** = split division with teammate; no losses.

** = split division with teammate; no losses.

Zach “SWAT” Perret and Keith “Trainspotting” Cebula closed out <160 lb Blue Belt as well as Intermediate division.  Both guys were dominant in their performances, racking up big points, and getting submissions along the way in their 5 matches apiece. Look for both guys to make the big jump to Advanced at their next tournament.

Tye Ryan Murphy wins <170 Intermediate No-Gi with 4 dominant wins (this is only his 2nd time competing at Intermediate). Tough ref decision loss at Blue Belt.

Timothy “#1 Stunna” Spriggs entered 3 tough divisions, the Advanced Open, the Advanced weight class, and Purple Belt. Why would a Blue Belt enter the Purple Belt division? Well, the NAGA instituted a strange rule where Blue Belts were not allowed to fight in the Advanced division – so #1 Stunna would either have to fight Intermediate (which he already won) or Purple Belt (while wearing a Blue Belt). We decided to do the latter and were able to get good results! Hopefully, the NAGA will remove this rule in the future as the promoters of a grappling event should not have any say in what color belt an individual should wear.

Cathy Tran-Zwanetz entered her first Blue Belt division and proved she belonged with a dominating 16-2 then Ezekielle first round match. Because of her flight time, Cathy fought up a weight class and was a bit nervous but it obviously did not affect her too much as she was able to take second, losing 0-6.

“Big” Al Washington went out there and fought hard.  He is putting the time in, in the room and on the mats, and looks to become a top producer for the White Belt competition team.

“Lawyer” David Zwanetz comes back from North Carolina with a Gold and Silver.  Dave triangled his first No-Gi opponent but came out on the losing end of a heel hook battle in the Finals.  Dave then won his first match in the <140 lb Blue Belt division 7-2 armlocked his next opponent for the Gold.

The guy I fought in the blue belt division was actually a 4 stripe white belt from a De La Riva school whose instructor was there telling him to fight up because he was promoting him to blue belt this week.  I beat the guy 11-0 and was very happy with the match.  I had been telling myself to be more aggressive with submission attempts, and I threw a bunch at him.  Pulled guard, broke him down and locked the diamond on him but we had to shift before I could turn it into the triangle because we were near the edge of the mat.  Right away I put an armbar on him…  turned it belly down but he had long legs and managed to step over my shoulder so I had to bail on it and rolled him back into my guard.  Locked the diamond on him again but I didn’t control his posture and he got out.  Sunk a pretty deep cross choke in and I thought I had it done there but he toughed it out for a bit so instead of burning my grips on the first match I let it go.  He reached back and I locked on a triangle… he stood up, so I hooked his leg and swept him with it.  I tried to come up into the mounted triangle but couldn’t quite make it al the way up on top and we got caught in a scramble which I won.  Passing him and getting side control.  I transitioned to mount, then S mount with his arm wrapped around his neck.  He bridged and rolled me, I turned around and swept him back to mount one more time at the bell.

So that was gold.  Not that I really counts, considering it was only one match and a blue belt who was a couple of days short of his actual blue.

Where it got all jacked up was that they had the blue belt and purple belt masters go first… then they decided to split the master an adult white belt divisions between two separate rings.  So I had to decide which one to forfeit… so I bailed on masters and went for the adult division.

That match started well.  Pulled guard (but guard pulls were as technically sound as I know how to do by the way…  sleeve pulled tight, foot on hip, etc…) but I had a hard time keeping this guys posture broken.  He kept trying to violator pass me, and on his third attempt he managed to get his knee wedged in.  I grabbed his pant leg so he couldn’t knee cut and went to half guard… he wasn’t able to flatten me out and we fought from there for a bit.  I tried to go deep half on him but he stymied it, then with about 45 seconds left to go I swept him.  It was a sloppy sweep though, and I ended up in his guard instead of in side control.  So at this point I am up 2-0.  I had his lapel by his belt with my right hand, and I made a stupid mistake and stepped up with my left instead of my right.  He hail mary armbars me… it isn’t too deep and there is 30 seconds left on the clock.  I stand and he rolls me with it.  It is deep, but I have my arm turned just enough so there isn’t any danger.  I reach up to pull his leg off of my head and the guy yells “He tapped” to the ref… and the ref stops it with under 20 seconds left on the clock.  Telling me he was afraid my arm was going to get hurt.  I protested but there was nothing I could do.

And of course at this point I can’t go do the master’s division.  So I am pretty pissed at myself and NAGA right now to say the least…

Mike Atkin won another Championship Belt this weekend, dismantling his first opponent 14-0 (included in the points was a Japanese wizzer that left the crowd oohing and aahing) and armbarring his second. Mike loves giving his Championship Swords and Belts out as gifts so we commend Mike on beginning his Holiday shopping early this year.

Kwami Mensah has been competing like a madman the last few weeks. He fought in four divisions (Masters Gi, Masters No-Gi, Adult Beginner, and Adult White Belt), winning two Golds. They say that one tournament can be the equivalent of six months of training so we’re anticipating Kwami developing into a dominant force in the coming year!

Jovie Soriano, now armed with 2 months of Jiu-Jitsu, took home a 1st and 2nd place (5-1 for the weekend). He submitted one opponent with an Ezekielle and racked up a host of points on the other four. In the finals of the Gi division, Jovie was up 8-4 but “got greedy” falling into a submission. Lesson learned… two Golds next time!

Also, thanks to Jovie for the updates from the tournament and this short writeup on Joshua Plaschkes!

“All of our medals were over overshadowed by Josh’s inspiring performance. Not only did he compete in the Expert level No-Gi, but he continued to compete in lieu of braking his foot in during regulation time. Score was tied, Josh’s foot broken, ref asked if he wanted to stop – THE MAN CONTINUED. Opponent could not defeat Josh in overtime even though Josh was obviously hurt and in pain. Each scored 2 pts. Overtime ended in a tie. They went into double overtime sudden death. Everyone was cheering on Josh. It was like the scene from The Karate Kid. Opponent got the takedown and it was all over. After all that, not taking defeat easily, Josh fought for 3rd place. Opponent immediately went for a heel hook on Josh’s bad foot. Josh submitted.”

Great showing by all involved and extra accolades to Josh who submitted his first Expert division (recommended for grapplers with 5+ years of experience) opponent before his great effort in the Semi-finals.

Mike Atkin ended up winning 4 matches to bring back a Silver and Gold medal. He lost to a Brown belt in the Gi division by a single advantage (0-0, 3-2) but avenged the loss in the No-Gi bracket.

Brian had a solid performance in his 1st tournament, placing in both divisions. Brian comes from a judo background and used it well, throwing his opponent HARD and then submitting him while he was knocked senseless. Brian had a barnburner match in the finals of the Gi division: he fell back early, getting his guard passed twice (0-6) but fought back to pass and mount in the final fifteen seconds to win 7-6!!! Awesome job!

Roberto’s first match in the No-Gi was against Edson Diniz. Edson is perhaps best-known for his match against BJ Penn in the finals of the Black Belt division in 2002. Roberto fought tough in there with the Brazilian, losing only 6-2.

The Gi division wouldn’t be any easier. This time it was Brown Belts, mostly from Pablo Popovitch’s team (currently the largest in the area). Roberto defeated his Brown belt opponent, 5-0; throwing him and then tight-passing him from the top of half-guard. The next bout would be against Wagner Rocha, who had defeated Roberto a few weeks ago. This match would be just as close as the first with Roberto getting to some good positions but unable to capitalize. It ended 2-0 again.

Roberto Struggles to Pass Rocha's Guard

It’s very important to evaluate the matches in context. For Roberto to go in there and be battling with far more experienced competitors shows great promise for the future, despite the current results.

“Bottom Game“ maintained his 100% finish rate, submitting 3 people in the Intermediate division (armbar, armbar, Kimura) on his way to the Medal round. In the semi-finals, his opponent caught him with a tight brabo and earned the tap. Our teammate came back to armlock his consolations opponent in under a minute to take the Bronze. Bottom Game has been traiining since April 6th of last year – the fact that he is finishing grapplers in a division earmarked for competitors with 2-5 years experience is a great accomplishment for him and a phenomenal testament to the Jiu-Jitsu program.

Unfortunately, Bottom Game would miss his White Belt division (he was still competing in the No-Gi when it began) and was forced to bump up to a higher weight class. There, he lost a close match on points.

Wayne Johnson finally got a chance to face some blue belts in competition. He entered the Masters Gi division where he faced the Winner of the Masters Intermediate No-Gi. Wayne dominated his opponent with his heavy passing game and won a 6-0 points victory.The finals was a back-and-forth contest with another Blue belt but this time Wayne would come out on the losing end, 0-4.

Wayne maintained the tradition of being the last competitor to compete at every tournament by making the Finals of the Adult White Belt division. It was a huge bracket and after FOUR matches, Wayne was again in the Finals as the mats were being taken up around him. His opponent earned 4 points off takedowns; Wayne pushed hard to even up the score but would have to settle for another Silver.

Julius Park won three matches to win another Purple Belt division. After a points victory in the quarterfinals, he quickly submitted his next two opponents for First place.

Malcolm Vaughan had three matches in each of his divisions. In the Expert division, Malcolm defeated a Ground Control Purple belt off a a late 1/2-guard sweep. In the semi-finals, he lost 0-4 in a fast-paced match to Matt Riddle from Russell JJ. Good match!

In the Gi division, Vaughan submitted his first two opponents with triangles to earn a bearth in the Championship. His opponent was a strong Top player from Link BJJ (Gonzaga’s school in Massachusetts). It was a close bout with Malcolm earning two advantages for near submissions and his opponent picking one up himself for a near pass. Despite some post-match bickering between the referee and the other coach, Malcolm got his hand raised and the Gold.

Congrats to Malcolm, Wayne, and Bottom Game who join Josh Plaschkes and Jason Hanfman as individuals who have beaten Upper Belt competitors. I am very happy with the results we have been getting, especially with everyone fighting above their experience level.

Remember, next weekend is the Richmond Tournament!

“Little” Scott placed in three divisions despite fighting in all three AT THE SAME TIME. He fought in five consecutive matches with only a single 30-second break. In the Teens No-Gi Beginner, he won his first match 7-4 but would lose a 0-0 match in the finals. He then put his gi on and defeated his 1st opponent 2-0 before coming up short on points. After jumping into a 3rd division without rest, Scott was awarded an additional 1st place award for his valiant effort and toughness! .

Sean is a 13 year-old who has been grappling with the family. He bumped up a weight class to get matches and still took care of two other kids – finishing the first in 8 seconds with an arm triangle and the second with a guillotine. In the championship bout, he fought hard, losing by only 2 points in an action-packed match (score was 16-14)!

After an impromptu lesson in submissions from big brother, Stephen decided to compete despite having no experience. It must’ve been a good lesson because he tapped his first two opponents!

The Entire Miller Gang