The Westside Express
The Golden State Co. powdered milk plant on Eighth Street, a 105-year-old Los Banos landmark, has a new tenant: Strike Fitness. Strike Fitness was founded in 2018 by co-owner Amber Pope, a five-time Muay Thai champion.
In an interview with the Westside Express, she said, “We didn’t really have martial arts here or Muay Thai. My coach always said, ‘If you don’t have it, build it.’ So, I decided to open Strike Fitness to build the martial arts in this community.”
In general, Strike Fitness is a martial arts and fitness center. Pope clarified that it’s membership-based and not program-based. Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, Krav Maga, strength training, cardio, mobility and conditioning are included in its program list.
“You have an option to come in and take a certain amount of classes a week, or you can have unlimited access and attend any classes,” Pope said.
Pope explains that members of Strike Fitness are “people that come from all walks of life coming together with one common goal of achieving mental, physical and spiritual health and finding a journey while being supported.”
Pope’s five championships include four national and one international. She also competed on Team USA twice at the worldwide championship. “It’s gone full circle for me because I went from fighting in competitions to coaching in them and actually having students in them,” she said.
“Muay Thai is the art of the eight limbs, so it’s punches, elbows, knees and kicks. It’s very controlled, and it’s a very beautiful art. A lot of defense and defense to offense. It’s very good for self-defense,” Pope explained.
“I don’t think people realize the talent we’re building here in Los Banos when it comes to combat sports,” she said.
Pope came to Los Banos in the ‘90s during her sophomore year. She left for the Bay Area after graduation. After 20 years in the Bay Area, she returned to Los Banos in 2016.
“I missed the community, and I missed the people,” Pope said.
For a time, prospective members can pay just $25 to try a few classes to see if they find what they’re looking for. While there’s an emphasis on it, Pope said that combat isn’t all Strike Fitness does.
Most members are “everyday people who want to work out but want something different, and this definitely gives you something different. You get the strength and the cardio while you’re learning a skill. It builds a lot of confidence in that,” Pope said. “We’re not just a fight gym—we’re just a community of everyday people.”
Members of Strike Fitness have gone to Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu and wrestling competitions.
Jose Castro runs their wrestling squad. Castro coached Los Banos High School wrestlers for roughly 16 years. It is wrestling season, and Castro’s team travels to a new competition every Sunday.
Strike Fitness also created Combat Sports Boosters, a non-profit booster club. Through the booster club, funds are raised for local athletes to “compete without financial barriers,” Pope said.
They plan to have four fundraising events this year where kids from Los Banos and surrounding cities compete, with all proceeds going to Combat Sports Boosters. Their next event is on March 29 at Los Banos High School.
Combat Sports Boosters “brings light to those kids and gives them the recognition they deserve. They don’t have a school or a booster club helping them. This is not a seasonal thing—these kids are doing it year-round,” Pope said.
Pope said these kids are traveling and competing constantly. This year alone, they’re going to Vegas, Ohio, Delaware, Mexico and potentially Abu Dhabi.
“Some of these kids have been to places the adults haven’t even been to, and they’re just getting started. To continue that road, as you can imagine, it’s very expensive,” she said.
According to information from the Milliken Museum, the building where Strike Fitness now resides was constructed around 1920. In a 1943 article, Judge L.A. Sischo described the former plant as “the largest and the most modern powdered milk plant in the world.”
Built just after the 1919 fire, the plant was a premier economic boon for the city in its heyday. It produced approximately $1 million of product yearly in 1925—or $18 million in today’s cash.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company built a spur line onto what is now the alleyway between H and I Street to service the plant.
According to a 1965 photo, the plant’s name was changed to Foremost Dairy. Pope explained that the plant went out of business sometime in the ‘80s. “It’s a very pretty building, and it’s very sound and structural,” Pope said.
Pope ended the interview with a message for readers. “I think it’s important for people to stay fit and move. Moving is the most important thing,” she said. “You can have that fitness in a different form and still learn a life skill that can save your life when it comes to self-defense at Strike Fitness.”
