Members of the Kootenay Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Team in Rossland and Castlegar travelled to Kelowna last weekend to compete in the Pacific Top Team Jiu-Jitsu tournament.
After training hard leading up to the tournament all seven Kootenay BJJ competitors walked away with a medal in their divisions.
Evan Taylor, 13, had a very hard first match against a much bigger and more experienced opponent. Evan was able to make it the entire four-minute match without being submitted but lost due to points. He was able to bounce back in his second match against another tough competitor and went on to win the bronze medal by arm barring his opponent.
Taka Turner, 12, made quick work of his two opponents with two armbar finishes within the first minute of each four-minute match.
Dean Clancy was able to win two tough fights to secure the gold medal in the Adult White Belt Featherweight division, both won by a large point lead.
It was Jeff Turner’s first Jiu Jitsu competition. He lost his first match on points but was able to win his second match with a perfectly executed control game. Winning his fight nine points to zero to win the bronze medal in the Adult White Belt Heavyweight division.
Samuel Oates entered the Adult Blue Belt Medium Heavyweight division to win the silver medal. Having lost his first match on points, Sam came back strong in the second match to win due to an Ezekiel choke.
Greg Harrison was up next in the Adult Purple belt lightweight division. He was caught quickly with a sneaky armbar from the guard in his first match but was able to do the exact submission that caught him in the first match to his opponent in the second match to win the silver medal.
Ken Poznikoff stepped on the mats for his solo match in the Adult Brown and Black Belt Medium Heavyweight division but his opponent had decided to not compete. Without his scheduled match, a scrappy competitor from a different weight division from Kelowna jumped up and challenged him. While the opponent was smaller than him, he had made it to the semifinals in his division where he lost a hard-fought battle against another Black Belt. Ken was able to control the fight and ended up submitting his opponent with a wrist lock to win the gold in his division. Kudos to the competitor who stepped up to fight him.
Whether you win or lose in Jiu Jitsu, You always learn. It helps teach patience, discipline, humbleness and confidence. While not everyone went on to win gold in their division, everyone became a stronger person and learned from the experience.
For more information about learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the Kootenays, check out KootenayBJJ at KootenayBJJ.com
