As some of you may have already heard, this past weekend Matt Allard passed away after a vehicle accident on I 293 here in Manchester. A lot of you don’t know Matty. He became a member of the Checkmate family back in 2004. Matt was kind, full of life, always had a smile on his face. His energy was contagious. This first picture of him, although a bit goofy, is how I remember him. I think it exemplifies his spirt! Matty often did private lessons with me during his lunch breaks, and was back at night to hit it again. A back injury prevented Matt from continuing with his training so It has been quite a few years since he has been on the mat. I will miss him very much. My heart goes out to his family and friends during this painful time. I will post the obituary and funeral service notices when they are available.
