PAN AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS 2006

I leave on Thursday afternoon for Los Angeles to compete in the Pan American Championships.

I am competing in the Brown Belt Pena / Featherweight division, as well as the open weight / Absolute division.

The training has been good and I thank the team for all the support.

I'm hoping to have the following conversation in the LAX airport on Monday. . .

TSA Agent: Sir, would you step through the metal detector?
*Walks through the detector*

*BEEP!*
TSA Agent: Sir, would you mind removing that very large medal that's hanging around your neck?

Donald: Oh, this? No problem . . .

Upcoming Tournaments - April 2006

There are a handful of tournaments coming up the next few months. Although I'll be out of town for the Pan-Ams and a series of seminars with Royler, I would urge the team to participate in these tournaments, as they will likely be well-run and great experiences for both the seasoned competitor and those new to the competition scene.

TOURNAMENTS IN THE MIDWEST

April 15th 2006 - Milwaukee Challenge
2751 S Lenox Street
Milwaukee, WI 53207

This tournament will be run by Henry Matamoros, new black belt under Pedro Sauer. Keep in mind that this is Easter weekend and the day after Royler's seminar at our school. Weigh ins begin at 8am, tournament begins at 10am. Check out http://www.henrymatamoros.com/news_events.htm for additional information


April 22nd & 23rd 2006 - Great Lakes Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships

East West Martial Arts will be hosting a tournament on Sunday April 23rd in Livonia Michigan. The actual address is:

Madonna University
36600 Schoolcraft Road
Livonia, MI 48150

Saturday April 23rd, they will also host a two-part seminar with Jean-Jacques Machado.

Check out http://www.eastwestmartialarts.com/jjm.pdf for additional information


April 29th 2006 - In-House Tournament at Shawn Chitwood's Academy

Once again, Shawn Chitwood (Saulo rep) is holding an in-house tournament for friends of their academy.

Teams represented will be RGDA Cleveland, Shawn's academy, Relson's Columbus academy and Paul Jordan's Chu to Bu Judo academy.

This should be a small, but great tournament for friends and teammates. The last tournament was very enjoyable and a great experience for all involved.

The tournament will be held at Shawn's academy:

314 E. Main Street
Lexington, OH


Other tournaments in the coming months include the NAGA Chicago at the end of May and the NAGA Columbus in July (www.nagafighter.com for more details).