacher and has been teaching martial arts at Colorado Academy of Martial Arts for 17 years. Laurel Roemer sensei began training in martial arts in 1993. She has earned a 3rd degree blackbelt and is a 3rd level certified teacher of Seizan Ryu. Additionally, Laurel holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration and is the business manager and CFO of CAMA.
Sterling Bailey Bailey sensei has been teaching Young Adults and Adults classes for years. Currently holding the rank of 2nd degree blackbelt, Bailey sensei is also a second level Seizan Ryu teacher. In his spare time, Sterling visits children’s hospitals, travels the nation speaking as “Captain America”, and runs a non-profit organization he created, called Cap 4 Kids, which raises money for children fighting cancer.
Melinda Gentry Melinda Gentry is the lead teacher for the Youth and Young Adults program. Melinda Gentry sensei is a Colorado State Department of Education certified school teacher with 17 years of experience teaching elementary school. Melinda also has 20 years of martial arts experience. She holds a blackbelts as high as fourth degree in Taekwondo, American Freestyle Kempo Karate, and Seizan Ryu Kempo Jujutsu; additionally, she has had several years of training in Brazilian Jujutsu, Hapkido, and Kali, prior to coming to Colorado Academy of Martial Arts. Furthermore, Melinda was both the owner and head instructor of a martial arts school for 5 years, and has been teaching martial arts for almost 10 years.
Gentry Sensei has competed all over the nation in Karate, Taekwondo, and Brazilian Jujutsu. While on Team Prorank (ranked 2nd in the nation), she finished 2nd in weapons forms at the ISKA World Championships, 2nd place at the World Championships for Sparring, 2nd place at AAU Nationals for Taekwondo sparring, and 3rd place at Nationals for Traditional Forms. Additionally, she has won the title of women’s national kick boxing champion, and finished 3rd at the Gracie Pan American Brazilian Jujutsu tournament. She was also the reigning Colorado TKD State Champion for both sparring and forms three years running, and the AAU State Games Champion for karate forms and grappling. Melinda also qualified to compete in the Blackbelt Elite National Championships and took home two gold medals (in sparring and grappling) and two silver medals (for weapon forms and traditional forms).
Matthew Gentry Matthew Gentry sensei is being promoted to Okuden Ura (which is essentially a third degree blackbelt). He has been training at Colorado Academy of Martial Arts since 2002. Matthew started teaching at CAMA years ago and has recently returned after a brief absence. As the 7th member to join Takenoko (Colorado Academy of Martial Arts’ teacher education program), Matthew has been an asset to the program for almost a decade and currently teaches the Requirements class.
