Kris Shaw
Chronically Positive
“Chronically Positive” is a collection of essays for dealing with everyday issues. Whether those issues are as big as chronic kidney disease or as minuscule as a nagging honey do list. Marlon Ransom and his son Tyler take turns in a tete-a-tete discussion of different strategies for managing the challenges life can throw at you.
Marlon is a single father of two living in Los Angeles California. Tyler, his son, is a high school student who is dealing with chronic illness: kidney disease. The two document their struggles, their successes and their strategies. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu plays a large part in both their lives. Tyler has been training eleven years and is a blue belt. His dad is a purple belt. Over the eleven year period Tyler has trained at the Gracie Academy in Torrance, with Eddie Bravo downtown LA and Henry Akins in West LA. Both train under Cobrinha at his Wilshire Boulevard location.
The book is short with 75 pages, eight chapters and 29 pictures. Sprinkled throughout are pictures documenting their years training Jiu-Jitsu. It includes some simple tools like being your own medical advocate and more difficult ones like setting a deadline on nagging projects. Both authors use language that's light and easy to understand making the book a fast read.
Marlon and son Tyler come across to the reader as warm, honest and forthright. They don't squirm from the ugly parts and they don't embellish on the happier successes. The reader receives the benefit of two points of view, 25 years apart in age and experience.
This book is more about using a solid set of tools to deal with life than it is about kidney disease. I would recommend this book for young and old; sick and healthy. Who can’t use a few more tools to deal with life?
Link to buy the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/CHRONICALLY-POSITIVE-SONS-SYSTEM-STAYING/dp/1976747791/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519357082&sr=8-1&keywords=chronically+positive
Tyler Ransom Music: https://www.facebook.com/Tyler-Ransom-Music-435582850109833/
Tyler and Kidney Disease http://www.healingtyler.com/
Shama Ko Anything Is Possible
In 2014 Shama Ko was diagnosed with bilateral polymicrogyria which is usually a mentally, physically debilitating and fatal birth defect of the brain that is predominantly found in children. Only 3% of adults are diagnosed with it and is an extremely uncommon condition that usually has no symptoms in adults. Doctors discovered her condition after she had a seizure during the beginning of class at Gracie Humaita.
Shama was off the mats for a year and slowly worked to control the seizures and regain her confidence a a Jiu-Jitsu brown belt.
This weekend Shama took 2nd at the Masters World Championships.
Shama on her journey to the podium,
"All I can say is that it was a pivotal point in my life and I am so dang happy to be back in be mix. Having gone through all the crap I have in the past few years I never thought I'd train again. Competing seemed impossible. But anything is possible. Never give up.
"It was my first time at the Master Worlds and it was emotional for me. I was incredibly proud watching all the matches this weekend. 14 years ago when I started things were very different. In many ways women competitors were less respected than kids. We were grouped into one division regardless of belt, weight or age. It was the women's division. Look at us now. We've come a long way. It may not be perfect and I'm sure in areas where BJJ is growing this is still going on. But to think that there is an outlet like the Master Worlds where women can compete together with other women the same belt, skill level and age is phenomenal. We've just got to keep competing. Once promoters, media and companies see #'s the see $s. That's what it boiled down. So instead of being discouraged we need to be encouraging, supportive and keep moving forward. Change is happening. There is hope."
Carlos Terrinha - 15 time Pan Am Champion
Carlos Terrinha
Vinicius "Draculino" Magalhaes -
"Terrinha is one of my most accomplished students in competition. He has won the Pan Ams 15 times and the World's Masters 3 times, besides others gi and no-gi titles. His experience as a competitor has made him a very good teacher and coach. He has a very intelligent way to adapt and modify techniques to be better suited for his students. I'm very lucky to have him as a student and friend."
Carlos Terrinha was born in in 1969 to a low income family, the 10th child with 11 brothers and sisters in the city of Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brasil.
In 2003 Carlos moved to the USA and became a resident of Hopedale Massachusetts. He teaches BJJ at Gold's Gym in Milford, adults 6 times a week, kids 2 times a week.
Passionate about the Martial Arts, he not only teaches BJJ but also plays a little at Judo, has dabbled in Capoeira and American boxing and has trained 8 years of traditional Jiu Jitsu from professor Juse Adilson Ferreira, his master was Takeyo Yano. For 12 years Carlos worked as a Civil Police Detective for the state of Minas Gerais.
Terrinha worked his whole life to find a way to pay for his classes to learn Jiu Jitsu, travel and compete. This champion began to train Jiu Jitsu 1989 when he was 19 years old with professor Jose Adilso.
He started competing as a white belt and never stopped. He was 3 time State champion in Minas Gerais , 3 time Brazil National champion and 2 time World Champion.
In 1998 Terrinha had a chance to meet Vinicus "Draculino" Magalhaes from Gracie Barra BJJ. Professor Draculino had moved from Rio de Janeiro to Belo Horizonte around 1986, Terrinha started to train with him and his students at Gracie Barra Belo Horizonte. and it changed Terrinha's life.
"Training with Draculino changed my Jiu-jitsu because I had the chance to see a new style of Jiu-jitsu of Gracie Jiu Jitsu and I had the opportunity train with a great competitors from his team, students who want to be a champions. Those guys do not play for fun any time and it changed my way to see Jiu-jitsu."
With so many compitions under his belt Terrinha has his share of bad calls. In 2005 finals the referee simply raised the wrong hand.
"I have won Pan American's 14 times officially and 1 time unofficially. In 2005, the referee made a mistake, I had won the fight and he put up Franginha's hand. Afterwards Franginha told me that I won but the referee give to him. Also the referee told me that he made a mistake, this is why I consider myself a 15 time champion."
Here's the stats:
Pan American
Gi
Med Heavy 2005
Med Heavy 2010
Med Heavy 2012
Med Heavy 2014
Med Heavy 2015
Med Heavy 2016
Open Class 2016
No-Gi
Med Heavy 2008
Open Class 2008
Med Heavy 2009
Med Heavy 2010
Med Heavy 2012
Med Heavy 2013
Med Heavy 2014
April 2012 Terrinha was moved up to #1 in the World at IBJJF ranking in Senior 2 division and keeped it until 2015. In January 2016 Terrinha went to Portugal to participate in the European Championship and won his medium heavy division making him a 2 time European Champion. It did not stop there, Terrinha came back home and went to California in March 2016 to participate at the Pan American Championship and he won his medium heavy division and Open class and became the first American to win the Pan American Championship 15 times.
Terrinha says to anybody who wants to do sport, "You do not need to be a champion but you should train with a champion because they test the technique at the competition that they teach their students."
Carlos would like to thank his kids Ana Carolina and Carlos Eduardo, his girlfriend Pollyana Carbone, Professor Vinicius "Draculino" Magalhaes, the Gracie Barra team and his students for always pushing the level higher. A very special thanks to his boss and sponsor Jose Farah Jr.
Come to be part of this lifestyle and if you have never participated in Jiu Jitsu, come to try a class and get to know it and see for yourself how it will change your life. http://www.carlosterrinha.com
BJJ Cookbook review: Eat Well, Train Hard
Mackenzie Arrington’s cheeky BJJ Cookbook Eat Well, Train Hard wins by submission early in the match. Read the review.
I train. I love to eat. I enjoying cooking and I collect cookbooks (mostly antique). Reviewing Eat Well, Train Hard by Mackenzie Arrington is a good fit for my skill set.
First, I am impressed. The recipes are legit. These are down to earth, protein rich, big meals. There is a section on prep. Notice the Zebra mat cutting board? Nice little Easter egg.
These are hearty meals. This cookbook is not for dieting. These meals pack lots of sustaining energy. While reading through I thought who could eat this much? A 18-35 year-old male who’s training 4x a week, that’s who. It is perfect for our target demographic. If you are more in the market to lean-out you can still use these recipes and cut down on the portion size.
While we are talking about 18-35 year-olds, maybe you aren’t comfortable around anything larger than a steak knife, maybe you haven’t boiled water, or maybe you are just tired of chicken out of your George Foreman grill, either way the cookbook will help you navigate the kitchen, use a proper knife and inspire you to make tasty meals. Best of all these will be wholesome meals without any preservatives or added sodium.
Mackenzie is a legit chef and he is sharing his passion for cooking. He has an associates in culinary arts and a bachelors in hospitality and restaurant managements. He has worked for Momofuku, Eleven Madison Park, he opened The NoMad, and The Dutch in NYC, and has worked as a consultant and personal chef once out of restaurants there. He is the only two-time Maine Lobster Chef of the Year. He has been on Good Morning New York on FOX cooking, on CBS morning shows and was an on-air guest for QVC. He lives in Buffalo NY and is a purple belt training out of Alliance at WNY Mixed Martial Arts under Matt Godden and Mike "dubs" Dauenhauer. His best ranking was 6th, super heavy blue belt. He is a writer for Jiu-Jitsu Mag.
Where Mackenzie needs to drill more is photos of the dishes. I would love to see a pic of the finished product so I can leaf through and look at all the yummy food. Also, and this is more of a wish list item, I’d like to know nutrition information per dish, just how many calories and how much protein.
Support a fellow BJJer following his passion. Buy Mackenzie’s cookbook pdf. At $12.99 it is a bargain. Here’s the link http://bit.ly/1RTf4wk. Go now buy. Your stomach will thank you.
Mackenzie would like to thank his wife-to-be Moe, because without her constant support this book and grapplergourmet.com would not exist. And to thank his sponsors Q5 sports nutrition, Inverted Gear, and Datsusara for their continual support. (->There are discount codes at the end of the book for each of the sponsors.<-)
Facebook.com/grapplergourmet
Twitter.com/grapplergourmet
Website grapplergourmet.com
Sales link is http://bit.ly/1RTf4wk
Link to his work on Jiu Jitsu mag is http://jiujitsumag.com/author/mackenziea/
Maximiliano Ulloa
In a wheel chair and paralyzed from the last rib down Max is going to compete in the 2015 IBJJF World Championships. A little background on a great warrior. Photos courtesy of Paulo Bihis and Bathala Apparel.
Maximiliano Ulloa is a purple belt under Leticia Ribeiro who trains at Gracie Humaitá South Bay. He’s 37 years old and will be fighting as a light weight (157) for the first time in his life.
Max became a paraplegic in 2012 after a fall from a second story balcony pinched spinal cord at level T7. With a T7 injury he has lost the use of his abs as well as his legs and lower back.
Before his injury Max was a 1 strip blue belt.
Max spent 2 months in hospital and 2 weeks in outpatient rehab when insurance only provisioned for 1 PT visit per week. He was home alone for 2 months then his brother moved to California to help. Six months after his accident resumed training because of his failing insurance need for rehab. He trains 8-10 hours a week.
Max took several months to travel across the US alone. He visited family and academies along the way. While he was visiting Miami for two months trained at the Rilion Gracie Academy. With Leticia’s blessing Max was awarded his purple belt from Rilion 2014.
Motivated to inspire other spinal cord injury people Max started the non-profit RollingtheWalk.com. He is supported by the great people at Jiu-Jitsu Changed My Life.
Photo Credit:Paulo from Bathala Apparel
Max ->
https://www.facebook.com/MaximilianoUlloaYork
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Grappling-Graphics/246478195484344
https://www.facebook.com/RollingTheWalk
http://www.rollingthewalk.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jiujitsuchangedmylife
http://www.jiujitsuchangedmylife.com/
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athlete, Pena, Accepts Sanction for Rule Violation
NEWS RELEASE
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Athlete, Pena, Accepts Sanction for Rule Violation
Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 26, 2015) – USADA announced today that Felipe Pena, of Vila Castela, Nova Lima – MG, Brazil, an athlete in the sport of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has tested positive for a prohibited substance and accepted a one-year sanction for his doping offense.
Pena, 23, tested positive for testosterone, which was confirmed by CIR (GC/C/IRMS) analysis, as a result of an in-competition urine sample he provided on June 1, 2014, at the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation ("IBJJF") World Jiu-Jitsu Championships held in Long Beach, Calif. Although the IBJJF is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Code (the “Code”), USADA was contracted by IBJJF to conduct testing for the event and collected Pena’s sample in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency International Standard for Testing. Anabolic Agents are prohibited under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, which has adopted the Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List. IBJJF has agreed to impose the sanction.
After a thorough review of the case, USADA accepted Pena’s explanation that his positive test was caused by his use of a testosterone cream provided to him by a healthcare provider. Pena also provided substantial assistance as outlined in the Code. For providing substantial assistance to USADA, Pena was eligible for a reduction of the otherwise applicable two-year sanction under the Code.
After considering all the relevant circumstances, including Pena’s substantial assistance, USADA determined that a one-year period of ineligibility was the appropriate outcome in this case. Pena’s sanction began on June 1, 2014, the day the sample was collected. In addition, Pena has been disqualified from all competitive results achieved in competitions sanctioned by the IBJJF or any Code signatory on and subsequent to May 31, 2014, the date of his first match at the 2014 IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.
In an effort to aid athletes, as well as all support team members such as parents and coaches, in understanding the rules applicable to them, USADA provides comprehensive instruction on its website on the testing process and prohibited substances, how to obtain permission to use a necessary medication, and the risks and dangers of taking supplements as well as performance-enhancing and recreational drugs. In addition, the agency manages a drug reference hotline, Drug Reference Online (www.GlobalDRO.com), conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as the Prohibited List, easy-reference wallet cards, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference documentation.
USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.
CONTACT:
Annie Skinner
Senior Communications Manager
Phone: (719) 785-2046
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Thank you for your support of clean sport!
Fix it - Don't Live with Pain
I’m happy to say that I’m 4 weeks out and hip pain free.
As a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu I’ve lived the adages, "No Pain No Gain", "Work Through the Pain" and "Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body." Over my 18 years in the sport I can count the mornings I didn’t have pain easier than the mornings I did.
At 46 I need a knee replacement. I take Celebrex until I can work up the courage for the major surgery. And yes, I still train albeit limited and only with selective partners. Doctors all scratch their heads why I still do it. It’s high time I hang up my spurs, they say. Most doctors don’t know what BJJ is.
For the past 4 months I’ve had pain on the side of my hip, right where the drawstring on my gi pants ride. My doctor said it was soft tissue then shrugged and told me I should stop training. Said it was time. Said I wasn't 20 anymore.
That’s where Michael Ko, Physical Therapist comes in. He trains and we met on the mat. He offered to help. I shrugged and said arthritis, what can you do? He asked me to let him try. With nothing to lose and everything to gain I popped in for a visit. After asking me to walk and stand and lift he determined that my limited mobility in my knee was causing my hip to compensate, in effect I was dragging my leg behind me. We did stretching but mostly he educated me on how my knee injury, my hip pain and my gait were all related. My pain didn’t go away right away. It took about two weeks and some more stretching. Mostly I pay very close attention to when I’m tired and start dragging my leg.
Regardless if you are a world champion or weekend warrior you owe it to your body to stop ignoring the pain and get it fixed. And if you can find a heath care provider who does Jiu-Jitsu it makes it so much easier.
Michael Ko, PT, DPT
Movement IQ Physical Therapy
614 S Brea Blvd
Brea, CA 92821
714-853-9252
www.MovementIQPT.com
www.PTintheGuard.com
www.facebook.com/MovementIQPT
Priscilla Prandini: Facts about BJJ in Abu Dhabi for Women
They teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the public high schools in Abu Dhabi. For boys its mandatory but for girls its an optional elective. BJJ Legends sits down with Priscilla Prandini one of the supervisors of the program to bring BJJ to UAE and Michelle Nicholini, 8 time world champion and Prandini's coach.
(In case you missed it read the heart felt post by Ishtar Al-azawi a Muslim woman training and competing in BJJ)
BJJL: I am here with Priscilla Prandini and Michelle Nicolini and we are going to talk about Jiu-Jitsu in Abu Dhabi for women. And my number one question is, isn't there a lot of machismo in the United Arab Emirates?
Priscilla: Its like different culture there. They have different roles in the society and in the family one is not stronger than the other it's just a matter of different roles. We can see many girls practicing sports and working outside. The idea of "machismo" is misunderstood."
BJJL: In the UAE are woman allowed to walk around outside? Allowed to drive a car? Allowed to ride a bicycle?
Priscilla: Yes, sure. There are somethings common in a country with Slavic foundation such as clothing etc but its not that bad, its just different from Western culture but you can adapt somethings like long sleeves. Its not allowed to go to the malls with some t-shirts that can appear your shoulders. But you can do everything here.
BJJL: Do you have to wear a headscarf?
Priscilla: No, never.
BJJL: And is there a curfew?
Priscilla: No.
BJJL: Are there bars?
Priscilla: There are, but the most inside the hotels only for non Muslims.
BJJL: What do you do in Abu Dhabi?
Priscilla: Now am a supervisor. I arrived there as a coach. I stayed a coach two years and now I am supervisor responsible for 19 schools. Eight for girls and eleven for boys. I place the Jiu-Jitsu instructors in schools. I need to check everything, about paperwork that we have a lot, about classes. Each school has two coaches working there. So I need to check everything.
BJJL: Are these coaches Brazilians? Americans?
Priscilla: Yes, we have Americans, but most are Brazilian.
BJJL: Europeans? Are there anybody from United Arab Emirates that teaches Jiu Jitsu?
Priscilla: No.
BJJL: Because the program is too new?
Priscilla: Besides His Highness Sheikh Tahnoon, we have only one local black belt.
BJJL: Female or male?
Priscilla: Male. Female, the high belt that we have is purple belt.
BJJL: Why do they teach Jiu Jitsu in the schools?
Michelle: For self defense, the idea in the beginning was for self-defense, no?
Priscilla: Members of the Royal Family started training Jiu-Jitsu and they saw the changes in the body and behaviour especially among the younsters so His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed's own words "If its good for my son, its good for my country."
BJJL: Jiu Jitsu changed my life. It changed the his son's life and now its changing Abu Dhabi. You're in 19 schools teaching Jiu Jitsu, and is it modified or is it Brazilian Jiu Jitsu?
Michelle: She only supervises 19 schools but there is much more.
Priscilla: No not modified. Its Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Each tournament we bring around 900, 1000 children, kids to compete. We have almost one tournament a month. The acceptance of the program is great either for male and female schools. We are present in the entire Emirate of Abu Dhabi and growing every day.
BJJL: The people that you are bringing to teach the classes inside the schools, what's your requirements? How do you pick them?
Priscilla: First, you need...
BJJL: Speak in English.
Priscilla: ...but not so much.
BJJL: I don't even know the language in Abu Dhabi. What's the language in Abu Dhabi?
Priscilla: Its Arabic. Its great if the coach can speak English to communicate no just with students but also with school staff and the country generally. We exchange culture and knowledge learning some Arabic words too but we (Jiu-Jitus coaches) mostly spak English.
BJJL: You personally, have you seen Jiu Jitsu change your students? Can you think of a story?
Priscilla: Yes, everyon that gets involved in Jiu-Jitsu has their life changed somehow. There are so many schools so many stories but generally a change in behavior and the awareness of a healthy lifestyle are the highlights.
BJJL: Like here.
BJJL: That's what I was going to ask. The culture, are they competitive? Are they aggressive? Are they...
Priscilla: They are very Competitive and they are getting tougher everyday. They train a lot and their technique level is increasing as they train. They love Jiu-Jitsu. We are lucky. You have never been there?
BJJL: I've never been.
Priscilla: All the buildings are so rich, from outside, from inside. If you look you are like, "Oh my goodness."
BJJL: I need to go. I almost went a few years ago...
Michelle: Yes, come. You are welcome.
Priscilla: Can I add one more thing? I'd like to say thanks for my company PalmsSports for the support and my sponsor Koral.
Diamond Dallas Page and DDP Yoga
Today I did my first DDP Yoga class with 20 other Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu students at the Cobrinha Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy. All belt levels were in attendance including Cobrinha and fellow black belts Fabbio Passos and Bruno Marchi.
DDP Yoga is designed by Diamond Dallas Page (DDP) a three-time professional wrestling heavyweight champion, who entered the ring at 35, an age when most pro athletes are forced into retirement. He traveled the world and wrestled up to 270 days a year suffering major injuries to his neck, back, shoulders and knees, injuries that could easily derail a career and affect his quality of life. The most serious being to his L4 and L5, which could have resulted in paralysis. He was determined to comeback stronger than ever, his answer was DDP Yoga, a system that allows you to work at your own ability and with consistency reap benefits that will help hold back the hands of time.
DDP Yoga’s main benefits are body fat loss, lean muscle growth, elevated cardio levels, core strength and flexibility. The most important aspect is there is no impact, so no undue stress is placed on the joints.
Former disabled veteran Arthur Boorman’s video (YouTube 11 Million views) tells his personal success story praticing DDP. He loses 160 pounds and gains the ability to run after many years on crutches when doctors had told him he was going to be disabled for the rest of his life.
DDP Yoga is not traditional yoga, it is a hybrid workout that incorporates some traditional yoga movements and adds dynamic resistance, active breathing techniques and power movements to make for a more challenging and results oriented workout. You are encouraged to “engage” core muscle groups while moving from and in poses. Poses change quickly and cardio is incorporated too.
It started off easy enough. I learned the Diamond Cutter, despite growing up in Texas in the 1980’s I did not watch Pro Wrestling and so the Diamond Cutter was new for me. Then we did some standing stretching. My shoulder has a catch in it, old BJJ injury.
Next we went to the lunges. I modified all the lunges. This was the most cardio intense part. Lunges, squats, knee lifts. My heart rate was up. At one point we hold a plank for a 40 count. I’m seriously concentrating when Dallas pops up into a headstand. Cobrinha pops up next. I laughed out loud. Really?
After all the squatting, planking and lunging we did some nice modified crunches followed by some more stretching on the ground. My hip flexibility isn’t where it used to be. How have I not noticed this?
Diamond Dallas has plenty enthusiasm to pull everyone in the class through. I will definitely go again and if Diamond Dallas Page comes to your town you should give it a whorl. It’s fun, challenging and the benefits seem to be geared for those of us who roll.
DDP Yoga
Website: http://ddpyoga.com/about-ddp-yoga.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DDPYOGA
Twitter: @DDPYoga
Instagram: http://instagram.com/ddpyoga
Sidebar: It is currently used by professional athletes, professional as well as amateur wrestlers, MMA fighters, BJJ players and regular everyday people who want to perform at optimum levels and who want to place themselves in the best position to see career and life changing results and improve their quality of life.
Looking to get sponsored: http://www.ddpyogaworkshops.com/get-sponsored/
Tap Cancer Out Winter BJJ Open: Who, What, When, Where & Why?
The organizers at Tap Cancer Out are holding their first West Coast fundraising tournament on Jan 17. We got a chance to ask them the important questions.
Who should go?
Cancer doesn't discriminate, so why should we? In all seriousness, our tournaments are great for everyone. It's a low-pressure and well organized environment, perfect for someone testing the waters of their first tournament. We allow the higher belts to go first, since I think they've earned it. Plus, black and brown belts compete for FREE. We offer a masters division for white and blue belts, and we have a dedicated ring for all women's divisions. The morning features Gi and the afternoon is No-Gi. It really is designed to give a high quality tournament experience no matter where you are in your BJJ journey. We're a community and we welcome all. Plus, it's very affordable—$50 for one division and $70 for two and free for competitors that fundraise over $250—so it's a low risk, high reward proposition. We unfortunately don't have children's divisions yet but are looking to change that this spring.
What is Tap Cancer Out?
Tap Cancer Out is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds for cancer-fighting organizations. We do this mostly through our innovative fundraising tournaments, like our upcoming Winter BJJ Open in San Diego, where competitors can fundraise to compete for free as well as earn great prizes. Since 2012 we've raised nearly $200,000 for various beneficiary organizations, including donating $100,000 to the St. Baldrick's Foundation in 2014. They'll again be our beneficiary organization in 2015.
We hosted our first tournament in 2012, not knowing what charity tournament would look like or how it would go over. But it was a huge success and people loved the opportunity to fight for more than just themselves. Our tournaments gave them the opportunity to share their stories and fight for those who are in the fight of their lives. We've hosted five tournaments in all (which is a big undertaking for a small nonprofit) and hope to host four more in 2015. We're located in the northeast, so all our tournaments have been in Connecticut and Massachusetts, but on January 17th we'll have the opportunity to bring our cause to San Diego and we couldn't be more excited. We've already exceeded $10,000 raised and will most likely raise $5,000 - $10,000 more in our final few weeks of fundraising, helping us reach our goal of $20,000!
When is the Winter Open?
Our Winter BJJ Open takes place on Saturday, January 17th at the University of San Diego Recreational Sports Center. Doors and weigh-ins open at 8am and we'll start the GI divisions at 10am, the No-Gi divisions at approximately 1:30pm, and will wrap the day up around 5pm. We've finished every single one of our tournaments on time and this one will be no different. We pride ourselves in how efficiently our tournaments are run.
Where is the venue?
The event specifically takes place at the University of San Diego Sports Center 102 at 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110. There is free parking nearby.
http://www.sandiego.edu/maps/#42
Why? Why have you made Tap Cancer Out? Why have tournaments? Why come to the west coast?
It was back in 2010 that I came up with the idea for Tap Cancer Out. I had been training BJJ for two years at that time and realized that while the sport and community was filled with great people and growing every day, there wasn't a philanthropic presence. I also noticed that I personally wasn't doing anything to make the world a better place. I didn't really know what Tap Cancer Out would be, but I knew I wanted to start it and just figured I'd learn along the way. We met some obstacles and had some false starts, but ultimately we realized that fundraising tournaments was a way to empower the BJJ community to create change. It was the perfect way to marry their hatred for cancer with their love for BJJ, and also a way to show the world what BJJ was truly about, since it's such a misunderstood sport.
We don't have a single full-time employee at Tap Cancer Out. We have a very small team and we all have full-time jobs that pay the bills, working on TCO in our spare time. That means it's difficult for us as an organization to expand. We have 2,400 square feet of beautiful Dollamur tournament mats, but we can only conceivably use them with a 3-5 hour driving radius. We certainly don't have a team of people that could drive our mats and other equipment around the country. So we've been working diligently to find partners who could help us bring a tournament to the West Coast, where we had so many fans that were eager to take part. Luckily we hooked up with GrapplingX who are supplying the mats and found a venue at the University of San Diego. It's honestly been a dream of mine to bring a Tap Cancer Out tournament to the west coast and I can't believe it's finally going to happen. I can't wait, and I hope to see the entire west coast BJJ community there.
Also, we created a mini-documentary at our 2014 Spring BJJ Open that truly captures the essence of our tournaments— https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eECr2-ZL0po
Here’s to a big turn out and great fights.
