Kosta Skrapis

Master Kosta Skrapis is the Owner and Head Coach of Adapt Academy Martial Arts and Adapt Boxing Academy, one of the Illawarra’s most respected martial arts and boxing schools. With 30+ years of experience, Kosta leads a training community built on confidence, discipline, fitness, and genuine family values. Adapt runs programs for all ages, but Kosta has a soft spot for empowering kids—especially the wonderfully quirky, unique young people who may not fit the mould in other sports but come alive on the mats at Adapt. 

To be part of Adapt is to grow. Founded in the early 2000s by Miss Dee—Kosta’s mum—the academy began as a small martial arts school grounded in tradition and character. When Kosta stepped into leadership, he modernised it into a worldclass training facility while keeping its family first heart. Adapt’s 2020 rebrand expanded its pathway from preschool martial arts right through to competitive boxing and fight training. 

Today, Adapt is a true family legacy: Kosta on the mats, his wife Sarah running operations and their daughter Kalani growing up in the gym. Every Adapt coach began as a student, trained and mentored through the same doors they now teach in. For more than two decades, Adapt has helped hundreds across the Illawarra become stronger, fitter, and more confident—both in training and in life. 

With one in two Australians expected to receive a cancer diagnosis by 85, the Adapt family are no strangers to supporting loved ones through some of life’s toughest moments. Taking part in Stars of Wollongong – Dance for Cancer is a natural extension of their values of resilience, community, and showing up when it matters. 

And showing up is exactly what Kosta plans to do. After time away from the adrenaline of the ring, he’s redirecting that fire straight onto the dance floor. Don’t be fooled—Kosta doesn’t do anything halfway. Guided by his nationally recognised and highly respected dance partner, Sharna Lee ( Artistic Director of The Illawarra Dance Academy) — a qualified and accomplished dance educator — he is being expertly prepared for a standout performance. Together, this dynamic duo are emerging as strong contenders for the night’s top dancers. 

With Sharna’s technical precision, high standards and meticulous attention to detail, he is being rigorously trained in lifts, spins and a high-impact routine designed to command the stage. And in true Kosta fashion, this won’t be a predictable Rocky tribute — expect charisma, strength and a performance full of personality and unexpected flair. 

 Fun Facts About Kosta