“He left everything behind and went to the mountains with his family to create a holiday settlement.” The Zakopane story of K1 heavyweight world champion Grzegorz Adamczyk and his family.

Have you ever wondered how it would be if you focused your whole life on this one dream? Well, most adults would surely laugh at the very sound of the word, as if dreams were reserved for children only, a different world far away from the logic and mundane sphere of real life. We can speculate, fantasise what if… but then we obey the harsh orders of reality and come back down to earth. Maybe you also have your dream place in this world, just like me and my family, where you feel so at ease. Maybe you went there but once and it was the time of your life, or maybe you keep on coming back there again and again whenever you have a day off.

Most of us have a place like this, I think. But very few have the courage to move and stay there forever.

“Do what you love and if you haven’t found it yet, keep searching until you feel you have found it and then, give yourself to it right away!”. As long as I can remember, these words accompanied me on my life path. But it took 40 long years for me to realise I do not live in this place on earth which was destined for me. For a few years, my wife Monika and I thought about moving to Zakopane. Actually, we spent our every holiday there and loved the place to pieces. And when paying a visit to this beautiful mountain resort, we went on dreaming… What if these moments could last forever? Is it not what we’ve longed for since who knows when? Change is vital, change is difficult, but it’s like air we all need to breathe.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Grzegorz Adamczyk. I’m a sportsman and a businessman in one, mostly connected with combat sports. Within 48 years of my life (as, I’m ancient, I know), I won the heavyweight champion title in the most aggressive variation of kickboxing – K1. Reaching the age of 49 was crucial for me, because at the point in my life, I made the biggest success ever. Much more significant than becoming the K1 world champion. And it required of me much more courage than standing on the ring to fight for the championship belt.

This success was finding the courage to pack my life and move to Zakopane. Starting again is never easy.

I bet you presume I lived a life of a sportsman and thus, was not attached to the place where I resided. But it is not true. I am a sportsman, indeed, yet I’ve also been a businessman for years now. My whole existence was in Lublin due to the land-based business I ran there: the largest combat sports club in Poland – the K1 Fighting Center and my beloved wife’s restaurant ”Stoliczku, nakryj się!” (“Table, Deck Yourself”) – a place where children did not disturb adults. Furthermore, my eldest son’s (his name is Jaś or Johnny in English if you wish) school was in Lublin and last but not least, that’s where my adult daughter Ola, my mom and Monika’s parents live. My sons, Jaś and Marcel, loved their grandma dearly and were attached to her very much. But every single member of our family has adored the Tatras all along.

We started our both businesses out of our hearts’ need, wanting to serve others with the best that we had to offer. I am a sportsman, a couch and a combat fighter as well. It has been my life’s passion for nearly 40 years. That’s why the K1 Club was and still is a part of me and my life. I ran it for 20 years, and many of my students eventually became the Kickboxing Champions of the World, Europe or Poland.

The K1 Fighting Center brand became a symbol for all those practicing combat sports. Back then, it was the first club in Poland that would gather various combat sports disciplines in one. MMA was not yet popular. K1 brought generations together. The palette of participants was very wide, indeed, starting with 5-year-old kids up to 70-year-old seniors. It was so amazing! Our family sports events attracted large crowds and eventually rose to be regular points on the city map. For us, the main goal was to promote healthy and sporty lifestyle amongst our city citizens. And the mission was 100% completed. Additionally, we also promoted combat sports as a form of personal development, for it is pretty obvious they help you to be more persistent, patient and better concentrated. A lifetime change, I would say. Many of our students told us years later that the club had a huge influence on their lives, that it made them better persons. Practicing combat sports developed their self-esteem, helped them solve problems much easier and see the world in bright colours. Of course, sports titles are important, but it was so much more precious, won’t you agree? Medals are fine, but when a mother, who once brought her sons here for training, comes back to thank us for making their offspring more calm and self-confident, it fills my heart with joy. The K1 Fighting Center is a world-known brand, and its students win championship belts in many reputable Federations.

My wife Monika is such a kind soul, always sincere and wearing her heart on her sleeve. No wonder that she created a restaurant truly like no other where work and passion were entwined in one. A restaurant for families with young children where the leading motto said “Here, children do not disturb anybody!”. The mission of the ”Stoliczku, nakryj się!” was to cultivate family tradition in the ever-changing world. The rapid development of technology which determines the way we spend time, decides also what we eat. Fast food, delivery or instant dishes and eating alone on your couch while watching telly – we do not accept these modern changes. Our restaurant believed in the great power of family dinner, breakfast or supper when mum, dad and kids, often also grandma, grandpa and other family members sit at the table and dine together. That’s why the most crucial worth of this brand was family, and family means adults with children, of course. Our place knew how to host the Little Ones, and this was clearly visible both in the equipment applied and the offer of our restaurant alike. Love was all around there and joy filled up our hearts, reaching the very core of our souls. Delicious cuisine and dining together both on the everyday basis and during various events united us all. Children are our future, are they not? Monika called almost every single kid by their name and was very much befriended with their parents. I’d even say that if a place on earth can have a heavenly ambience, ours certainly had. A true oasis of family warmth.

Selling off all my property, the plots, businesses and moving on at my age was a huge challenge, indeed. And if you keep reading, then you probably had the very same thoughts buzzling in your mind at some point in your life. Yes, I admit, it wasn’t easy. But there is one thing that helps.

Osada Chłabówka in Zakopane – our new life plan

Although there were passions in our life, we still had this weird impression that we were lacking something. Something crucial, I would say. Constantly in a hurry, with no time for ourselves, let alone for our children. Serving other families, we neglected our own. Almost every single weekend at work, and all of a sudden, it slowly began to take its toll on our bonds and relations. Thus, there was but one choice left for us, namely to change everything. And start again. From scratch.