Columbus, OHRelson Gracie held his annual Gracie Nationals tournament in Columbus,OH on October 15, 2005. One of the most popular events in the Midwest jiu-jitsu scene, the tournament drew competitors from across the country -- from California to New Jersey, Georgia to Hawaii, jiu-jitsu fighters came to test their skills and challenge their spirits. Some of the Midwest representatives of Team Royler Gracie - David Adiv sent a strong contingent to the tournament. Competitors from Donald Park's Evolution Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (RGDA - Cleveland, OH) combined forces with Jason Fox's Total Jiu-Jitsu Academy (RGDA - Warsaw, IN) to field a large group of highly skilled jiu-jitsu practitioners. At the end of the day, the team saw great success in nearly every division, proving again that Team RGDA has found a strong foothold in the heartland of America.
Results:Patrick Rice (RGDA Indiana): Patrick competed in his first tournament and lost a tough match to one of the top finishers in his division. His experience was a positive one and he is training harder than ever in anticipation of his next tournament.
Joe Sickman (RGDA Indiana): Joe lost a couple of tough matches to seasoned competitiors. He fought well and gave them both very tough matches. Joe is training and looking forward to his next no-holds-barred competition later this year.
Jason Longmire (RGDA Indiana): Jason competed in his first Gracie Nationals as a purple belt and performed extremely well. He won his first match and then lost to a tough competitor in the finals of his division. Congratulations on a great competition and a second place finish.
Jason Dent (RGDA Ohio): Jason exhibited excellent takedowns and methodical submissions to win the blue belt lightweight gi division.
Mike Russo (RGDA Ohio): Mike took the bronze in his blue belt division. Mike went 2 and 1 for the day, catching his final opponent with a nice footlock from the bottom.
AJ Pulling (RGDA Ohio): AJ looked great in his no-gi division and after posting a few nice wins, had an absolute war with Jamie Toney(pro-MMA fighter), who went on to win the division.
Darren Branch (RGDA Ohio): Darren took the gold in the blue belt superfeatherweight gi division and showed some serious takedowns that were the talk of the tournament. He also competed in the no-gi 155 and under division (weighing 135) and lost by sub to Robert Bihn, whoe nded up taking the division.
Pete Sherer (RGDA Ohio): Pete took silver in his first tournament ever. His were some of the most exciting matches of the tournament. Pete came from behind in his first match (he was mounted) and spun fora nice armbar from the bottom to finish the match. After dispactching of his second opponent and losing a hard-fought battle in the finals, Pete exhibited great technique and heart in his first outing. Not bad for only a few months' experience.
Steven Grubkin (RGDA Ohio): With only 2 months of training, Steven showed a great deal of heart and awesome defense in his gi and no-gi matches. Everyone was proud to see Steven stay cool under pressure and mount some exciting offense as well.
Greg Wallace and Bobby Gilliam (RGDA Ohio): Greg and Bobby both lost their first round matches to very game opponents.
Lucas Beatty (RGDA Ohio): Lucas had a great tournament. He won the silver in the lightweight white belt gi division after three dominating wins and a heartbreaking judge's decision in the finals which saw Lucas holding his opponent in a triangle choke for nearly one minute. Lucas also competed in the no-gi 155 and under division and easily dispatched of his first two opponents to reach the quarterfinals. Lucas bowed out to Jason Fox, who went on to the semifinals.
Jason Fox (RGDA Indiana): Jason Fox competed in the no-gi under-155 division and dispatched of his first few opponents to reach the semi-finals in impressive fashion. In the semi-finals, he faced off against an excellent competitor from Gracie Barra - Cincinnati and lost a close match. Employing an excellent guard game, Jason'stechnique was superb in his efforts and drew positive comments from teammates and spectators alike. A champion competitor, Jason placed third in the division.
Donald Park (RGDA Ohio): Donald Park was placed on the opposite end of Jason's division (no-gi under-155 division). Competing with a broken hand and foot, Donald submitted his first three opponents in under 2 minutes combined to reach the semi-finals of the bracket. The semi-finals were much of the same as his opponent found himself caught in a reverse triangle as time expired. In the finals, Donald faced Robert Bihn (who previously defeated Jason Fox in the semi-finals) and fought a difficult back-and-forth match that ended after regulation with a tie score: 0 x 0. In sudden death overtime, Donald was taken down for the only score of the match and settled for 2nd place.
Overall, the team performed very well and showed that RGDA is a force not only on the east coast, but also in the Midwest.
