A bustling gym inside a Metairie mall is split in two. On one side, kids in white karate uniforms and belts take a wide stance, then kick, kick, kick. On the other side, girls in black leotards and buns stand tall, then jump, jump, jump.
A wall inside the Champions Family Sports Club is split, too. On one side hangs the flag of the United States. On the other, the blue and yellow flag of Ukraine.
Before Russia’s invasion, Ukrainians Sergiy Dolinnyy and Olena Zviagintseva coached a few hundred students at an Odesa gym in karate and kickboxing, tumbling and dance. They brought those students to competitions, where they won medal after medal. Then, in 2022, when the bombs got too close, they left…