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March 2008

Baltimore BJJ Produces 3 Pan Am Medalists

In Los Angeles CA over the weekend of March 28-30, students from Baltimore BJJ traveled to compete in one of the largest and most prestigious jiu jitsu competitions on the planet. 3 students from the team managed to earn Bronze medals. The competitors at this tournament represent the best jiu jitsu players from all over the USA, Brazil, and Japan, so each match is very tough. All three of these students have been training for less than two years, and they all had no prior grappling experience before training at Baltimore BJJ.

Paul Ambriz and Kenny Savercool split the 3rd place medal in the Mens Blue Belt Superfeatherweight division. Israel Gettinger secured the Bronze in the Masters Blue Belt Featherweight division. Rich MaCarthy and Lee Synkowski also competed in the tournament.

Team Balance finshed the tournament with eight medals total

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Kenny and Paul on the Podium.

Kenny, Lee, and Paul at the tournament.

BJJ Black Belt Phil Migliarese Seminar March 13th, 7pm

I am happy to announce that Baltimore BJJ has been accepted onto Team Balance. The Balance team is one of the top jiu jitsu teams on the east coast.

The team is lead by Prof. Phil Migliarese, and 2nd Degree Black Belt under Relson Gracie. Phil is also a yoga master, judo balck belt, and coach to world champions.

Phil will be presenting a gi seminar Thursday March 13th, at 7pm. The cost is $50 for the 2 hour seminar. Do not miss this opportunity to enhance your gi game!

Ferbruary 2008

FIGHT CANCELED

My fight on Feb 23rd has been canceled because my opponent pulled out with pneumonia. Thanks for all the support so far. Will keep everyone posted on future fights.

Thanks,

Lee

January 2008

Lee wins MMA Fight at Valhalla Fights Jan 19th

Baltimore BJJ instructor Lee Synkowski wins fight in the 1st round by rear naked choke.

Click here to check the video!

Thanks to all those who helped in the training!

December 2007

National Standings 2007
I am very please to announce the results of the National Jiu Jitsu Standings for 2007, as posted by the Rated Grappling League, which is used by the Grapplers Quest and US Grappling tournaments.
Kenny Savercool topped the pack as the number one white belt in the nation. This was a fitting capstone to Kenny’s white belt career, which consisted of traveling to more competitions than anyone in the school. When you want to be the best, you have to have the persistence, and Kenny has definitely shown it.
Courtney Rollins finished in second place for the year as well. Courtney’s strong style of jiu jitsu gave his opponents fits, and had some memorable wins along the way.
Watch for bigger things from these two in the future!

November 2007

Ultimate Fighter Tryouts

Monday November 19th, I traveled to Newark, NJ for the open casting call of the Spike TV reality show The Ultimate Fighter. It was a spur of the moment decision as I only heard about the tryouts during Saturday night’s broadcast of the UFC. Lucky for me they were exclusively looking for fighters in the 185lb class, so I fit the bill there. I made it through the whole process, demonstrating my grappling and striking skills in front of UFC president Dana White, and got an interview with the show’s producers. I am still in the running to be on the show, so if I get the call, I’m off to Vegas. I spoke about the experience on the Ed Norris show, you can listen here. Pramit Mohapatra also posted about it in his Sun column blog here.

-Lee Synkowski

North American Grappling Association NAGC, November 17th, Newark, New Jersey

The standout performance of the day was Kenny Savercool’s 4 match win streak to take first in his white belt weight division. Kenny looked completely in control the entire time as he used his unique style to either submit or shut out each opponent. This was the final stake in Kenny’s white belt career, as he makes the move to blue belt now.

Paul “DC2” Ambriz achieved his goal of the elusive “double first place” finish, earning gold in his blue belt and intermediate (2 to 5 year) divisions. This was quite a feat for someone who has only been training for a little over one year.

Shimon Kafka found his focus in his blue belt gi division and took home first place.

Courtney Rollins took 2nd in his no-gi beginner division, scoring some impressive submission wins despite having a entire Portuguese cheering rooting for his opponent. Courtney took a stab at the blue belt division as a white belt, giving the eventual winner a run for his money. Courtney will be competing only as a blue belt from now on, having earned this rank through his hard work.

Israel Gettinger and Brian Shealey scored bronze medals in their no-gi divisions, adding to the teams success. Ned “Nard-Dog” Van Allen got 4th place out of 24 in his gi division

Lee Synkowski to 1st in Expert no-gi, and 1st in Purple Belt gi. Thanks to everyone at the school for pushing the competition team in training.

Grapplers Quest , November 11th Jersey City, New Jersey

Cool Kenny Savercool traveled to this one alone and made it worth his while by placing first in his gi weight division, and third in the Absolute White Belt division. Kenny weighs 139lbs and loves the challenge of defeating grapplers that are twice his size.

Garden State Grappling Tournament, November 4th, New Jersey

Rob Panizari put the technique his been honing for a while to use as defeated two blue belts as a white belt, taking 4th place in the division. This, along with his solid demonstration of technical ability earned Rob the promotion to blue belt. Shimon Kafka took 3rd in this round robin tournament.

October 2007

Lee on the Ed Norris Show

On Monday October 22nd I got to do a spot on the Ed Norris show, Baltimore’s #1 talk show, heard daily on 105.7 WHFS fm from 10am to 3pm. We discussed UFC 77, training at the school, and the current concerns about skin infections. Listen to the segment here.

Ed Norris, Lee, and Maynard

Battle of Baltimore, October 21st Baltimore, Maryland

This was a good local tournament for the beginners to test the waters of competition.

The stand out match of the day was Jonah Jaroz’s submission win for 3rd place in the Absolute No-Gi division. Jonah was outweighed by 70+ pounds but managed to pull off his trademarked back take to rear naked choke for the win. Jonah also placed 2nd in No Gi Advanced and 3rd in Gi Advanced Lightweight divisions.

Jonah in action

Sam Trupkin played it smart in the Beginner Middleweight No-Gi division, and won all his matches with technique and strategy to take home the title belt.

Sam brings home the belt! (Then he wears it to CVS)

In the Beginner Lightweight Gi division Peter Gatto took 2nd, Randy Balderson took 3rd and Gabe Rubrico took 4th. In the Beginner Lightweight No-Gi division, Tim Mohr took 3rd.

The lightweights are no joke...

Ben Ballard took third in the Beginner Heavyweight division in his first tournament. Josh Schrader also fought in the division.

The hard work is paying off for Ben!

Shimon Kafka, Rob Panizari, and Josh Weinstock went 1st, 2nd 3rd , sweeping the Advanced Middleweight No-Gi Division. Shimon took 1st and Rob took 3rd in the Advanced Middleweight gi division

Three tough dudes!

Grapplers Quest NAGC, October 6th Jersey City, New Jersey

The standout performance of the day was Courtney Rollins domination of the huge White Belt middle weight division. Not only was this the last match on the mats at 11pm after a long day, but Courtney had to beat six opponents in a row to take home the gold. Courtney did so in strong fashion, sticking to his strong game to earn each win in a decisive fashion.

Up and coming grappling talent Rick Slomba made an impact on the Intermediate division, scoring 1st place with 3 wins, 2 coming by way of submission. Rick also got a submission win in his blue belt weight division.

Paul “DC2” Ambriz continues his quest up the ladder, earning 2nd place in his Intermediate Light Weight Division, and splitting 3rd in his blue belt weight division.

Kenny Savercool took second in No-Gi Beginner Lightweight, putting his technical and unorthodox style to the test. Tony Evans got second place in his Blue Belt gi division, after starting off with two solid wins. Lee Synkowski took 1st in Purple Belt gi and 2nd in Advanced No-Gi.

September 2007

Judo now at Baltimore BJJ!

If you have been wanting to work or your stand up grappling technique, you now have one more opportunity to do so. The class meets Thurday from 6 to 7pm. You will learn the falls, rolls, grips, and throws that get your opponent to the mat. The instructor is Tomas Drgon, a black belt in judo under Sensi John Anderson of Baltimore Judo. This class is highly recommended to competitors, or anyone else looking for a good workout.

Copa Nova Tournament, Richmond, VA, September 1st, 2007

Everyone wins a gold or silver! The team continues to perform at a high level.

Kenny Savercool splits 1st/2nd Place with Paul “DC2” Ambriz in the White Belt 139.9lbs division. Kenny powers through some much bigger opponents for a 2nd Place White Belt Absolute division finish.

Israel Gettinger again has a stellar performance, First in No-Gi Masters 139.9lbs, Splitting 1st/2nd in Beginner No 139.9lbs, and finishing all three of his opponents in the White Belt Gi 139.9 Division for another 1st Place.

Ned “Neduardo Telles” Van Allen debuted his turtle game and scored some impressive wins to take home 2nd No-Gi Beginner Weight Division.

Tony Evans was at the top of his Blue Belt 200lbs Gi division with a first place finish.

Paul “DC2” Ambriz made it to the to in gi and no gi, splitting 1st place with team mates in both categories.

Special thanks to Ken “Bro” Kim who was on hand to help coach.

BJJ United In House Tournament, Philadelphia, PA, September 15th 2007

Fresh off his Marcelo Garcia pilgrimage, Rick Slomba took in his 3rd Blue Belt Weight division despite still being a white belt. Rick secured 2 submission wins enroute to the medal stand.

Kenny Savercool took 3rd in his White Belt Weight division, winning 3 matches and losing one.

August 2007

IBJJ World Championships, Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 23rd -26th

Synkowski defeats Gracie!

Yes it was quite an exciting time at jiu jitsu’s biggest tournament, held for the first time outside of Brazil. The competition was TOUGH, as all of America’s best were on hand, as well the power houses from Brazil, Japan, and Europe. It was hard not to get overwhelmed, but it was time to go work and represent the hard work of all my students and team mates.

In the Purple Belt Medium Heavy Weight division I drew pro MMA fighter Bryan Guidry, from Rodrigo Vhagi’s school in St. Louis. I knew this would be difficult as I had scouted Bryan from the brackets that were released before the tournament. I came up with a game plan to implement. He got the takedown before I could pull guard, but once I got to half guard I began working my sweep series. I was able to get two sweeps for the win.

Next match was Seth Smith from Saulo Riberio Jiu Jitsu. I won the match on points, finishing on his back working for the gi choke.

Third I faced off against Brendan Raedy from Yamasaki Jiu Jitsu. I thought we would meet up, as I have fought him before on tournaments in the East coast. I worked to implement my game, but came up short, for the points loss. This was my third match, and he had a bye, so it was his first. Sometimes the winds of competition don’t blow in your favor and you just got to go with it. Raedy went on to win the Gold medal, proving he is a very tough competitor.

The following day it was time for the Purple belt Open weight division. There were 160 people signed up, but realistically about half drop out before it starts. I won my first match against an athlete from the Straight Blast Gym.

Second round I drew Kayron Gracie, the young son of Carlos Gracie Jr, head of the Graccie Barra team. Well, anyone who has been around jiu jitsu knows the contributions of the Gracie family, and the legacy that they represent. As you can imagine, I was excited about this match.

I had seen some of his earlier matches, and I knew Kayron liked to pull guard, so I beat him to the punch by pulling guard first. I also knew he would try to stand to open my guard, so I focused on breaking his grips, and using my weight to keep him kneeling. Eventually, he got my legs open for the pass, but I went to turtle and rolled for the sweep. He defended by going to turtle, which I countered with by taking his back. From there he sat through to mount, and escaped to half guard and worked a choke. I defended and came back to his guard. The match ended there. The ref raised my hand and I walked back to the pen.

Pictures of the match courtesy of Kid Peligro and Medora Macie

The next match I drew Evan Brandon, a competitor from the Lloyd Irwin school with a black belt judo back ground. I was unable to keep him down in my guard, and he threw me around for the win, so my absolute division run ended there.

It was very exciting being a part of the highest level of jiu jitsu competition on the planet. Seeing the top black belt fighters was inspiring, and gives me renewed drive to get to that level.

Thanks to my students and team mates who really made this all possible. It is impossible to learn jiu jitsu by yourself, and I take what they have given with me when ever I compete.

Now, lets get back to the mats and keep the fire burning!

-Lee Synkowski

NAGA Battle at the Beach, Wildwood NJ, August 5th

This time we showed the strength of our masters team with strong showings from some of our newer competitors who are over 30 years old. That’s the great thing about jiu jitsu, it is for everybody, and you don’t have to start at age 5 to get a lot out of it. I am proud of our masters team competitors who stay committed even with busy families and jobs.

Ted “The Terra” Terranova came out strong in his large Master’s No-Gi Beginner Division, winning his first two matches decisively. He fought hard for third place, and was ahead on the score card, but a coaching error caused him to take 4th place out of 16. Ted wasn’t happy with that, so in the same situation later in his Masters White Belt gi division he fought hard to bring home the Bronze medal.

John Brock got a win in the Men’s Novice No-Gi division, and picked up a Bronze in his Masters White Belt Gi division.

Gilbert Garczinski returned to the competition scene and took third in his Executive White Belt Gi master’s division.

Rich “Mac” MacCarthy had to have one more stellar performance before he tied the knot and settled down. Mac took gold in both of his Masters No-Gi Intermediate and Masters Blue Belt weight division.

Israel Gettinger, who is 30 years old but maintains the fitness level of a combat ready Marine, got the Gold in his Master’s Beginner No-Gi Division. He capped the division off with an impressive triangle choke submission victory.

Surprising no one, Courtney Rollins took first in his Men’s White belt Division. Courtney used his powerful game to run through 5 competitors in a row and bring home the gold.

Ken “Drama“ Kim took home the Bronze in his Advanced Featherweight Division.

Lee Synkowski took home Gold and the Championship belt in both Advanced No-Gi and Purple Belt weight divisions. All six matches were won with out a point scored on him, and three were finished by submission.

Buxter Garczinski and Joseph Scott mixed it up with the kids, and learned something from their matches.

Ben Hoffman and Kenny Savercool rounded out the rest of the team. Special thanks to Shimon Kafka who was on hand to corner many of the matches, resulting in more wins.

The Team at the end of the day.

July 2007

New Day Classes

Starting Tuesday August 7th we will begin day classes. Classes will run from 11:30 to 12:45 on Tuesday and Thursday. Gi on Tuesday, no-gi on Thursday. Take a lunch break and get a power jiu jitsu workout in!

US Grappling Championships, Richmond, VA July 14

Another series of strong finishes at this tournament. Everyone had great success in their respective divisions.
Courtney Rollins again demonstrated his dominance, steamrolling the competition for a 1st place win in Beginner 179 No-Gi. One Simple mistake gave him the Bronze medal in his White Belt Division.

Kenny Savercool and Paul Ambriz tore up both sides of the bracket, each winning 3 matches to split 1st and 2nd in their No-gi Beginner 139 Division. Paul had a nice match win over a much heavier opponent in the absolute division.

Israel Gettinger returned to the competition scene, taking 1st in Beginner No-Gi. Luckily no arms were harmed this time around.

Ken “Frostwolf” Kim lost his pro debut and advanced division matches by just an advantage which is impressive when you consider just how far Ken has come, and when you realize how much time he has to spend with Martin “Danger” Lo just getting to practice.

Ben Hoffman and Shimon Kafka both stepped up to fight in higher level no-gi divisions, and even though they didn’t meet with success this time, it is commendable and I am sure they will in the near future. Shimon did take 3rd in his Blue Belt weight division.

Lee Synkowski took 3rd in the No-Gi Pro Team Challenge and 2nd in Purple belt weight division.
Aspiring avant garde film maker Kenny Savercool filmed a bunch of the matches and put them up on YouTube. Here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Chance301

NAGA Ohio Grappling Championships, Reynoldsburg, OH July 14

Rich McCarthy will not be denied looking for that #1 masters ranking from NAGA again this year. Rich takes 3rd in Masters Intermediate No-Gi and 2nd in Masters Blue Belt Gi. Just keep racking up the points, Rich!

NEW LOCATION!

The move is on! Effective July 2nd classes will be held at the new location 6233 Kenwood Avenue Baltimore MD 21237.

Google Map

DIRECTIONS

Special thanks to everyone who helped with the move.

We are all very excited about training in this much improved facility.

See you there.

June 2007

Diamond State Games. Bear, Delaware June 23rd.

Another successfull outing for the competetion team at this tournament.

Nick Ingentio earned 2nd place in his no-gi intermediate division. Kenny Savecool continues to work his way to the top, earning 2nd in both his Beginner No-Gi and White Belt divisions. Finally, Courtney Rollins showed why he is on the fast track to success with a 1st place win in his White Belt Gi Division, and a 3rd Place finish in his Beginner No-Gi Division. Thanks to all who helped the team this time out.

May 2007

NEW LOCATION

Thanks to all of the excellent students that have made this such a great place to train, Baltimore Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is expanding!

We are moving to a new location with nearly 3 times the mat space, a shower, improved waiting area and changing rooms.

The move will occur in July 2007.

The new location is:

6233 Kenwood Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21237

google map of the location

This is approximately 3.5 miles from the existing academy.

Thank you for your support, looking forward to seeing you on the new mats.

-Lee Synkowski

Western PA Grappling Championship, Greensburg, Pennsylvannia. May 5th.

Chris Jacob and Shimon Kafka split first place the no gi division. Chris also debuted the Haymaker Fight Gear as the official sponsor of the tournament.

Shimon Kafka won the gi division despite being footlocked after the bell in yet another freak injury.

Ken “Xyience” Kim took 1st in no gi with 2 quick submissions.

Rich McCarthy took 1st in no gi using his triangle choke against the strong Pennsylvania wrestlers.

Kenny “Savercool” Savercool took 2nd in gi and no gi.

Special thanks to Mike and Jess Trail for filming and photographing the event.

April 2007

East Coast Grappling Championships, Richmond Virginia. April 28th.

Ken “Cardio” Kim finally broke his gi division curse with a 1st in his Blue Belt weight division and 1st in Blue Belt Open Weight Division.

Ned “Norris” Van Allen came out of the gate strong in his first tournament. Ned took 2nd in No Gi and 4th in gi due to the fact that his final matches were occurring at the same time.

Finally getting back to the tournament scene after recovering from injuries, Shimon Kafka took 2nd in No Gi. Nick Ingentio took 3rd in the No gi division as well.

Courtney Rollins racked up some experience in his first tournament alongside Kenny “Savercool” Savercool.

NAGA Worlds, Jersey City, New Jersey. April 20th.

It all came together for Chris Jacob who got 1st place in his Masters Intermediate No-Gi Division. Chris has been working his no-gi for a while, and it shows. Chris even picked up a 2nd place in his gi division. With a sponsorship from Haymaker Clothing under his belt, things are looking good for Chris.

Rich McCarthy was back on the top of the heap again after winning his Masters Intermediate No-Gi Division. Rich had a super tough opponent in the finals and played one of the smartest games he could to win the match 10-8. The experience is definitely paying off. Rich also picked up 3rd in the gi, hitting a highlight reel takedown during the match.

Martin “Danger” Lo finally got a chance to unleash his fury on the newly created Bantam weight division. Martin earned the Bronze in the singlet as wells as in the gi. Martin even stepped up to blue, and stood strong, earning a 0-0 advantage loss for a 2nd place.

Kenny “Savercool” Savercool ended up in a solid 4th place in a large division, after two impressive wins. Kenny is beginning his tournament quest and with a little work he could become the next “DC2”.

Christina Escalante came out strong during her first match, submitting her opponent with an armbar in 45 seconds. Her second match had a fluke ending where Christina’s foot got caught in the opponent’s shorts and sprained her ankle. Christina is motivated to get out there again, and show her skills.

Ken “Master of Schport” Kim lost a close match 4-2 in overtime to veteran Noah Booth in his expert no-gi division. Rob Panizari came back from his injury layoff and came out with a solid 2-1 performance in no-gi. Thanks to all who helped us prepare for the tournament.

February 2007

Grapplers Quest Beast of the East, Wayne New Jersey, February 17th

Once again it was another solid showing from the Baltimore BJJ Competition Team at one of the biggest tournaments in the United Sates. Three thousand people turned out to witness the days highlight as two time ADCC world Champion Marcelo Garcia wowed the crowd with his technical submission wins. Garcia showed the grace and strength that we all hope to emulate as grapplers.

As usual Paul “DC2” Ambriz came out on top. Paul took first in the no-gi, showcasing his impressive triangle choke along the way. Paul took 3rd in gi, only losing one close match with his rival along the way.

Brian Shealey took 2nd in another huge no-gi division. Despite his advanced age, Brian chose to fight in the regular division. Brian racked up four wins in a row to get to the final round. Brian showed excellent awareness of match strategy and tactics during his climb up the charts.

Ken “Death Child” Kim drew world class black belt Wilson Reis in the first round of his advanced no gi division. Ken showed that he belonged in the big leagues by pressing the offense on Reis with his signature heel hook. Even though he didn’t get the win, Ken’s willingness to do battle was commendable.

Chris Jacob earned a hard fought match win, stepping up in the intermediate division. Lee Synkowski took home 2nd in the Advanced No-Gi division, and 1st in the Purple belt division.

There was success from all the affiliated Maguilla Academies, so we are eagerly awaiting the team results tally to see how we stacked up over all.

International Submission Wrestling Association Open, Bel Air Maryland, February 3rd

No surprise, Paul “DC2” Ambriz came out on top with a gold medal in his division at this local tournament. Josh Kozak got out there and fought for the school in the heavyweight division. Special thanks to all of the supporters of the school who came out to see the action.

January 2007

Budweiser World Cup, Concord North Carolina, January 20th,21st

How often do you bring a team to a major event and everyone walks off with a medal? It doesn’t always happen, so when if it does you know the hard work is paying off. Competition is tough, just winning your first match puts you ahead of half the pack. If the whole team can do that, you know you must be doing something right.

Paul “DC2” Ambriz continued his climb to the top taking 1st in No-Gi Beginner, and 2nd in White Belt. Paul has the ability to adapt his game quickly on the fly, and a burning desire to win, that puts- him on the podium again and again.

The Warrior of the Weekend award goes to Larry Williams who braved unconsciousness battling out of a triangle choke during the semi’s of his white belt division. Larry ended up splitting 3rd with first time competitor Brian Shealey, who tore up the other side of the bracket. Brian showed he has a strong potential, taking 1st in his master’s No-Gi division, and beating some of the whippersnappers in his adult division.

Chris Jacob takes home the award for most improvement from last year. In 2006, Chris lost both of his matches due to inexperience and nerves. Chris came back strong this year taking 2nd in Masters Blue Belt Gi, and fighting a war with a purple belt in Intermediate no-gi to an 0-0 overtime decision loss. Chris was hungry, taking extra challenge matches just for more experience.

Ken “Sick Dog” Kim displayed his personally designed game to take 2nd in Blue Belt Division, losing 1st to a questionable 0-0 decision. Ken got revenge in No-Gi, defeating his previous opponent for a 3rd place finish.

Maguilla team mate Monroe Hall took 3rd in Purple Belt Gi, and 2nd in No-Gi, in one of the most stacked divisions at the tournament. Monroe provided excellent guidance and support to the team, and we are all grateful for that.

I won my matches in gi and advanced no-gi and took a shot at the pro division. I drew Rafael Lovato Jr, the youngest American ever to receive a black belt, and one of the top BJJ players in the world. I knew I was in for a tough match, but I was in good spirits though, coming off the success of my team, and excited to be competing at that level. I lost 4-0, but stuck to may plan and fought out of some submission attempts. I will learn from the loss, and look forward to competing at the top again.

The tournament trip was excellent and everyone had a blast, and I’d like to thank everyone who helped us train for the event.

-Lee Synkowski

December 2006

COMING IN JANUARY

*NEW MMA SPARRING CLASS*

Due to popular demand we will begin a weekly MMA sparring class in January 2007. This is an advanced class for students with at least six months of training time, or the instructors approval. Students are required to have a full set of proper protective equipment including MMA training gloves, shin pads and head gear. Class will consist of full mixed martial art sparrring in a controlled setting. The purpose of this class is to provide students an opportunity to integrate the skills learned in the MMA fundamentals and jiu jitsu classes into a limited rules environment. Classes will be held on Saturdays at 12:30pm after the Submission Grappling class.

December 2nd East Coast Grappling Championships, Richmond Virginia

The soliders made a strong showing during this tournamet. Active duty Navy Recruiter DC2 Paul Ambriz showed his skill, medaling in every division he entered. Paul took 2nd in his white belt gi division, 3rd in his no-gi division, and 3rd in the open weight division. Paul competes in the lightest weight class, so any wins in the open division are impressive. Former Marine Israel Gettinger showed his composure taking 2nd place in his no gi division at his first tournament. Israel showed excellent sportsmanship in attending to his opponent in his first match who was injured in a freak accident. Lee Synkowski got 2nd in no gi and gi divisions as well.

Buxter Garczinski showed that the hard work is paying off, earning 2nd place in his gi division and 3rd in his no gi division, in the childrens division. Buxter is just beginning to learn submissions, and he was able to apply and defend them out on the mat.

October 2006

October 14th & 15th, Grapplers Quest, Clifton New Jersey.

This Grappler’s Quest brought out a strong performances from the John’s Hopkins University BJJ club. The JHU BJJ club has been around for about three years, and I have had the privilege to work as their coach for the past year. The club has a small but dedicated core that uses jiu-jitsu as a break from their rigorous athletic schedule. New members are always surprised at how hard they work, and as a result there is a high turnover rate.

Ken Kim took first in his intermediate division, winning all of his matches by submission. Ken defeated opponents with more training time than he has, and is almost ready to step to the next level of competition.

On his first outing as a blue belt, Rich MacCarthy took Silver in his Masters Blue Belt division. This is just another step in Rich’s quest to be the top NAGA masters competitor for the year. He plans to travel to two more competitions to make this goal happen. I know he can do it.

Tony Evans took third in his No Gi intermediate division, and submitted a tough opponent in his gi division. Tony is in a tough spot because he is one of the bigger members of the club, so he has a hard time finding good training partners. Tony proved he is on the level with the competitors at the larger academies, and should be proud of his accomplishments.

Paul “DC2” Ambriz, of Baltimore BJJ, took second in no gi novice. Paul has only been training 2 months, but he is really picking up the game quickly. Rob Panizari also racked up a match win for the team.

September 2006

September 16th, Bel Air, Maryland: Sekai Kids Tournament.

Now knowing what to expect, the kids were ready for their second tournament. The team met the challenges of the bigger schools head on.

Brady Goodin won Gold in his gi and no-gi divisions, looking confident this time around. Chase Vosvick had some solid wins enroute to Silver in his gi and no-gi divisions. Bradon Whaley, despite only having a few classes under his belt, placed 3rd in his gi division after a solid win.

Rex Beck stayed focused and won three matches to take second in his gi division. Buxter Garczinski showed his skill, giving the no-gi tournament winner his toughest match of the day, and picking up a hard fought win in the no-gi division. Drew Walsch out played his first opponent despite a huge size advantage, and showed his double leg takedown in the no-gi division.

Brady and Drew were promoted to yellow belt, due to their performance and dedication to training. Congratulations to them and the entire team.

August 2006

August 26th Chicago, Illinois: NAGA Chicago

Rich McCarthy, on his quest to become a top masters competitor, flew to Chicago to fight in the NAGA tournament held there. Rich warmed up in the no-gi division, placing 3rd. In the gi division, Rich submitted his first two opponents, then lost a tough final match to finish 2nd place. Rich has only been competeting in grappling for a few months, but he has the fire needed to become a champion in the future. Great job Rich! Special thanks also to Patrick for showing our colors out in Chicago and cornering Rich.

August 5th&6th, Wildwood, New Jersey: Battle at the Beach Results

Chris Jacob fought well for 3rd place in the Men's Middle Weight White Belt Gi Division. Shimon Kafka, despite taking and illegal kick to the face in his no-gi match, battled back to earn 3rd place in the Men's Light Heavy Weigh White Belt Gi Division. His only loss came at a referee's decision to end a tie. Rich McCarthy took 2nd place in the Men's Masters White Belt Gi Division, looking strong throughout. Ken Kim stepped up big time and took 3rd in Intermediate No-Gi as well as 2nd in Blue Belt Gi, despite still being a white belt. Ben Hoffman looked excellent cutting through his first 3 opponents in his 32 man Beginner Middleweight Division. Ben narrowly missed the medal stand, finishing 4th overall, which was excellent for his first grappling tournament. Paul "The King of Spades" Gallo won matches in both his gi and no-gi division, quite an accomplishment for someone with less than 2 months of training. Natalie D'Ambrosio drew a much heavier opponent for her first ever time grappling against another female. Nat did manage to escape and retain her guard for the match. Larry "Curl" Williams dominated his first opponent, but lost steam after sustaining an elbow injury in his second match. Martin Lo used his slick wrestling to win a match in his no gi division. Shawn Rodriguez and "Bad" Brad Kirk stepped up to face some tough competetion at their first large scale tournament. Lee Synkowski took 2nd in Advanced Light Heavyweight No-Gi and 1st in Purple Belt Middleweight Gi.

For the Kids Rex Beck brought the heat, winning the Silver medal in his gi division. Chase Vosvick jumped in with the older kids and got his first tast of the big time. Buxter Garczinski fought two excellent matches that showed his heart till the very end. Drew Walsch, stayed cool and displayed his creative moves getting out of tight situations. Brady Goodin worked his double leg takedown and back escapes in some tough matches.

Congratulations to all competitors who worked hard in preparation for the tournament. There is always the next time to work towards and improve. Most importantly the team had a good time, supported each other, and displayed excellent sportsmanship on the mat.