Fighting for Balance

Tell A Friend Tuesday!!

2009-08-04T12:49:00.000-07:00

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C-3 Video and a little info

2009-08-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

So i hd to taje a little time off because i competed at the C-3 Patriot Games in Gary, IN on July 25. There seems to be a little bit of a bit of a pattern to me competing at the C-3's apparently i only compete at them after i've worked at the nightclub until 3 am. So i competed twice, I won my absolute blue belt division and then well in gi... it was ruled no contest due to the knee to the head... Here's the video!

Gi Match against a tough white belt.

no gi, knee to the head

cauliflower ear and tough love

2009-06-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am pretty sure i have a little bit of cauliflower ear starting... which i can't lie, is not the most comfortable thing to have. Granted it is part of the game. My plan of attack? Take my younger brother's old wrestling headgear and use it in training from now on.

Sunday night no gi at hawaii's house was definitely interesting. What normally happens is we go out to hawaiis house, pull the mats into the living room and have a full few hours of no gi. not so many techniques, mostly just sparring and helping each other out. This past time we started at about 9 pm and did not finish until 2 am. The only catch is, other than hawaii there is rarely more than one or two of us who actually train bjj, the rest are friends who just like to spar. So sometimes it gets a little rough. This past sunday was one of these times, I got roughed up a bit by a few of the guys who hadn't sparred with me since january, and lost a layer of skin off one of my ears. I woke up monday stiff and sore but it was well worth it. Monday practice was again alittle rough, our class times changed, and I sparred against Vanessa, and Hawaii for my two hard matches... I wasn't reacting well, and felt like i was in a little bit of a slump. So i ended up taking tuesday off, as a full recovery. I really need to start turning on the pressure, playing tight and going for moves. Marcello commented that I have been backing off too much and not attacking. So I eed to start getting it together

But now the big news, I applied tuesday for my visa to train in Brazil with my coach coming up July 8th! i cannot wait to spend a week training in the bjj home land!! I need to really work out and train hard these next two weeks to get ready!

Brazilian Jiu jitsu training June 15- 21

2009-06-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

This week was a pretty interesting week to say the least jiu jitsu wise.

Monday I went up to the chicago suburbs to visit my friend Forrest and his jiu jitsu team New Breed. I had run into forrest and his team a few times at different tournaments and they were alway a pretty nice group to talk to. I arrived monday a few hours before class, so in true jiu jitsu fashion, forrest and i immediately start talking about moves we like, our last tournaments, etc. we got to class early where we stretched and did some light sparring to warm up. Mark, the brown belt and instructor at new breed chicago,was more than happy to have a visitor and we immediately jumped into class. while rolling with a few different guys i started to feel my grips go.. Since i had competed the weekend before against a girl with a major weight advantage, i had done a little more damage than i thought. so i ended up having to slow up on my intensity of training. i got the opportunity to train with mark and alot of the techniques he did reminded me of my own coach. Which weird as it sounds is rare, not many people train like My coach outside of our association so to go to another school and have it was pretty interesting.

Tuesday I woke up and realized I had done a little more damage than i thought and the nerve in my right forearm was definitely not in too good of shape, My grips were almost non existent but i still ended up going to practice with Forrest. I had to alter all of my grips while trying to do techniques and I unfortunately had to give it a rest and not spar. Danny the purple belt who taught class, Mark had to go to california with his daughter, ended up being from indianapolis and i found out we had met 2 years before through mutual friends.

Wednesday I got back to indianapolis and my own team where my coach was back in town and we were getting ready for our stripe test that will be June 27th. i still couldn't grip well so i rolled lightly with the younger students

Thursday i was able to fight more but after two or three matches i was done. We went over a few more extra guard passes. One of the newer females came back and we sparred a little.

Saturday was open mat, we looked over the moves we needed to do for the belt test and i trained with a few people, Paul, a blue belt, and a couple of the white belt guys.

Tonight is open mat time at hawaii's house. It's no gi and should be a blast!

Now that i'm back home

2009-04-28T03:42:00.000-07:00

this is going to change back int o a BJJ blog hooray! so i figure i should start into things... I'm back to training, working to see how good i can get. I've just been given an opportunity to go to brazil and train, so i am very seriously thinking about going, even though i don't have a ton of money...

I competed at the hoosier open in the women's open division. There was only another female and me. I weighed in at around 130(59 kilos) because i didn't bother cutting weight, and she weighed in at 229(104 kilos). We had to fight twice. So here is video of the first match, and the second match i don't have video of yet but i won by decision..

I also worked at the NAGA midwest a few weeks back and had a great time being back working with all of them. I also got to go to a steve hall seminar and do a little bit of no gi training. From now on i'm gong to try and update this daily with whatever jiu jitsu stuff i can ... i need to start being more thorough.

Semana Santa And Andalucia

2009-04-13T00:54:00.000-07:00

Semana Santa and holy week ok going to go ahead and start explaining Catholics in Andalucia right now. Spain is very Catholic, i am fairly religous and Catholic as well but i thought these people would out do me... i was very wrong, Spaniards do not do much about being catholic until Semana Santa. And then they become some of the most religous people in the world.

Semana santa is the week before Easter, and it is a way of remembering what Jesus went through in the days leading up to his death, kind of like seeing part of the Passion of Christ being played out bit by bit every day for a week.

so yea also those wonderful kkk outfits? they were stolen from the people that walk during semana santa.... so go ahead and throw an american in the mix walking through the streets and BAM there they are! so i have pictures, of everything.

then there are pasos, huge floats with religious figures, usually one with jesus and one with the virgin. I have pictures once mojo allows me to post pictures i will!

Manu led me around the last few days of it, i met his whole family more or less, and took pictures of it all. i was alittle bit of an attraction because it was my first Semana Santa and the family was dead set on making sure it was very memorable, they pushed me to the front to get pictures, explained as much as possible, and the kids who were learning english would translate if i didn't understand one of the words.

A Few Photos of Paris

2009-04-08T07:29:00.001-07:00

So i went to paris for three days, and i'm going to go ahead and just put up some photos for now... enjoy!!!

The past week

2009-03-26T01:28:00.000-07:00

so this past week has kind of been a roller coaster. last Sunday after spending a whole day at the beach, i came home, and called my mom to get her advice on what i should do about the whole journal thing. we talked about it for a min and then she told me a bout some bad news. My best friends' father had died.. It was pretty devastating because both of our families are very close. so for most of last week i just kind of went through the motions. i went to practice, i played soccer and tried to hurt some people. and class i barely listened. wednesday i went to a Discover Sevilla/ Toba Turbo party and it was alright just i couldn't get out of it. Thursday i finally kind of broke. I am a reall ybad public speaker and had to give 2presentations.. the first one was good, the second one, i started crying in class... I'm 22 and i broke down in the middle of class. freaking great. so when a few of my school mates were like screw it it's vonne's bday we're getting dressed up and going to buddah, i went along, because i needed a drink badly, and i kne wi could get them for free. (another toba/DS party, i get free shit.) so i got all dressed up, and ended up at Buddah.I got in free was talking with a few of my co-workers, and headed to the third floor, one of my teammates happened to be friends with my co-workers, Manu. And i ended up hanging out with him most of the night. We goofed around had a few drinks, and at the end of the night he asked for my number, which isn't normal for spainards. Friday i kind of lazy, and hung out by the river with Toba's intern, Leslie, went out again with her this time, and crashed early. Saturday i beached it up and rode horsed through Donana National Park, I am now brown and i got to ride a horse on a beach, take that for romantic. Sunday i walked around in Maria luisa park, saw the spring, flower festival, and then Manu called. WE hung out in the park, then he took me on a scooter ride, got coffee, walked around the Barrio Santa Cruz, and had dinner. ha i went on my first real date in God knows how long... it was kind of nice. we didn't do anything super special, but it was great to just run around the city, ride on a scooter, and talk spanish.

Half Way

2009-03-18T01:00:00.000-07:00

so i am about half way done with this thing called studying abroad. and even though it has definately been interesting.... i really do still miss home.. my english is getting worse, and my spanish is getting better. i still don't even try to blend in... at this poing there is no use lol. im a giri, a foreigner. but i dont care, im quite happy. on with the rest of this week.

I played soccer for my first time... and killed it... even though i had no idea what i was doing i just kept after the ball, and ran a few people over, im not going to lie.. after i got used to every thing i was really good at defense, and i was running like there was no tomorrow. after that i had a drink with Manolo, the guy from my jiu jitsu team here... he started dating the other girl at practice. lol oh well. i teased him about it. mainly because he's 27 and she's 18.

midterms were this week and i think i did badly, but im not sure... i can only hope that i can turn this around.. on the whole annoying not e thing, my roomate is apparently keeping a journal, and she left it in one of my drawers , i didn't realize what it was, and read about how much she hates me, and wishes i wasn't there. which i guess i shouldn't care, but really leave that in my stuff freaking cool. i think im going to go ahead and confront her on this one... tell her to pretty much not touch my shit, she can stay as gross and dingy as she wants i dont care at this point.

tomorrow is the beach, and today is laying by the river soaking up the heat... i love it!!

Discover Sevilla

2009-03-13T05:04:00.000-07:00

so i now have an internship with this group called discover sevilla, and not going to lie they´re prett cool. they put on trips pretty much where ever you want to go if you are here in Sevilla. They also have an amazing ability to let you know exactly where to go to party, and this little BAMF card, it gets you in everywhere free and sometimes VIP..

so anyway one of the best perks i have, since it is illegal for me to get paid. is i get discounts depending on how many people i can bring in and sign up. for example, i have two free trips these next two weekends and now im working on getting people for Lagos, so can get a discount on a resort weekend!

anyway the three guys i work with are Brian from Texas, Benni from Lagos, Portugal, and Manu from Sevilla. apparently jorge is the owner, i´ve never met him...

Benni

Brian

Morocco aka Al- Magrib

2009-03-02T02:44:00.000-08:00

So yay for hitting my third continent! This past weekend I was in Morocco, which is a country in northern Africa. Just so you know where it is. Morocco is an Islamic country, and fairly poor. But it is beautiful. I hit three cities Chechouen, Tangir, and Tetouen. It was pretty awesome I’m not going to lie mainly because it was a free trip! So the first day in Morocco we pretty much saw a little bit of the seaside, and then went to the hotel where I had some of the most amazing food. Originally I thought it was going to be heavy and overly spicy, possibly too much for my stomach but I loved every bit of the food including the tea that I tried.

Day two we went into the city of Chechouen. Many of the buildings were painted a beautiful blue. But the streets were very small. It was like walking through a labyrinth. It was also raining so it was a little tricky walking everywhere. Yes, it rains in Africa. Actually in northern Morocco, it is very green, just very mountainous. Our first stop in Chechouen was a carpet/ blanket factory. We got to see the see beautiful carpets and blankets made from hand, if I would have had the money I would have bought a few… One of my friends Jaclyn taught me how to wrap my head properly just to fit in a little more, and be respectful of the culture. So here is a picture of us with our tour guide. He kept calling us habibis, or his darlings. He was so excited to see us trying to blend. And he called me a little Moroccan the whole time. He also taught us a few Arabic phrases for fun. I feel so bad that I cannot remember his name…

Actually I had a lot of people ask me if I was Moroccan, or Arabic, because with my hair covered and my complexion I blended in very well. Jaclyn on the other hand… not so much. We did barter very well though, and since we were trying to be respectful we could barter them down almost 50% of the regular asking price. Yes I have gifts for people from Morocco. After another great meal, we got back into our bus and rode an hour and a half to our next destination of Tangir. The most modern city of northern Morocco

While we were there I saw the point where the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean met. It was a little touristy but there was actually a visible change in the color of the water between the two. If it would have been clear outside, we would have been able to see the Rock of Gibraltar, 9 miles away in Europe. The other very fun and once in a lifetime thing I got to do was ride a camel! There was also a 3 month old baby camel that was absolutely adorable. He had big brown eyes and was such a soft little guy. The hotel in Tangir was the final stop of Saturday. We had another meal and then got together in a few of the rooms that had roof top access. A decent group of us played card games, and talking about either what we bought or what we really wanted to do while we were here.

Sunday we left Tangir and went to the final city of Tetouen. After going part of the day with my head uncovered, I finally wrapped it up after getting uncomfortable with the weird looks. We walked around the city, shopped, and then went to our final meal. they had this little party for us with performers, and amazing food including kebab and tea. The final thing was getting henna on my hand. so that was pretty much it on Morocco. i have some amazing photos, and e ven more amazing memories from morocco!

Alhalambra, Granada, and Cadiz

2009-02-24T02:04:00.000-08:00

so this weekend was one of those what just happened types of weekends. i had to meet at 7:30 am to gt on a bus and ride a few hours to Granada Spain.i slept the whole way. surprise surprise. so once the whole group gets to granada we go to la Alhambra, it was the final palace controlled by the muslims in Spain. Yes i know history lesson yay! but this place was amazing! the decoration, and the fact that paint and buildings hundreds of years old we could easily walk through! the gardens, views, everything just amazing! so that night we kind of walked around and did the whole live in the streets thing, then passed out in the hostel. Saturday was an adventure going to the Albicin, the original part of granada, and looking at the view and everything around us. and i there was lots of graffiti, but i'm not going to put it up... not going to lie some of it may get flagged. i got some really cool things though, a hookah, with carrying case for about $12, a pair of geenie/ arabic looking pants, and just other random things. the final stop was the royal chapel. where the "Catholic Kings" are buried. pictures weren't supposed to be taken but i have pictures on my cell phone... now to get them onto my computer....

Carnaval was a 5 or 6 hour thing that i went to in Cadiz. it is an interesting sight, and if anything like this happened in the USA, most people would die or there would be more fights... but here everyone was just happy to walk around singing songs and drinking in the streets. the only problems were the foreigners... so my outfit was a terrorist, i know politically incorrect but it's ok at Carnaval, you try to make fun of random things.... you should have seen the amount of Osama bin Ladins there were. So there were about 30 of us that went to carnaval in different outfits and all having a great time, until the young ones stopped being able to control their drinking, then it was bad. but the outfits were amazing and the different songs were even better!

needless to say after that weekend i returning to classes was an amazing idea, and much more relaxing

a quick map

2009-02-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

this is just a quick map to show where i have been in spain.

the red dot is where i live,
the green is where i have been in Spain/ Portugal
the green dot without a name is Rota, the military base!

oh so sore

2009-02-11T02:02:00.000-08:00

so this is just a quick update on brazilian jiu jitsu in Spain... I train with Andre, and last week he got his black belt, Congratulations!!! I went to his Montequinto school to train with the females there and a ffew of the guys as well. It was all alot of fun but i could barely move the next day lol.

Then monday of this week i went back to class, got to help a few guys who weren't doing a choke right, and then train again with the guys, the females missed class. But the first guy i went against i submitted a few times but he refused to tap. so Andre stopped the match both times. then the guy said that since he didn't tap, he didn't lose. i just laughed at him... not much else to do in that case... other than that one guy, everyone else is really happy just to have me there. thanks to my coach Marcello, he's given me a great amount of training, that is something none of the guys have seen.

back to spain and everything i'm seeing/ learning. I went to Italica, the first roman city in Spain, and it is amazing here are a few quick photos.

here are some fun photos of me and my friends that i've made so far

Football (soccer) and sevilla

2009-02-10T06:23:00.000-08:00

ok due to technical difficulties this will have to be short.

i have tickets to see Spain v. England in a huge match on wednesday holla!!

Seville has 2 teams, REal Betis, and Real Sevilla. the played each other saturday and for shits and giggles a group of us went to the game, and ended up at a bar right next to the stadium. About 5 fighs broke out where the police with full riot gear had to stop them.

apparently taking photos of police standing around in riot gear is bad... i almost got arrested for this... Stupid socialist government...

one crazy week

2009-02-09T02:05:00.000-08:00

so! this week i have found a bar that i think alot of my friends would absolutely love. and i have spent 3 out of the past 6 days there thus far. P. Flaherty's, it is an irish pub with mostly irish people working there. there is the odd, venezuelan, colombian, and french people that work there but for the most part you walk in and they yell at you in their happy irish accent what do you want? the spanish only comes if they realize you dont speak english. monday through friday they have 1 euro heinekin bottles from 6p- 8p. the bar staff are pretty much my new best friends after i got stuck at this lovely bar for around 12 hours of torrential downpour. so thank you to m y new friends Garreth, Ciaran, Jean- Pierre, and the colombian... i don't remember your name...

thursday i ended up going to The Naval base in Rota Spain to train bjj, with a black belt who was visiting from California. it was really fun. and i found a great new place to avoid all of the 19 year olds talking about how excited they ca n get trashed in the bars here, or on the streets if they want... give me a break... im done with the whole taking care of the drunk young ones, im hanging out with the normal people, drinking like i do in the states, which if you know me, isn't much. and just having a good time. Rota is my new escape. hooray!

im not going to lie i miss home big time and would love to be back in the states, or i could think of a better option, Rota has these beach side condos, 3 bed 2 bath kitchen, and living room/ dining room ares... for around $700 a month, anyone want to move down here and live on the beach, maybe split rent? we could have sevillamojo.com....

Crash Course in Portuguese

2009-02-02T03:13:00.000-08:00

So these past few days I have been in Lisboa, Portugal. And I do have to admit it was an amazing experience. A very big Obrigado (port. for thank you) to Catarina and Chico for being my gracious hosts, even though you had only spoken to me through email. I know crazy right? And I am sure my parents won’t be too thrilled to hear that I stayed with complete and total strangers, but there is a very big sense of community and family in the Brazilian jiu jitsu world. Which reminds me the reason I went to Portugal was for the European jiu jitsu championships. Ok now back on track. I did not get the chance to see much of Lisboa, but there were two very distinct things I did see. # 1 like Spain there was a huge mix of old and new. It would go from this beautiful old architecture to very modern, cramped looking housing. #2 again like Spain there is a huge issue with graffiti. It is everywhere. Not just underpasses or side walls of buildings, but on every thing. The ancient architecture, the news stands, cars, houses, just covering the city. Some of it are murals, others are tags, and the rest are anarchy symbols, and anti government slogans. It is fairly upsetting that no one has done anything to stop the vandalism on things they should be protecting.

On to the tournament. I spent 3 amazing days surrounded again by jiu jitsu. And while I was at it got a very big crash course in Portuguese, traditional, and Brazilian. I promise you there is a difference in the two. For example, Brazilian Portuguese is much easier for me to understand because it honestly sounds much more like Spanish, with very open vowel sounds, and almost a singing way of pronouncing things. Where as regular Portuguese sounds more like French, and actually the consonants are pronounced or exaggerated, and the vowels are closed off. I was the only person working, whose native language was English, and the rest were all either Brazilian or Portuguese. I did learn one major thing, my Spanish, when spoken slowly, was easily understood, and i could respond to their slowly spoken Portuguese. By the end of the tournament people would ask me questions in Portuguese and I would immediately respond in Spanish… Which managed to throw a few people off… Along with this I ended up making friend with this hilarious group of guys, Jahnerson, Lucas, and Wesley. They all started flirting with me and were somewhat like the three musketeers. Their coach quickly told me in English, a nice break from all of the Spanish/ Portuguese conversations I had with the guys, that Jahnerson and Lucas, were both married. Both guys were also twenty two. Wesley the one they kept trying to convince me was a stripper, was actually the only single guy and the only one serious. The others were just excited to meet an American. Then there were the guys from some randome little island that I am still trying to look up. Yes pretty much an island near Madagascar. Theeir coach was from Brazil and named Thiago, he was an interesting guy, and then there was Matteiu. Matteiu apparently like me but only spoke Portuguese and French. And his coach would translate, but I definitely got the feeling his coach was telling him the wrong thing. Mainly because he came up to me later and told me I shouldn’t be flirting with Matteiu but with him. So I really have no idea what to think about it. Both were attractive, but definitely a crazy situation. And I will probably never see either again.

Ok so to working and competing. I didn’t win. Something I’m not used to. I cried, I tried not to but I ended up doing it. But at the same time I saw Megaton, a really good black belt, after he lost for the first time in a very long time completely break down. So I’m learning from the video. And I won’t make the same mistakes again. One of the very cool things was the ring that I was working as a score keeper on, was the ring they had the finals matches of the black belt divisions. So Not only did I get to see some amazing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, I got to meet, Fabio Gurgel, Megaton, Braulio Estima, and Kron Gracie. Every single guy had an amazing game and it was crazy to see how tight and slow they played. So after wards I definitely got a picture with Kron, even though it is fuzzy, and then a photo with his father Rickson Gracie. Thank you to Keiko who coached me and has offered to let me visit Portugal one more time and actually see stuff! So Ciao for now and Bom Dia!

Travel thus far

2009-01-28T02:13:00.000-08:00

So far i have yet to travel outside of Seville. But tomorrow I will be going to Lisbon Portugal to compete in the European BJJ Championships. I am so excited to go! Also i just found out i have an all expense paid trip to Morocco, from a group called 'we love spain' Their job is to take us safely all over the southern Spain/ Africa area on trips. I can't wait for Morocco! For now this is all i'm writing. Until later!

Yay Sevilla!

2009-01-27T04:40:00.000-08:00

I was able to train brazilian jiu jitsu for the first time Monday with Gracie Barra Sevilla. It was really fun, and although the team is very young, i was welcome and ended up having a good sparring session with a judo black belt, a bjj 4 stripe white belt, and the coach, a brown belt by the name of Andres. They were honestly a little shocked to see a female blue belt but were very impressed with my technique, and i actually learned a few variations on the scissor sweep (something that isn't to much of a focus at my american school)

Also my host Mom Charo thinks i am always sick because i can't eat her 3 plates of food at ever meal and she worries. She's a sweet lady but i am still not sure how every thing works here.

My roommate is an interesting situation. She has opposing political views as me, and thinks Obama should be worshiped like a god. he may be president, but he can't work miracles in the 4 months that she is away from home. She has also started making fun of the girls in the program who care about their appearances. I fall into that category, and one day when she started in on it i looked at her and said "i am sorry that most of us were brought up to care about our appearances, and are not satisfied with making up in the morning after not blow drying their hair the night before and just walking to school looking like a mess."

I don't know it's definitely been interesting.

And i believe February 11 i will be going to the Spain vs. England soccer game! I am so excited, apparent;y it is a huge game and tickets don't cost too much!

Interesting points about Seville that my friends will like, and my parent’s/ family may not

2009-01-26T03:30:00.000-08:00

1.finding a hookah bar is very easy just get a random spainard to take you down to the cathedral de sevilla, and there’s like four of them.

2.Bars stay open till 6 am, the reason for siesta is to make sure you get 2 naps a day. 1 before starting your day, and the next in the middle of the day.

3.you can drink alcohol in the streets. If the bars close and you aren’t done with your drink, pour it into a plastic cup and go to the next place!
4.If you are white and can’t dance in America, you are one of the best dancers here.

5.It is legal to smoke pot in the streets and in some small bars. Bigger bars will kick you out for doing it.

6.Bathrooms are unisex.

7.Most of the guys dress better than the girls here.

8.My name is one of those impossible words that do not exist in their language.

9.guys ride together on scooters, motorcycles, dirtbikes, whatever. And this is totally normal

10.Apparently 60 degrees Fahrenheit in Seville equals 30 degrees Fahrenheit in Indiana.

11.Porn is sold on display at every newsstand.

12.There is a new kind of mullet. The kind where the long part in the back, are all dredlocks.

More new things will come later.

seville

2009-01-22T09:49:00.000-08:00

well i am in sevilla, so far is feels like fall in indiana, rainy and a little dreary but in the 60's. i've gotten lost twice but found my way back. And no one believes in heating, including water for showers... it has been nice though, every one is really sweet. My roommate just talks to her family the whole time. she also got us a little lost but it was a fun adventure. I have my little seville phone, and i also have gotten a ton of numbers from the others. that's really been it so far, tomorrow i am going to go exploring, and we also have a welcome party.

travel

2009-01-21T03:33:00.001-08:00

well after a bumpy start i am now sitting at one of my layovers, I'm at the Heathrow airport in London England where i have made a new friend. His name is Dallas and after over hearing that i was going to be flying to Madrid he asked he asked if that was my final destination. we're actually both going to be studying in Seville Spain and have the rest of our flights together, pretty cool right? It's really weird though because the announcer lady who keeps making announcements has a really thick accent. She's speaking english but it barely sounds like it... i fear i may be lost here!!the airport is so big, and there are so many languages it's a little crazy, but it's fun so far! I will keep this as updated as possible and i love and miss everyone!

Getting closer..

2009-01-14T10:43:00.000-08:00

so I only have around 6 days until I leave for Spain, and my coach just got back from Brazil, so I'm trying to make every last minute count. He's a great guy and has made it so everything just clicks. Anyway, as soon as he got back he started off showing techniques none of us had ever seen before. Then yesterday, he started to show the progression for flying arm bars. he does this maybe once every other year, he never shows the real arm bar just how to set one up, and how to do one from the knees. It was all in all a pretty fun experience, not to mention the looks on the newer peoples faces when our 14 year old, Edwin, walked up to our coach and did a full flying arm bar. A little note on Edwin, at his first tournament, the second match he did a flying arm bar. He is amazing at bjj for his age.

this past weekend i competed at a tournament called the C-3. and for the first time in 5 months. I lost. Let me set the scenario up really quick though. I had not planned on competing, actually i had been up since noon the day before with about only a half an hour of sleep. i competed in the purple belt gi, and the Advanced no- gi division. There weren't any girls that were my rank so i ended up jumping up. So my gi match was against a purple belt named Cassandra, who apparently isn't too big of a fan of my gym. I lost 6-0 because of a dumb mistake i made.. I then got a 5 min break before fighting no-gi against a girl named Erin. Apparently Erin had been training for 5 years, in no- gi. and she was tough. The only points scored the whole match were the points i received for a take down. I ended up holding her off and won the match. The finals match, i again had to go against Cassandra, i ended up being too tired and as soon as Cassandra started in on an arm bar, i didn't even fight... which i'm not too proud of. I ended up getting second in both divisions, and i now know that even though i'm a 2nd stripe blue belt who has only been doing this for 2 years, i can hang with the advanced girls and the purple belts.

AT this point i'm off to cut weight and get ready for bjj!

Spain

2009-01-06T22:24:00.001-08:00

As of January 20 this will become a much more written on page... I will be in Spain!So things will be more interesting... new, scary, fun, Whatever!!! just something more! So stay tuned, my travels and adventures will be something amazing!

Naga Midwest 11/16/2008

2008-12-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

NAGA Midwest 11/16/2008

NAGA returned to Evanston, IL for one of their last tournaments of the year. This second stop in Illinois had an even better turn out than before. Over 1,000 athletes came to compete, and their ages ranged from 4 to 48. Every competitor was out to win one of the new NAGA samurai swords, and the expert divisions were battling for one of the championship belts. The NAGA staff had their hands full.

With such a large tournament, competitors came from as far away as Canada and Arizona. The teams with the highest amount of competitors were Gracie Barra Chicago, Combat- do, Team Vaghi, Team Torres and New Breed Jiu Jitsu. Unfortunately the team results were not in as of 11/20/2008. The tournament started out with the children’s and teen’s divisions first. The amount of promise and technique that the young competitors had was inspiring. Jasmin Vazquez, a 4 year old girl from Combat- do, competed for the first time and placed third in both her gi and no gi divisions.IN the adult competitions there were multiple surprises. In the no gi divisions, the high light was Eric "Red" Schafer won the men’s expert no- gi Super heavyweight division. In the gi division, the man to watch was Rodrigo "Comprido" Medieros. Rodrigo won both the Men’s and Masters’ brown and black belt gi Super heavyweight division. The women’s blue belt winners were Kaitlin Carlucci In the light weight division, and Darci Garner in the Middle weight division. Sylvia Reyes won the women’s expert no gi division.

NAGA has one more event this year on December. It will be held in Grapevine, TX on December 6. Next year NAGA plans to start the year off with their NAGA World Cup January 24. The next NAGA in the Midwest will be the Arnolds, a two day event, March 6 and 7. Check out nagafighter.com for information on all of their grappling events!

Belt Testing ‘Down Under’

2008-12-23T16:42:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Brazilian Top Team Australia had their annual belt promotion The head instructor is Gustavo Bomba Toledo, a BTT black belt under Bustamante and Liborio, promoted seven students to their blue belts. The new blue belts are Kane Gehling, Joel Vogler, Greg Kleynjans, Jason Grant Mckell, Clint George, Remo Curcio and Dale Lomax. Also at the promotion, Fabricio Mendonça, the assistant instructor for BTT Australia, was promoted to his brown belt. Brazilian Top Team, which originated in Brazil in April 2000, has now grown to have 24 schools in 7 countries. They have been working tirelessly for the past eight years to help spread Brazilian jiu jitsu all over the world. The Australian team is about a year and a half old and has around 40 students. They have also started to make an impact on the Brazilian jiu jitsu scene in Australia. They most recently had success at the South Australia Brazilian jiu jitsu championships where eight competitors helped bring home eight medals. Congratulations to all of the students at BTT Australia. Keep up the Amazing work and we hope to hear more about our friends in different countries

Battleground 19

2008-12-23T16:39:00.000-08:00

The Last Straw for Battleground?

December brought Battleground to its final show of the year. It took place December 3, 2008 at a local club in downtown Indianapolis. Unfortunately the events of the night and the legislation being passed in the Indiana congress may make it impossible for Battleground to keep working. The main event was scheduled to be Same Toole vs. Al Thomas but Al ended up not being able to make it to the show. The rest of the matches were created and set up half an hour before the fights started. Battleground has open to the public fights. Fighter s can walk in the day of the fights and weigh in, and then be set up with a fight. The new Indiana legislation beginning in January will prevent shows like Battleground from possibly existing. The night consisted of eight total fights; five of the fights were ended by referee stoppage, three of the fights were won by submission. Normally a break down of each fight would follow but due to some controversy I am compelled to write about what happened during the fights.
Injuries are a normal part of MMA and cage fighting and to protect not only the fighters but the fight promotion as well the fighters sign a consent and waiver form. Unfortunately a few of the forms were not legally signed and it became a problem when the fighters got severely injured. One fighter turned out to be 17 and this was only caught after he ended up going to the hospital with a broken nose. He would have been allowed to fight if a parent had signed for him, unfortunately because it was a bar he would not have been allowed in to fight since you must be at least 18 years old. The other major controversy of the night was the third fight of the night, Jeremy Murray vs. Jake Parsley. One of the fighters, Jake admits to not planning on fighting. He had drank with his friends at home before going to the bar where the fights were had a few more drinks, before being approached by the promoter. The promoter offered him money to get in and fight, since they were low on fighters. Jake being drunk agreed and ended up fighting. During the fight Jake and Jeremy both were ruthless against each other, and they had to call it a draw after the EMT’s on sight would not let either fighter continue. The next day Jake went to the hospital and found out not only would he have to have cosmetic surgery to fix his nose. He also had to have his jaw wired shut after it was broken in the fight. Jake admits to being too drunk to drive and in some of the video Jake stumbles on his way up the stairs into the cage.
Battleground has always been questionable. Having last second fights with people out of the crowd, or not having a completely safe ring or cage for the fighters to fight in have made it more of a side show than an MMA show. They have also failed to keep a doctor on sight. This last show has left them without a venue. After hearing all of the issues the bar refused to allow them back. With all of the rules that will be coming into play in January, Battleground may not be able to clean up their act and have sanctioned fights.

Doomsday fighting

2008-11-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

Doomsday fighting came to the Tindall Armory. This is the first time we had been out to this fighting event and it was exciting to see that the promoter had gotten a local cable to not only come out and record it but show it live on TV as well. Fighter records are listed as they were indicated on the fight card. Navitas did the write ups and the ever entertaining Fightjunkie recorded the fights!

The first four fights were part of a tournament bracket with the semi- finals near the end of the night and the finals to be held at the next Doomsday event.

Fight 1- Terrance Skipper vs. Foster Gomez

Both Terrance and Foster put on a great first fight. Although they both visibly had some work to do on their technique both guys were ready to fight. Terrance had an impressive take down during the first round, and in the second round he managed to get mount and managed to get a few strikes in. Foster ended up having more technique, and showed it off by not only trying to submit by armbar but also throw some impressive strikes and leg kicks. His one major slip up was an illegal strike to the back of the head of Terrance. Terrance was just too tired and winded. The referee called an end to the match because Terrance repeatedly said “I can’t breathe”. Foster Gomez won by referee stoppage 2:30 into round 2.

Fight 2- Johnny Weisheit (1-2) vs. Drake Hoover()
This short lived fight was a decent show of the ground side of MMA. Drake tried to get a takedown first on Johnny, but it backfired and he had to work from the bottom of half guard. Johnny quickly gets mount where Drake escaped by upa. Drake kept trying to grapple but Johnny ended up getting back mount on him sunk in a rear naked choke to finish the match. Johnny Weisheit won by rear naked choke 1:29 into the first round.

Fight 3- Bryan Neville (2-1) vs. Pete Dominguez (6-2)
Pete came out big slamming Bryan to the ground where all Bryan was able to do was defend. Bryan tried to guillotine Pete but did not set it up correctly. Pete got mount, escaped the guillotine and ground and pounded Bryan to submission. Pete Dominguez won by TKO 1:36 into round one.

Fight 4- Timothy Loy(0-0) vs Spencer Johnson(5-2)
Although the records of these two men made it look like a mismatch this was probably one of the better fights. It lasted the full three rounds, and each round was different. Spencer controlled the first round with his impressive use of Brazilian jiu jitsu. Round two was a little more even with Timothy trying to submit, and take down. Spencer quickly recovers and gets the dominant position every time and just starts unloading on Timothy every chance he gets In the final round both men slowed down big time. Terrance gets the take down while Spencer pulled guard. Both men trade from Spencer’s guard. The ref stood them back up and the guys started to fight again, but without much enthusiasm. In the end it went to the judges. Spencer Johnson won by unanimous decision.

Fight 5- Casey Large (4-6) Bobby Chadwell (1-7?)
This fight was dubbed an ‘I Quit’ match. Who ever lost had to quit fighting in MMA for a year and just train. Apparently since both guys were not considered very good fighters this forced the loser to reevaluate what he was doing. It started in a frenzy of poorly place strikes and knees. In the end Bobby chadwell landed a devastating knee to Casey’s head. Bobby Chadwell won by KO 1:57 into round one.

Fight 6- Dillon Powell (0-3) vs. Von Cousins (0-0)
This fight did not have anything too spectacular about it. Dillon, who has been training a total of three months, tried to take down Von but von countered with almost getting a standing guillotine. Von then took down Dillon, got mount, and started to punch Dillon. Dillon made a very big mistake by turning belly down where Von sunk in the rear naked choke. Von Cousins wins by rear naked choke 1: 35 into round one.

Fight 7- Jim Carver(2-2) vs. Kevin Cousins (1-1)
It’s not really clear what happened in this match Both Jim and Kevin came out striking. Kevin got the take down and side control. Jim rolled Kevin the got mount and started to hit Kevin before the referee jumped in and pulled Jim of Kevin. Somehow Kevin dislocated his shoulder and the referee stopped the match. Fight ruled no contest

Fight 8- Josh Short (3-1) vs. Dirceu Coroa (1-1)
Dirceu had a beautiful stand up game that he kept up the whole time. He picked times to strike between Josh’s wild punches and open hands. Dirceu made good use of lower leg kicks and kept his composure. Josh tried to keep up but was clearly lacking in his striking technique. Other than one misplaced kick to Josh’s groin that stopped the fight for a moment, Dirceu kept Josh on the run, literally. When Josh tripped Dirceu pounced and kept hitting until he was pulled away by the referee. Dirceu Coroa wins by TKO 2:45 into round one.

Fight 9- Stephanie Newton vs. Tabatha Parr
This is one of those fights that just make you cringe to watch. Before the fight even started Stephanie commented to the referee that she didn’t want to get hit because it would hurt. So the referee went and talked to Tabatha and requested that she just take it straight to the ground. Tabatha being the respectable and classy fighter she is, agreed. So Tabatha came out, landed a few punches while Stephanie tried to run away. Tabatha got a hold of Stephanie took her down and submitted her with a rear naked choke. Tabatha Parr won by rear naked choke :34 into round one.

Fight 10- Scott Roberson (1-0) Byron Sutton (7-0)
There was not much to this match. Byron made a quick show of his skills. He took Scott down twice. After the second take down he got mount and finished it with a guillotine. Byron Sutton won by guillotine :46 into round one.

Fight 11- Ron Carter (0-0) vs. Tyler Minton(0-0)
Ron and Tyler start out feeling each other out by trading a few strikes before Tyler got the first takedown. Both kept trading while they fought on the ground and standing before Ron got mount and kept striking until the referee stopped the match. Ron Carter won by TKO 1:22 into round one.

Fight 12- Todd Mason (0-0) vs. John Lyman
Todd came out with a solid leg kick to John who responded with a couple strikes back. Todd got the takedown on John. John tried to counter with a guillotine but Todd escaped and started to punch John from John’s guard. John was forced to tap due to strikes. Todd Mason won by tap out due to strikes 1:37 into round one.

Fight 13- Foster Gomez vs. Johnny Weisheit
Foster again showed his promise by completely controlling Johnny Weisheit, while standing, and on the ground. Not only did he have a couple good hits, but as soon as he took Johnny down he controlled him and used grappling and submission knowledge to keep Johnny on the defensive. During the second round Foster struck again and had Johnny on the run when he fell and was unable to keep going. Foster Gomez won by TKO due to strikes :30 into round two.

Fight 14- Caleb Hoovler (0-1) vs. Kevin Groff (0-1)
Neither Caleb nor Kevin looked liked they wanted to stand up and trade with each other. Each time they had the chance they took it straight to the ground, and would work to submit and grapple more than anything. Kevin ended up having the better ground game and finished it with a quick guillotine. Kevin Groff won by guillotine 1:52 into round one.

Fight 15- Mike Morrison(1-2) vs. JJ Jones (0-0)
JJ was the obvious crowd favorite for this fight. It seemed like almost half of the crowd was there just for this fight. JJ did not disappoint by any means. He got in the first hit, and rushed mike. Mike got the takedown but JJ rolled into the dominant position before both guys ended up back on their feet. JJ got a hold of Mike’s head and ended up getting a solid guillotine locked in. JJ Jones won by guillotine :45 into round one

Fight 16- Brent Stott vs. Josh Rinds
This is another match that went straight to the ground to battle it out there. Both men seemed to have a decent knowledge of their ground game. Josh did a good job of opening Brent up to not only a few submission attempts, but he also got in a few well placed strikes. In the end Josh after getting Brent to belly down Josh sunk in a rear naked choke. Josh Rinds won by rear naked choke 1:22 into round one.

Fight 17- Dave Hampton vs. Tyler Bryan
There wasn’t anything to this fight. Tyler hit Dave grabbed him and dragged him to the ground where Tyler sunk in a rear naked choke. There wasn’t a real show about it, it was just started, and then was immediately over. Tyler Bryan won by rear naked choke :19 into round one.

Fight 18- Pete Dominguez vs. Jeremiah Davenport
Pete tried to take down Jeremiah, but failed. Jeremiah pulled guard and sunk in the guillotine, and succeeded. Jeremiah Davenport won by guillotine :39 into round one.

Fight 19- James Powell vs. Chris Price
James got the first kick while Chris clinched and started to throw knees. Chris stopped James from taking him down and started to work on James. For the next three minutes James turtled while chris just kept punching him. James refused to move or even defend against him so after Chris got bored, he sunk in the hooks for back mount and got the rear naked choke. Chris price wins by rear naked choke 4:20 into the first round.

2008-10-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Elite Cage Fighting 26

Story, pictures and video by Fightjunky and Navitas

Elite Cage Fighting returned to Indianapolis on Saturday night for ECF 26, which featured an action-packed card with a whopping 20 fights.
The night included a women’s bout for an IUPAD state pankration title, and a promising headline matchup for the ECF lightweight title.

Fighter records are listed as they were indicated on the fight card.
Recaps for the first seven fights and the last four fights are provided by Navitas, and recaps for all other fights are provided by Fightjunky.
Video links are provided for the fights below the summaries.

Fight 1 – Brad Balmer (0-0) vs.
Matt Morgan (2-0)

There really is not much to say about this fight.
Brad came out striking and got the takedown, made a mistake and left Matt the chance at a triangle.
Matt got the triangle and finished the fight.
Matt Morgan wins by submission (triangle choke) 0:44 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 2 – Bobby Johnson (1-0) vs.
Charlie Pingleton (1-1)

This fight seemed to have the potential to be a good fight.
Both fighters came out looking confident and ready to fight.
The felt each other out with a few strikes, before Charlie got the first takedown and started to turn the pressure onto Bobby.
Unfortunately Charlie got a little carried away at one point and did an illegal knee to the head.
Luckily Bobby recovered quickly and was back in the action.
Round two was much like round one, feeling each other out before Charlie struck first with a takedown and proceeded to throw leather from bobby’s open guard. Bobby caught an opening and started working on a triangle.
As Charlie was trying to escape at some point the referee thought he saw Charlie tap and stopped the fight.
Both fighters looked confused when the fight ended so quickly.
Charlie denied tapping but did not fight the referee.
Bobby Johnson wins by submission (triangle choke) 1:38 into the 2^nd round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2

Fight 3 – Charles Davis (0-0) vs.
Bill Whitley (1-0)

This was one of those fights where you wonder where they got the fighters.
Neither guy had any idea what a fighting stance was, ground game, or how to throw a punch.
Charles immediately goes for a few haymakers that land nowhere and Bill stumbles back to get away.
They both roll around on the ground without doing much when Bill tried to create his own submission move.
Round one was over and both fighters were visibly way too winded.
Round two got worse.
The guys were barely hitting each other.
Somehow Charles got a takedown and Bill had a poor guillotine attempt.
Charles was too tired to keep fighting and just quit.
Bill Whitley wins by submission (verbal) 2:11 into the 2^nd round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2

Fight 4 – Mark Ball (0-1) vs.
Andrew Key (1-6)

This fight was not too long but did have a few high points.
Andrew stuck first then got the takedown on Mark.
Mark tried to guillotine Andrew but Andrew not only escaped it he then started to ground and pound from mount.
Mark escaped with an ‘upa’ where Andrew guillotined him.
Andrew Key wins by submission (guillotine choke) 2:45 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Andrew Key going to work on Mark Ball

Fight 5 – Darriel Kelly (0-1) vs.
Jacob Wooten (0-0)

Darriel and Jacob both came out and tried to do some damage.
Darriel succeeded in taking down Jacob where he then got Jacob’s back and submitted him with a rear naked choke.
Darriel Kelly wins by submission (RNC) 1:23 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 6 – Charles Taylor (0-0) vs.
Ronez McGrady (0-1)

This was the one major mismatch of the night.
Charles gets in the first punch but that’s all he did.
Ronez immediately took control of the fight dropped Charles with an impressive hit.
He then pounced and the referee stopped the fight.
Ronez McGrady wins by TKO 0:57 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 7 – Amanda Lavoy (1-0) vs.
Ashley “The Beautiful Assassin” Yoder (0-1) (for an IUPAD state pankration title)

Amanda got in the first few strikes before she stumbled and Ashley grabbed side control.
Ashley had a nice show of her ground game when she worked to get mount and then armbarred Amanda.
Ashley Yoder wins by submission (armbar) 2:34 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

During an intermission Ashley was kind enough to swing by for interviews with us and our midwest MMA media friends at WatchTammyTV. com.
A natural grappler who likely will be competing at a NAGA event in Chicago next month, Ashley has been training full contact fighting for about sixteen months with Atchison Fighting Systems in southern Indiana.
Knowing very little of her opponent in advance of her fight, Ashley said she came in with a game plan of taking the fight to the ground as quickly as possible.
Remembering lessons learned from her first fight, Ashley said she wanted to ground and pound her opponent, which is exactly what she did before finishing with a very nice armbar.
Although frustrated at the difficulty she has had in finding full contact opponents, Ashley maintained a positive outlook, stating she wanted to gain more experience and work her way up before eventually turning pro.
With her disciplined attitude and skill set in the cage, good things are almost certainly in store in this sport for the Beautiful Assassin.

The pic shows the "Beautiful", and the video shows the "Assassin"

Fight 8 – Kyle Parrish (0-1) vs.
Jake Turpin (0-0)

From an opening clinch, Kyle worked a takedown into Jake’s guard.
As Kyle tried to posture up for punches, Jake immediately began working on a triangle choke.
Jake patiently cinched the hold and induced a fight-ending tapout.
Jake Turpin wins by submission (triangle choke) 1:21 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 9 – Brad Smith (2-0) vs.
Jeb Pencil (2-0)

Jeb worked a great inside leg trip in the opening clinch, taking side control and then transitioning to full mount.
Jeb softened Brad up with some rib shots then worked for separation.
Brad desperately tried to hold on, but Jeb gained some separation and slickly transitioned to an armbar.
Brad quickly submitted in a very painful finish.
Jeb Pencil wins by submission (armbar) 1:24 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 10 – Russell Bales (0-0) vs.
Jonathan Lane (0-0)

This one was quick and one-sided.
Jonathan gained a full mount off of a takedown, and Russell quickly rolled to avoid punishment.
Jonathan sunk leg hooks and positioned for a finishing submission, but Russell tapped to prevent further punishment.
Incredibly, as Russell left the cage he was overheard to say, “Next time I’m gonna train.
” Jonathan Lane wins by submission (verbal) :51 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 11 – Quinten “Q” Jones (0-0) vs.
Michael Hamilton (0-0)

Quinten worked a series of knees and uppercuts in the opening clinches, with one knee going in too low.
Michael got five minutes to recover and Quinten got a point deduction.
None of that mattered though, as Quinten made short work of his opponent after the restart, sinking a guillotine choke to finish off Michael.
Quinten Jones wins by submission (guillotine choke) 1:38 into the 1^nd round.

Video: Round 1, pt. 1 Round 1, pt. 2

Fight 12 – Jeremy Silcox (0-0) vs.
Ryan Wood (1-0)

After a furious standing exchange to start the fight, the fighters went to the ground.
Jeremy worked for a guillotine, and although Ryan’s face was turning purple he managed to slip the choke.
Jeremy transitioned to north-south and then standing position, landing some body shots in the process.
Ryan looked extremely gassed, and as Jeremy resumed his infliction of punishment Ryan’s corner quickly threw in the towel.
Jeremy Silcox wins by corner stoppage 1:45 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 13 – Josh Meadows (0-0) vs.
Robert Rutherford (0-0)

Perhaps the outcome of this fight was foreshadowed by the weathered cardboard sign near Robert’s corner reading, “Go Farthead”.
In any event, Josh worked quick destruction in this fight, gaining a takedown to full mount.
Although Robert briefly managed to escape, Josh quickly took him down again, flowed from side control to full mount, then finished his weaker opponent off with an armbar.
Thus ended Farthead’s night.
Josh Meadows wins by submission (armbar) 1:51 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Josh Meadows after a dominating win

Fight 14 – Lester Wright (2-0) vs.
Bryce Keeney (0-0)

As the fight went to the ground, Lester twice was able to transition well from Bryce’s guard to side control.
The second time, Lester worked a side headlock and neutralized Bryce’s arm between his legs.
From there, Bryce was utterly helpless to defend against the punches Lester was raining down on his face, and the ref stepped in to show Bryce some mercy.
Lester Wright wins by TKO 1:13 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 15 – Dan “The Human Drill Press” Nehila (0-0) vs.
Ryan Puckett (0-1)

Sometimes you are the drill press, and sometimes you are the thing getting torn a new hole.
Unfortunately for Dan, he resembled more of the latter than his nickname, as he was thoroughly dominated by Ryan in this fight.
The only mystery is how Ryan was twice able to lose full mount on what appeared to be relatively weak escape attempts by Dan.
Still, Dan absorbed heavy punishment throughout this fight, and on the third full mount gained by Ryan, the ref was forced to step in and save Dan.
Ryan Puckett wins by TKO 2:53 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 16 – Chester York (3-3 ) vs.
Tim Cook (4-2)

After the fight went to the ground, Chester largely controlled the action, maintaining stronger position and landing the better shots.
Chester was unable to finish though, and when the fighters went back to their feet Chester landed a devastating low blow.
Tim was given recovery time, and from there it seemed to be a different fight.
Tim landed a great shot, but couldn’t finish Chester on the ground before the first round ended.
In the second round the fight went back to the ground.
Tim passed guard with some good body shots and elbows to Chester’s thighs.
Tim took full mount, Chester rolled over, and Tim sunk in a fight ending rear naked choke.
Tim Cook wins by submission (RNC) 1:37 into the 2^nd round.

Video: Round 1, pt. 1 Round 1, pt. 2 Round 2

Fight 17 – James Manion (0-0) vs.
Kenny Day (0-0)

Kenny attempts a takedown fails and there is a scrabble with a few strikes.
Kenny tried to take down James but James countered and got mount where he started to take advantage and pressure Kenny.
Kenny bellied down and James took the opening and got the rear naked choke.
James Manion wins by submission (RNC) 1:21 into the 1st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 18 – Caleb Parrish (2-1) vs.
Chris Johnson (1-3)

This fight followed almost the same pattern as the fight before.
Caleb got the first strike by an impressive knee.
Chris failed at a takedown and Caleb got mount.
Caleb started hitting from the top, Chris bellied down, and got choked.
Caleb Parrish wins by submission (RNC) 1:18 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 19 – Cecil Warner (0-1) vs.
Adam Hillock (0-1)

The fighters immediately tried to take each other down.
Cecil succeeded twice in taking down Adam.
The boys trade some punches on the ground.
Adam rolls Cecil where he then attempted to guillotine Adam.
In the second round Adam successfully pulled guard while attempting a guillotine.
Cecil tried to soften Adam up with hits to the ribs, but failed and Adam ended up getting the guillotine.
Adam Hillock wins by submission (guillotine choke) 1:00 into the 2^nd round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2

Fight 20 – John Asbury (9-2) vs.
Jeremy Butler (4-1) (for the ECF lightweight title)

Both John and Jeremy came out trading leather and kicks.
Neither one seemed to want to go on the ground.
The thing that turned the match around was when John landed a very solid kick and Jeremy fell.
John jumped on top and pounded into Jeremy until the referee stepped in to stop the match.
John Asbury wins by TKO 1:28 into the 1^st round.

Video: Entire fight

the second article!!

2008-09-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

so here is my second article, i did the evens on this fight!

IWFL -- "Demolition"

Story and video by Fightjunky and Navitas

Iron Warrior Fight League, a relatively new promotion in central Indiana, staged its fourth event "Demolition" at the Horizon Convention Center in Muncie on August 23, 2008.
Navitas and Fightjunky ventured away from the confines of Indianapolis to check out this promotion, which is one of several that seem to be growing and thriving in the cities and towns north of the state capitol.

Fighter records are listed, in most instances, as they were indicated on the fight card.
Recaps for odd-numbered fights are provided by Fightjunky, and recaps of even-numbered fights by Navitas.
Video links are provided for the fights below the summaries.

Fight 1 – Zach Bernas (0-0) vs.
Spencer Graham (0-0)

These two fighters were making their MMA debuts, and they staged a close fight that ultimately went to the judges.
In the first round, Spencer worked two good takedowns on Zach, only to end up in Zach's closed guard and unable to do a whole lot of damage.
The second round started the same, but Zach was able to reverse from guard and gain full mount on Spencer, where he got some good shots in before Spencer tied him up and the ref eventually stood them up.
Zach landed a good right hook and shot for a takedown as the second round ended.
In the third, the tide continued to ebb in Zach's favor, as he worked from full mount but seemed unable to finish.
Indeed, Zach showed some wrestling skills but seemed not to be versed in submissions, a fact that his corner confirmed.
Zach Bernas wins by split decision.

Video: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

Zach Bernas goes to work on Spencer Johnson

Fight 2 – Skylar "Real Deal" Banks (1-1) vs.
Jason "Jackhammer: Richards (2-1)

Skylar and Jason both had more fights in their records than most of the other fighters. Skylar dominated the whole fight with an impressive show of his stand up. Jason attempted to take down Skylar, succeeded a few times but failed to do much damage to Skylar. The fight went three rounds but ended when Skylar landed a strong knee and a few more punches while Jason tried to crawl away. This prompted the referee to stop the fight.
Unfortunately it was hard to tell if the reason the Jason was crawling away was from the knee or being too tired to continue. Both fighters collapsed to the ground for a moment at the end of the fight, both visibly too winded.
Skylar Banks wins by TKO 1:31 into the third round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

Fight 3 – James Delph (0-0) vs.
Jason Weese (0-0)

This one was quick and easy, as James made short work of his overmatched opponent.
After opening with a straight kick, James quickly worked a takedown into full mount.
Jason gave up his back to avoid the punishment, and James sunk a fight-ending rear naked choke.
Textbook stuff, and a strong debut by James Delph.
James Delph wins by submission (RNC) 0:50 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fans of James Delph cheer his quick submission victory.

Fight 4 – Matt Cramer (0-1) vs.
Devan Barnard (0-0)

Although Matt Cramer had had one fight already Devan Barnard clearly out matched him. Devan had the control with his basic knowledge of all aspects of MMA. Not only did he have the ability to strike, his takedowns were good, and was one of only two people that we saw who had any form of jiu jitsu training. Every time Devan took Matt down he controlled him and either went for ground and pound or a different submission.
Matt's one good take down landed him in guard where he did land a few good punches. Devan ended the fight in the third round with a rear naked choke, which was more like a head lock but still effective. Matt actually did not tap and went unconscious.
Devan Barnard wins by submission (RNC) 0:53 into the third round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

Fight 5 – Nick "Action" Jackson (0-0) vs. Bo Roberts (0-1)

Bo takes the honors for worst entrance music of the night, as we wonder if this is some kind of cruel punishment for him losing his previous fight.
The first round of this fight was mainly a scramble for advantageous position on their feet, with neither fighter able to gain a strong position.
Toward the end of the round Bo tried a single-leg takedown that Nick easily stuffed by sprawling into north-south position.
The second round began the same way the first round ended.
Bo eventually was able to pull guard, but Nick was able to land increasingly devastating body and head shots from within guard.
As damage was being inflicted, referee Dan "Sandman" Christison repeatedly told Bo to start defending himself better.
Bo couldn't, so the ref saved him.
Nick Jackson wins by TKO 2:14 into the second round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2 (coming soon)

"Action" Jackson battles Bo Roberts

Following the first intermission, there was a brief amateur boxing match.
All we can say is that the guy who lost this fight should never be allowed near a cage or ring ever again.
It's a bad sign when a fighter can't even tap gloves with his opponent without missing.

Fight 6 – James Terrell (0-1) vs.
Mike "The Strike" Moon (1-0)

This was a nice and short match. Unfortunately it showed off the fact that James Terrell was NOT ready to fight. I actually asked his corners before the fight how long he had been training and they said "He's been training a while, like 6 months.
" I am sorry but six months is not a while.
Anyway Mike took down James fairly easily and ground and pounded him into a referee stoppage.
Mike Moon wins by TKO 1:34 into the first round.

Video: coming soon

Fight 7 – Josh Lugenbeao (0-0) vs.
Ali Hussain (0-0)

Another fight between two fighters making their MMA debuts that went the distance.
Opening nerves were apparent as both fighters swung and missed on several punches, and the first round saw little meaningful activity.
Ali opened the second round with a big slam on Josh.
Inside Josh's guard, Ali punched his way back out to standup.
Josh missed badly on an uppercut but compensated with a slick axe punch that got Ali's attention.
As Ali ended up back in Josh's guard, to our dismay we overheard Josh's corner say he only had a couple days of formal training.
That lack of training showed in the final round, as Josh briefly got in position to attempt a heelhook or anklelock but was obviously clueless.
He never secured Ali's foot and didn't know which way to roll regardless.
Ali Hussain wins by unanimous decision.

Video: Round 1 (coming soon) Round 2, 1st part (coming soon) Round 2, 2nd part Round 3

Ali Hussain looking to lay the hurt on

Fight 8 – Jeremy Lowe (1-1) vs.
Josh Stith (3-0)

So this fight followed the trend of the majority of the fights. Take down and ground and pound until the ref has to stop it. Josh had a great slam on Jeremy and ended up getting side control. He proceeded to work a little ground and pound on Jeremy before getting mount and letting loose. Jeremy was unable to do anything to defend himself against Josh's rock 'em sock 'em robot style of punching.

Josh Stith wins by TKO 2:50 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 9 – Richie Myrick (2-2) vs.
David Bernas (2-1)

This fight figured to be quick and explosive, as both fighters looked more than amped coming into the cage.
Sure enough, Team Warhammer's David Bernas rode his strong crowd support to a quick and decisive win, dropping Richie immediately, raining down punishment, and sinking in the rear naked choke when Richie rolled.
David Bernas wins by submission (RNC) 0:22 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 10 – Derrick Chambers (0-0) vs.
John Schultz (5-3)

Although a lot of fighters did not have much experience most of the fights were pretty evenly matched. All except for this one.
As Derrick's corner men came to sit down next to us, Navitas asked the question she had hoped to get a good reply from: "So how long has he been training?" Not kidding, his corner looks our way and says "Oh he's been training like 2 days, but he's going to kick ass." And that was the beginning of the end.
John basically grabbed Derrick, and takes advantage of him. He switched between ground and pound, switching control positions, and a few submission moves.
John finally ended the match with a nicely applied triangle.
John Schultz wins by submission (triangle choke) 2:50 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 11 – Zak Hale (2-0) vs.
Zach Walters (1-1)

This was one of the more entertaining fights of the night.
The first round saw several furious exchanges on their feet.
During a clinch against the cage, Walters landed several inside knees, one of which inadvertently found its way directly into Hale's man-parts.
After Hale was given time to recover, another furious exchange of punches culminated with Walters picking up Hale and slamming him hard at the end of the first round.
When they separated, it was apparent that Walters' nose was bleeding very badly.
Hale smelled blood to start the second round and came out swinging, but Walters deftly kept him at bay with good leg strikes and knees.
In a clinch Walters landed an uppercut that connected well, and Hale looked hurt.
Walters quickly worked for a guillotine choke on his staggered opponent, and Hale tapped out.
Zach Walters wins by submission (guillotine choke) 1:47 into the second round.

Video: Round 1, pt. 1 Round 1, pt. 2 Round 2

Fight 12 – Alexander Jefferies (0-0) vs.
Michael Bess (0-1)

Again Navitas decided to ask how long the guy on our side of the cage had been training.
Alexander Jeffries had 5 years of kung- fu experience and had been training for this fight for a whole two months.
Alexander, who looked very stylish in his matching gloves and shorts, had a difficult time. Although he did get the first takedown, he seemed at a total loss on the ground.
Michael was a little better off, he was able to not only take down but get into a position where he could ground and pound. And that ability to keep control was what won him the fight.
Michael grounded and pounded Alexander to a referee stoppage.
Michael Bess wins by TKO 2:22 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 13 – Jacob Lillard (1-1) vs.
Bryan Bohannan (0-2)

Bryan opened with a big takedown of Jacob, gaining side control and then full mount.
Bryan could not hold the dominant position though, and looked instead for a triangle choke as Jacob reversed into Bryan's guard.
Jacob powered out of the submission attempt by slamming Bryan to the mat and then passing guard.
Jacob pulled guard from there and quickly locked in an armbar, rendering Bryan helpless, in pain and tapping out.
Jacob Lillard wins by submission (armbar) 2:12 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 14 – Brandon Hess (1-0) vs.
Roger Davis (1-0)

For the most part during this fight, which went all three rounds, Brandon and Roger both tried to keep the fight off the ground.
We're not sure if it was because they did not know what to do or they both just preferred striking.
Roger got the first hit in but it landed without much of any effect on Brandon.
Brandon on the other hand as soon as he started hitting made a big impact on Roger, and it caused him to stumble to the ground.
Brandon jumped on the opportunity and proceeded to unleash a nice amount of ground and pound.
The second round was close with both guys trading stand up the whole time. By round three both fighters were very winded.
Roger controlled the third round Roger Davis wins by unanimous decision.

Video: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

Brandon Hess and his corners between rounds.

Fight 15 – Ryan "Machine Gun" McIntosh (3-3) vs.
Scott Blevins (0-???)

Scott Blevins is something of a bad joke on the local MMA scene, and it is difficult to understand how he continues to be allowed on local fight cards by promoters.
It is even more unclear why he was paired in such an obvious mismatch, or why on earth this was billed as the "main event" of the night, especially when the much higher caliber "co-main event" of Brandon Hess against Roger Davis was such a battle.
Even Ryan's corner knew this fight would be a laugher.
As for the "fight", Ryan quickly took standing back control and power-slammed Scott to the mat.
As Ryan was in rear mount, Scott tapped out before Ryan even had a chance to unload any punishment.
Ryan McIntosh wins by TKO 0:26 into the first round.

Video: Entire "fight"

my first article!!!

2008-09-01T22:09:00.000-07:00

so here is the first article i helped write on a local mma show!!! if you want to know which fights i reviewed, i did the odds!

Following in the footsteps of LFC 25 and its now infamous double knockout, Legends of Fighting returned to a sold-out 8 Seconds Saloon in Indianapolis for LFC 26 -- "Proving Grounds".
While there would be no repeat of that one-in-a-million moment, some of the best local talent was on display in a card loaded with great fighters showcasing their skills.

Also, co-reporting for Pro Elite for the first time (and shooting some of the video) is Navitas, who is very familiar with the LFC and many of the fighters.
In the past few LFC events 8 Seconds Saloon has had more cameras put in, more security, and even a few more police officers on duty.
Because of these measures, despite a few close calls, thankfully there were no fights started in the crowd.

Fighter records are listed as they were available in online databases or elsewhere. Video links are provided for most of the fights below the summaries.

Fight 1 -- Zach Huggins vs.
Cody Abercrombie (1-1)

This fight was a good preview of what was to come for the rest of the amateur bouts. Both Zach and Cody seemed in the beginning to be pretty evenly matched, with a good trade of both strikes and kicks. Cody shot into Zach with a nice takedown, but failed to keep his head on the inside. Zach was able to catch Cody's head and sink in a guillotine to end the match.
Zach Huggins wins by submission (guillotine) 1:26 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 2 -- Darren Smith (4-1) vs.
Dwayne Detty (1-1)

This was a superheavyweight rematch.
Darren blitzed through Dwayne in just 25 seconds in their first meeting, and did the same in only slightly longer time in the rematch.
After a clinch against the cage, Darren pinned Dwayne against the cage and worked him to the ground.
From there Darren gained mount and rained down strikes.
Dwayne could not take it and was forced to tap.
Darren Smith wins by submission (strikes) 0:56 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 3 -- Dwayne "The Sadistic Spider" Davis (0-1) vs.
Brett Stott

The fight started out with Dwayne throwing a barrage of haymakers but failing to do any damage to Brett.
Brett who kept his cool pulled guard on Dwayne and tried to control Dwayne from there, but as soon as both fighters got up, Dwayne slammed Brett hard onto the mat, got back mount and started to work on the rear naked choke.
Brett did a great job trying to defend the choke but in the long run was not able to break free and had to tap.
For the match being only 1:10 the pace never slowed and both fighters put on a good show.
Dwayne Davis wins by submission (rear naked choke) 1:10 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 4 -- Richie Ortega (3-1) vs.
Justin Overby

Justin controlled this fight from start to finish.
After taking down Richie, Justin worked out of Richie's half-guard into full mount and started raining down punishment.
When Richie rolled to avoid it, Justin sunk his leg hooks and patiently worked strikes to Richie's head to finish him.
Justin Overby wins by submission (strikes) 1:45 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 5 -- Kevin "Renegade" Cousins (0-0) vs.
Josh Flowers (1-1)

From the beginning of the first round Josh established dominance, by not only landing a good kick but also taking down Kevin and working a guillotine attempt on him.
Once Kevin got out, he got some good punches on Josh before he was able to not only get out and stand up, but to also throw Kevin into the ground.
The round finished with both fighters working their BJJ skills.
Unfortunately Josh Flowers was unable to respond to the bell for the second round.
He had injured his knee and ended up being assisted out of the ring.
Kevin Cousins wins due to injury to the knee.

Video: Entire fight

There was a brief intermission for the pillow fights to take place, which produced a divergence of opinion between Navitas, a skilled female grappler, and Fightjunky, a slack-jawed male spectator.
Navitas critiqued the lack of grappling skills the girls had, and was trying to figure out what the big deal was.
Fightjunky, on the other hand, had absolutely no problem with the action.

Fight 6 -- Pete Dominguez (4-1) vs.
Chris Franks (1-0)

The fighters circled to start the fight, with Chris landing a couple good counterpunches and eventually a solid knee.
From there Chris gained a takedown and looked for a guillotine unsuccessfully.
After the fight returned to standup, Chris teed off, and followed Pete to the mat in dominant north-south position.
Chris let him up and landed another big shot before going back to the ground.
Chris deftly reversed his full guard into full mount on Pete.
When Pete rolled, Chris took back control and sunk a rear naked choke.
Chris Franks wins by submission (rear naked choke) 3:27 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 7 -- James "Haystack" Simon (2-0) vs.
Doug Sparks (9-1)

This was probably our favorite fight of the night.
At first we were a little wary when Doug entered the ring wearing a pair of boxers to fight in, and we were honestly afraid that we were going to get more of a show than we had bargained for.
James started out the fight with a great punch that caught Doug off guard. But as Doug move away he sat purposely on the mat and started trying to pull James to the ground.
James let Doug stand up and then they both started again.
These fighters were polar opposites which made the fight well worth watching.
James would focus on the striking and trying to dominate standing whereas every chance Doug got, he brought the fight to the ground and not only took showed some impressive ground and pound, but also his varying knowledge of Brazilian jiu jitsu.
This match went into the final round, and it seemed to take a lot of energy out of both fighters.
Doug had the stamina and was able to put James in a kimura and finish it off.
Doug Sparks wins by kimura 0:55 into the third round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2 Round 3

Fight 8 -- Jimmy Jenkins vs.
Chris Hanny

This fight was a little hard to figure.
After the first half of the first round was spent in a clinch against the cage, Chris eventually gained a takedown to rear side control, but seemed to have no idea how to finish from there.
Jimmy rode out the first round in inferior position but unthreatened.
The second round began much like the first.
After a clinch against the cage, the fight went to the ground with Chris briefly attempting a keylock.
Jimmy avoided the hold and eventually reversed nicely out of Chris's side control.
From there Jimmy finished Chris off brutally with strikes.
Jimmy Jenkins wins by TKO 2:12 into the second round.

Fight 9 -- Darnell Davis vs.
Jim Ramsey

Jim attempted to strike first with an impressive kick, but Darnell was able to catch the leg and he nearly took Jim down with it.
After the trip up Jim never really seemed to regain much of any dominance.
Darnell controlled the match with a great show of ground and pound.
After the end of the first round Jim threw in the towel and refused to fight.
Darnell Davis wins by submission (throws in towel) after the first round.

Fight 10 -- Scott "Ghetto Blaster" Tuggle (5-3) vs.
Tom Osborne (16-3)

A good, technical ground fight from start to finish.
In the first, Tom shot into Scott's guard.
For the remainder of the round Scott worked to set up a variety of armlocks, all of which Tom defended excellently.
In the second, Tom landed a glancing spinning backfist, and the fight went to the ground, this time with Scott in Tom's guard.
Unlike his opponent, Scott ultimately was unable to fend off the submission, as Tom forced him to tap out to a guillotine choke.
Tom Osborne wins by submission (guillotine choke) 1:35 into the second round.

Video: Round 1 Round 2

Fight 11 -- Jeremy Ashley (6-4) vs.
Matt Page (7-14)

This was one of those very one-sided fights.
The bell rang, Jeremy and Matt touched gloves, and then Jeremy made it a quick match.
Jeremy struck first and never let up, landing multiple punches, and a few good knees before knocking his opponent out.
Jeremy Ashley wins by KO 0:18 seconds into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 12 -- Orville Smith (10-0) vs.
Ryan McIntosh (3-3)

Orville Smith continued his undefeated career by plowing through a hyped-up but overmatched Ryan McIntosh.
The fight opened with Ryan missing a spinning back fist and high kick.
After a clinch against the cage, Orville gained a takedown into Ryan's guard and stacked him up against the cage, pinning Ryan's head down under Orville's leg.
In a helpless position, Ryan had no defense for Orville's strikes and desperately tapped out.
Orville Smith wins by submission (strikes) 1:23 into the first round.

Video: Entire fight

Fight 13 -- Kyle Gibbons (14-2) vs.
Tyler Bryan (1-0-1)

Although Tyler Bryan has had his 15 minutes of Internet glory, as one-half of the infamous double knockout from the last card, he was completely overmatched by Kyle Gibbons in this fight.
Kyle landed a harsh leg kick, then worked Tyler to the ground with a bulldog headlock.
From there Kyle obliterated Tyler mercilessly.
Much like Johnny Rees and Jake O'Brien, two local fighters who are now in the UFC (and will be fighting on the UFC Fight Night card this Saturday), Kyle Gibbons seems destined to move to the next level very soon.
Kyle Gibbons wins by first round submission (strikes).

Video: Entire fight

Fight 14 -- Dustin Rees (7-1) vs.
Shaun Parker (3-6-1)

As the other half of the double knockout fight, Shaun Parker represented somewhat better in his co-headline fight, but still came out on the losing end.
Dustin and Shaun fought a very close first round, with Shaun getting the better takedowns but Dustin coming the closest to gaining a submission.
In the second round, Dustin missed with a punch and Shaun took back control while still in the standing position.
Dustin kept hold of one of Shaun's arms though, and was able to reverse for a takedown.
From there Dustin took rear side control and Shaun offered no intelligent defense for the punishing strikes Dustin was unloading on him, forcing the ref to show mercy.
Dustin Rees wins by TKO 1:45 into the second round.

Video: Round 1(first part) Round 1 (second part) Round 2

a quick update

2008-07-31T08:57:00.000-07:00

so im working a ton at a bar, and i love it! it's fun and i always get to meet interesting people! also i've gotten a chance to start writing for pro elite and im really excited, i covered my first mma fight and i'm going to be posting all of those on here... my pseudonym is Navitas on all of them...also i just got a new tattoo, it's cute and will be put up online soon... it's my third tattoo, and actually this one barely bothered me....oh my other job, at the fitness center, not working there anymore, to much drama, and bad politics. so yea it's been an interesting past couple weeks... and pics will be coming soon!!!

then and now

2008-06-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

What were you like as a kid, at age 18, and now...

Dream Job:..:

Kid –horse jockey.

18 – physical therapist.

Now – coach brazilian jiu jistu and open my own school...

Fantasy Crush:

Kid – nick carter.

18 – heath ledger, orlando bloom, umm johnny depp as long as he was a pirate

Now – jacare, george st. pierre, xande ribiero, urijah faber

Favorite Song:,

Kid – backstreet boys, spice girls

18 – anything on the radio, i went with the fads...

Now – more rock, occasionally rap, umm im more accepting of other music but prefer to listen to those two

Favorite Movie:

Kid – disney movies

18 – starsky and hutch

Now – oh wow umm boondock saints, idk there are a ton!!!!!

How You Spent Your Evenings:

Kid – reading, sleeping, watching tv

18 – going out on dates, chilling, going out to dances, and sporting events

Now – umm im 21 so clubs, dates, occasionally closing at work, parties, being a bad kid...

Your Best Friends:

Kid – whitney, jessica, elaine, caitlin

18 – blake, kendra, elaine.

Now – bryan, um my teammates, molly, lol idk wow, that's really depressing.

Your Job:

Kid – cleaning at the house...

18 – lifeguards, water areobics instructor, swim lessons instructor

Now – i work at a fitness center.

Your Crushes:

Kid – any of my big brothers friends.

18 – other than my ex boyfriend blake? i think i met my buddy bryan at this time too and had a crush on him, nothing ever happend though. oh and my older brothers friends...

Now – Jacare, xande ribiero, kieth, umm idk lol

Scared By:

Kid – scary animals, storms, needles

18 – needles, storms, possibly getting pregnant (my mom said if i got pregnant b4 mairrage then i'd have to marry the guy or get kicked out....).

Now –needles, storms thos never went away....

Your Hero:

Kid – my dad, amy van dyken (olympic swimmer)

18 – my grandpa doc, umm michael phelps b/c he was a badass swimmers

Now – still grandpa doc, my parents, the troops, anyone who can overcome adversity and has been a better person because of it.

Made You Laugh:

Kid – cartoons, it was the era of the rugrats, ren and stimpy, oug, rocos modern life... oh the glory of being that young!

18 – comedy central, simpsons, family guy.

Now – family guy, futurama, .the fakeness of half the reality shows out there... and the guys from tapout

How You Felt About Your Family:

Kid – eh they were playmates when they were nice, and meanies the rest of the time.

18 – my parents and I butted heads, my older bro was too into college and his decisions to really have much impact. they lil bro was cool though

Now – My dad loves that i do the bjj, my mom is indifferent but tries to support me. my lil bro is is cool as hell, and my older bro is just doin his own thing, our schedules clash so we dont really yalk or hang out

Dream Come True:

Kid – getting to ride a horse

18 – getting to go out with my b/f who i thought i was gonna marry

Now – just learning, brazilian jiu jitsu, the possibility of a stable future, meeting a few great bjj fighters, and winning MUndials

Who Were You?

Kid – alittle too energetic and a big nerd... poofy hair, i guess a spaz

18 – still hyper, but had gotten the looks thing down a little, very athletic, and i studied when i felt like it.. super sheltered

Now – umm well i do the BJJ thing and that is pretty much the major thing that defines me. umm im more controlled with my emotions, more focused, and ready to graduate

this one isn't about bjj surprise!!

2008-06-09T22:45:00.000-07:00

so other than the crazy amoundt of bjj i watched in the past couple days, getting pictures with major bjj names, and getting kissed by jacare... which i guess i should set that whole thing up... we're walking to the car saturday after the competition and my teammate sampson points out jacare walking across the street not tooo far away from us... being the nerdy bj fan i am decide i have to get a picture with him, so i walk over and am like can i please get a picture with you so he laughes and says of course... well my coach was like ill take the picture, grabs my camera and takes one, the he's like hey katie give jacare a big kiss on the cheek! and di turn beat red and am like omg no imnot going too kiss jacare... my coach likes to embarrass us girls, any time we get a pic with an mma fighter or someone who does bjj he tries to get us to kiss them... hence molly kissing Minotauro, and i have a pic some where of me kissing urijah faber on the cheek.... back to the story! well i was embarrassed and was like marcello stop trying to embarrass me im not going to kiss him! as i said that Jacare pulled me right next to him, and planted a huge kiss right on my cheek, and i couln't stop smiling. them my coach took the picture and jacare was like i hope to see you tomorrow, and maybe next year at mundials! so yea.. embarrassing but so awesome!!

the other fun thing i did was we went to the beach, and were laying around having a nice lazy time when my coach, marcello, and sampson went and rented surfboards... marcello was an avid surfer back in rio, and sampson had ever surfed in his life. well at one point sampson let me borrow the board he was using, and i kinda taught myself how to surf... id let the waves break and when they started to build up the second time, and were smaller, i would catch them in ans then stand up... marcello laughed at me and told me i wasn't really surfing, but hey i was very proud of myself for never having tried it b4!!!!

well that and the couple trips to the bars, was what i did in my down time in cali... did you know bars are only open till 2 there???? what the hell, in indiana thy are open till 3!!! and where a small state in the midwest!!!

back home

2008-06-08T22:41:00.000-07:00

so i am back to indiana and back to my life... not that it's a bad thing, but long beach was awesome. i met rickson and royler gracie, renzo gracie, xande and leticia ribiero, and jacare! it was cazy to have the time to sit and watch... i now see the drive the brazilians have,and i've got to be like that... they go totally crazy when they lose position, and once they have gained the position the keep it, work slowly, and dont do anything crazy to lose it.. i dont know what to say or do other than know i need to compete like the brazilians, not to give up anything, and next year i must win, end of story....

i made some new contacts while i was down there to help me train, and get in the best shape possible... i dont know i've never had such a drive before... and i think one of the other things i will do this year is visit some other schools, just to get an idea, see what other schools are like to train at, and get some new training partners, make some new friends, and spread the bjj

this is because of tag

2008-06-06T00:44:00.000-07:00

ok so TAG is always commenting on my posts, pics omments, just everything and it dfnately is awesome, i appreciate and take seriously, for the most part everything he says... onee quote that he worte though from Dr. Seuss abot being your self say whats on your mind and the peopl whomatter done mind and the people that mind dont matter got me thnking. ok so i've tried really hard to get sponsorships for Mundials.Had pople flat out be like ya know we can't do monetary sponsorships yet but here's a shirt. ok cool i can understand that thank you for being real and not yanking me around. but then i had people that wanted to know every little thing about me had long email converations where im giving them everything about me, and getting my hopes up... they suddnly stop talking, not response no nothing... why sound so interested and then just drop me off your radar????? then there's the most recent, prmising me moneny having me put your patch on my gi... then totally bailing out. not answering emails, or calls promising money, then backing out after i start promoting the fact that your company is sponsoring me... it sucks!!! irecently took 3 patches of my gi because i as soo mad that these people promised money, sent me a patch or my gi, ad then were like oh we cant give you money any more. fuck that... to very company that has screwed me over, lied about money and everything else... thanks for nothing... that's how i really feel right now... i only have 2 patche on my gi, my team logos, and a NAGA fighter patch. NAGA ha not only given me the chance to work for them but they have also waived the fees for me to compete at thei tournaments. because of themi've been able to compete so much and be able to test myself against others... while workin for them and being paid. so kipp kirik, and joe, thank you for hving some faith in me and leting me further my bjj

ok sorry bout that jut latte an night and pissed and shitty fake sponsors... i just neeed to rant a little bit

NAGA Chicago

2008-06-06T00:42:00.000-07:00

so two weekends ago i worked at NAGA Chicago. IT was crazy, not only was there at least 300 people theat pre-registered, but there was a total of 900 people that competed. So next time they are making NAGA chicago a two day event. so anyway the frirst thing i had to do was work weigh ins... umm guys a quick warning, your tighty whities/ man thongs/ boxers/ whatever DO NOT weigh atleast half a pound, unless you've been sweating in them. i also learned if you breath out and put your hands in the air it makes you weigh less. you can also do a hand stand and that will make you lighter too. how do people figure this stuff out???

ok so i thought the ring i was going to work was going to be done like second or third because i had the fly weights, 139.9 and under, but we had actually the biggest divisions. the mens white belt gi had 20 alone! anyway by far the best fights were the mens expert no gi flyweight. we had a black belt from brazil who was competing to get extra practice for the mundials, and we also had that brown belt from new breed. when they mcompeted in the finals it was an all out war. and the mach was won by inches, as my coach would say.

anyway watching all of the matches just fired me up for mundials... only a week and a half until mundials... man am i stoked!!!

"The difference between a white belt and a black belt is inches, an inch in the hooks, an inch on mount, and inch in guard, an in in a choke, an inch in an armbar. the difference may only be inches but they add up."
-marcello monteiro

2008-06-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

well i competed today... umm not gonna lie it sucked. i lost my first match by armbar to the girl who won the division by arm barring everyone. i guess that's one way to win... so yea my match was her poking my hard in the eye... the girl was crazy about those armbars i knew exactly what she was going for and tried my hardest to get out, but as soon as it started to hurt... it hyper extended pretty bad and i've honestly been having trouble the whole night... she almost broke this brazilian chicks' arm... idk yea she was great at armbars if she woulda done more or played at all... i probably wouldn't be so sour about losing..

oh well next year someone's dying.. .lol, j/k im not that vicous.

battle wounds

2008-05-24T00:04:00.000-07:00

so i've realized that bjj, has given me some pretty crazy battle wounds. black eyes busted lips, hematomas, bruises galore, and for the most part i just kinda look at them and laugh. well im not going to lie they have become kind of a nuisance recently.... for instance, i had a college professor who was dead positive that i was in an abusive relationsship because, of the basically grip marks on my arms, the fat and occasionally bloody lips, and even a black eye. well i was working today, and i've got horrible bruises on my arms from training... and since my work shirt is short sleeved, some of the members were really worried about me... i dont know, just slightly embarassing. im proud of my battle wounds, but i hate people thinking im gettting abused. because i was abused in a relationship, and i got out of that situation.

oh and some how i have a lovely bruise on my chest, thank you Diana... you bruised my boob while controlling me from inside my guard... you kick butt!

Trying to be one of the guys, kick butt, and be girly all at once

2008-05-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

So by far I think the hardest thing I’ve had to do thus far is the new balancing act. I love who I am don’t get me wrong, it’s just sometimes it gets hard! Brazilian jiu jitsu has been a godsend in my life, it has given me a second family in the people who make up my team, confidence, self- defense, and actually has calmed me down. It is weird though because I can completely be one of the guys at bjj, actually I completely and totally think that the guys on the team don’t realize I am a girl, which is not bad, I’m not looking for a boyfriend at bjj, that causes drama. But it’s weird when they see me outside of training, or they hear that I was a cheerleader. The cheerleader thing gets laughs, actually. But every once and a while we’ll have a group go out to clubs and suddenly I’m not Katie from jiu jitsu, I’m a girl! And I dress like one! I would like to think that I am girly to some extent, I like to wear cute clothes, do my hair and wear make up, but it seems that when I’m at bjj that all melts away and I end up being one of the guys, and not seen as a girl.

Then there is work where when they found out I did brazilian jiu jitsu they laughed, so I brought in video of me fighting, and they believed me, and now only see me as that girl. If I do a little extra to my appearance, every single person is in shock. I wore a skirt, cute shirt, and heels to school one day and when I went to work after every one was like no way in hell is that Kaitlin. I changed into my work outfit and they still were like why were you wearing girly clothes??? I don’t know why is this all so shocking to people? If I go out or hang out with normal friends they are used to me looking like a girl, and they can’t believe I do jiu jitsu. Or the best one is when a guy starts talking to me and finds out, the look of shock is pretty cool, but then I get weird looks, again… So I live in this constant state of change, people meeting me and not knowing what to think, and honestly I think I am going to keep it that way. I hope to not be predictable…

Oh and the lovely people of NAGA you guys rock. They saw me as nothing but a person that fights for the longest time, but I finally started to dress like a girl when we all went out, and I guess I can be more than a lil Runaway at NAGAs.

It is a delicate balance people, just kidding, but it does make life fun! I just wish the girly me wouldn’t shock so many people….

update

2008-04-16T09:39:00.000-07:00

so i recently started going to physical therapy because ive been having some pain in my knee, and i've done some damage in the past to it... it's not exactly fun but ill deal... all to get to the mundials right?

umm ive been in the poetry mood, but i dont know when ill get any new stuff up....

haha excitement!!

2008-04-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

so quick bjj recap! im all excited so gotta do this lol

I met Minotaruo at the arnolds! umm it was pretty cool, i felt like a midget.... this was also after i competed so i looked like total hell lol

my team was out in a nice group, so i gotta get a pic up of the group!!! sadly vanessa was gone before we got a chance to get the pic, but that's alrright we love you vanessa the mundial champion!

it was my first blue belt tournament and there were no females my size so i was put in a bracket with the heavyweights. I ended up 3rd overall, so i was satisfied with the disadvantages i had to work against. i think i probably could have done better if i hadn't been so nervous for the first match.

umm not only that at the ARnolds i got my first sponsor! The guys at Drop ya fightwear have so graciously taken me in as one of their sponsored fighters! so thank you to my amazing drop ya fightwear guys, and here's a link to them! dropyafightwear.com.

i also recently got my second sponsor with the people at 666 fightwear. their myspace is myspace.com/666fightwear. go check them out! both of these groups are pretty much the coolest people i know and they are helping me make my goal of getting to mundials this year possible.

by the way! Mundials starts June 5! hahaha not in august like i originally thought, so my training has gotten crazy! already im worrying about my diet, money situation, getting the training i need in, just everything hit overdrive! it's ok though i love it. the nerves get to me but it's all i seem to think about, it's all i care to do. so give me encouragement, im gonna be going for the jugular when i get to mundials!

the interview

2008-03-10T23:25:00.000-07:00

1) What are some of your memorable experiences with fighting (either being in them or watching them) from growing up?

That's a pretty tough question because i didn't start any sort of fighting training until November of 2006. So im going to answer it two ways, when i was really young my father did judo and i canremember going to his tournaments and watching him beat black belts even though he was only a brown belt. As for a like personal experence i thinkit all happened recently, my coach now tells people im a coaching assistant, i help with kids classes at times, and just having a realization that im starting to make a difference in peoples lives.

2) How did you first get involved in BJJ, how long have you been involved, and what are your
goals in that sport for the near future? (Oh and are you going to the Arnolds again this year?)

I first got involved in BJJ in November 2006, after a friend showing me the website b/c i had been talking about needing self defense, i had had some bad luck in the past and needed some form of protection. So i've been involved for not much over a year. My goals at this point in time is to learn as much as possible, my coach, Marcello, wants me to go to Mundials and thinks i will do really well , so that is a big goal. Yes I will be at the Arnolds this year! It will b my first tournament as a blue belt and im gonna make a splash!

3) What are your favorite submission holds, and why?

I adore loop chokes, Marcello learned them from the creator of them, and has some amazing little secrets, tricks, and it's just crazy! Eh's taught 3 of them in the past week and i cant wait to try them out in training and competitions.

4) What or who inspired you to write your poems "Lines" and "Love"?

the poem "Love" is kind of a poem i wrote to all of my ex's that ever said they loved me. because i've had quite a few that have said it, but havve hurt me very very badly in the end. and it's almost a point where i'm wary of someone who says it to me.
"Lines" what motivated me to write this one, well it was a person that very few people know about in my life, just because it is hard to explainhow i know him, how i met him, and just who he is in general. we've never had sex, just a tension that has been there probably since we met in the summer, just never acted on it, and not sure what will happen. again a person who is there for me and that no one who knows me knows. but he knows who he is, and knows it's for him.
If you read my blogs and haven't read those poems, they can be found on my other blog. navitas86.blogspot.com

5) How do you think your life would be different if you had stayed in Illinois?

The area i was born in was a very rural community, not much of anything, only one high school for the whole county, not much of a choice for sports. I would not have fallen in love with the water, never taught swimming lessons and realized i wanted to work with kids. i would have had no exposure to brazilian jiu jitsu because there was no even decent sized town around. so i would have prolly been one of those small town girls who graduated high school got pregnant and started a family, not that thats bad but i just love the idea of traveling and living life and training too.

quick lil bjj blurb

2008-02-21T11:15:00.000-08:00

in this past week i've been shown the ezekiel choke, and spider guard, soon i'm gonna get all the lower body submission stuff because the arnolds will be my first blue belt competition!

Oh The Arnolds, it holds a bunch of firsts for me.... first tournament, first time meeting mma fighters, first time sleeping in my car the night b4 the tournament b/c i couldn't afford a hotel room, first win, first loss, first medal, i dont think that could have been any better of a tournament... so now im going back, to try the blue belt division and make a name again, in a new level, very nervous not gonna lie... for some reason i fell the pressure, but i love it.

brazilian jiu jitsu resume

2008-02-20T15:30:00.000-08:00

Email: carluccikn@gmail.com
Kaitlin Carlucci

Objective

To find sponsorships to help diffuse the costs of travel, the hotel and entrance fees for the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Mundials in Los Angeles, CA on August 9/10, 2008

Tournaments

March 3 and 4, 2007 Columbus, OH
NAGA- Arnolds
Third place in the women’s White Belt Lightweight Gi division

June 9, 2007 Indianapolis, IN
Hoosier Open
Second place in the women’s White Belt 135 lb. and under Gi division

July 14, 2007 Grove City, OH
NAGA Ohio
Women’s white belt Lightweight Gi Champion
Second place in the women’s advanced no- gi

July 21, 2007 Gary, IN
C-3 (Corral’s Combat Classic)
Third place women’s white belt combined weight class.

September 29, 2007 Milwaukee, WI
NAGA Midwest
Second place in the women’s White Belt 135 lb. and under Gi division
Third place in women’s beginner no- gi, lightweight division

November 17- 18, 2007 Newark, NJ
NAGA North American Grappling Championships
Women’s white belt Lightweight Gi Champion

Training

November 2006- present Team Monteiro Brazilian Jiu Jitsu
Began training in November 2006, with team Marcello C Monteiro, under Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, Master Marcello C Monteiro. The team is currently based out of Beech Grove, IN

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Work

Employed by NAGA occasionally to help with tournaments. Details of job include setting up and tearing down for tournaments, register fighters, weigh in competitors, bracket divisions, time keep and score keep.
Coaching assistant for Marcello C. Monteiro. Starting warm ups, helping with children’s classes, cleaning mats, other duties as requested

what mark have you made?

2008-02-12T20:56:00.000-08:00

so i've had this thought people come into our lives to make some sort of impact on us. wether it be good or bad they still make an impact. so everyday we meet new people, and you make an impacton them even it's just for a second, the longer you're there the more of a chance you have to make right? but how do we know the impact that' we've made. and are you happy with the influence you have on the people?

I never thought too much about the influneces i had on people, like yea i want to leave a positive mark on everyone who doesn't want to help make the world a lil better place for someone? So i started kinda looking back on things, and realized that i've had a bunch of people really change me for the better, and sometimes for the worse. to quickly ramble off some people who were for the better My bjj coach Marcello Monteiro, the guys at NAGA, Elaine, Bryan, Michael G., Mrs. Wicker, Sr. diaz, Pam Swander, Jeff Leath, and lord countless others. and the ones who made a bad impact... we'll keep them nameless.

so tonight someone sent me amessage, telling me how much of an impact i've made on their life in only 7 weeks. ill keep him nameless just b/c idk how this person will feel about me getting into too much detail. but i was shocked i had done nothing but listen and talk to the person. but i guess it was worth it, and i didn't realize i was making that huge of a difference. not only that but at jiu jitsu there are these twin sisters audra and alexa. they are adorable 7 year olds who want to be champions at bjj! they watch me and the other girls so closely, and imitate us, have even been learning more difficult moves than kids their age because they watch and pick up so fast. but when they aren't training, they are asking questions,and listening... so much. so i've started to just kinda watch what i say, how i act, and be a good person for them to look up to, because their dad has done martial arts, but i think they were shocked to see girls do it and to watch me fight the guys. i even made sure the tattoos i had wer covered, even tho their dad had some, i just didn't know what to think, and i've always tried to not let them show around children. so i have no idea why they picked me too look up to it makes me nervous because i'd hate to let these two girls down. and i want to make a good impact on them keep them training, away from bad things and let them know that bjj and their team will always be there as a second family to them.

and then Diana, the fiesty 15 year old at training.. things are starting to click for her, and im so excited. she's the youngest out of the 'big girls' and i can tell she loves being around fernanda, molly and me. she's had some really bad luck in the past, but all three of us want her to keep training, she's starting to have stuff click she gets more confident, stronger and more technical even if she doesn't realize it. like the way she acts and everything makes us, the older girls (all of us are 21+), forget her age, but she doesn't have to be so mature we love her the way she is, and i know that molly, fernanda and i try to be good examples, and just be friends.

so i have a challenge for everyone out there. look around and see if there's ne one, kids or peers that may look up to you, or ones that maybe you've impacted more than you realize, and help them. dont change who you are because that's why they look up to you, but be a good example, touch someone's life, and one day in the future, look back at that person see where they are and did you help boost them up? or did you end up possibly putting them down? make a difference in someone's life and maybe they'll make a difference in yours too.

just an update?

2008-02-06T15:18:00.000-08:00

idk i feel like i should write something but i've had alotta writers block recently. it seems like i lost my my motivation/ inspiration. it's weird

i have a new job, and it's kinda fun i work at lifestyle family fitness it's cool, and i may be getting trained to be a les mills body combat instructor. im still at the buckle since i never worked there much as it was it doesn't interfere with the new job.

umm i've been sick, got a lil bit of a black eye from training, idk i've got like no motivation to write but i reallylike to write it's weird.

btw its lent. so i gave up pop and junk food... we'll; see how this goes...

quick training fun

2008-01-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

ok this is a video of me training with my coach marcello monteiro. hes pretty freaking awesome at bjj not going to lie. so this is the first day back training from the school being closed for the holidays.

there were like 4 of us there and we were all just excited to be back and marcello decided to train so this wasa my attempt!

ok more poetry... im on a roll this month for posts!

2008-01-06T23:26:00.000-08:00

Lines
Hourglass shape
Shifting sensually
On your bed

Living lines
Longingt to feel--
Hands, lips, fingers
caress, tease
kiss, squeeze

Smooth the shapes
these strokes have made

Watch them as
They arc and move
Begging, needing your
touch and release

Stolen
You take...
all of me,
with nothing more
than calls in the night
and promises
we will meet
once more

Untitled

Don't do this to me now,
Don't make me fall in love
with something i can't keep.
Please don't do this to me now,
Every word, smile, or message
keeps me from my sleep.

real quick

2008-01-06T23:11:00.000-08:00

disregard the how lucky can one girl get blog... idk what happened but i dont think he wants me... never mind idk fuck it whatever

how lucky can one girl get?

2008-01-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

so yesterday i was feeling like complete and total shit b/c i had a crazy bad migraine. so i slept like most of the day away... then i get a phone cal at around 3.. from a number i dont know... what the heck? so this is how the convo goes

guy: hey baby
me: hello..
guy: do you know who this is?
me: yea but this is a 317 number...
guy: lol yea it is...
me: holy crap are you home???
guy: yea!
me: baby! when did u get home?? omg!

jordy came home! he's here im freaking out i've gotten to see him and hang out with him and his family. they're so cool! lik they made me feel right at home, but i think i made an idiot outta myself b/c i wasn't sure what to say, and i can get really shy... so yea just estatic that he's home for a lil bit before kuwait!

new years '08

2008-01-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

my resolutions!

1. To save money, and plan on moving out... getting my own place.. etc.

2. to train my butt off but dont let it get ahead of my studies.

3. to be less confrontational with my parents, and siblings, i need to be better...

4. be clean be proud of my spaces.

5. and to be there for my man, to support him, to love him no matter what comes our way... we can overcome it

is that enough for now?

couple more poems

2008-01-03T13:05:00.000-08:00

Love

Don’t ever say that word again
A swear on your lips
live in that lie

something powerful

Your scent on my skin
hunt me again
the power I feel
confuses me still
Who can comprehend
but another lion?

the new blue belt

2008-01-01T16:54:00.002-08:00

ok so as of December 17, 2007 i became the newest blue belt uncer marcello c. monteiro

ok i had an hour private lessons with my coach marcello. he fixed my bad habits and then taught me some great new techniques that will hepl me b/c of my fighting style, and body size. so i fought him a little he gave me advice and was just in general excited for me.

that night at practice he gave me the b;ue belt in front of the class talked about my journey so far and my love of the sport... how i dont care how far away a tournament is, if im set on going to a tournament ill find a way there, and invite people to go with. then he made me speak... which was the hardest thing in the world just because i get shy! so i bumped and stumbled int rying to say thanks to everyone i train with for making me a better fighter and for pushing me...

so here are the pics!

the new blue belt

2008-01-01T16:54:00.001-08:00

ensayo de espanol

2007-12-13T00:47:00.000-08:00

La Juventud
Hay una dicho, La juventud se desperdicia en los jóvenes. A traves de la historia las jóvenes han tenido diferentes funciones en la sociedad. Las jóvenes en “El Procer”, y en los mitologicos de “Dedalo, Teseo y el Minotauro” las jóvenes tienen funciones muy diferentes. Pero todo depende en la sociedad. Cuando hay la paz, los jóvenes estan perezoso e irresponsible. Pero cuando hay problemas en la sociedad, los jóvenes estan primeros para decir “No”. En este ensayo yo escribo sobre la diferencias y similaridades de los jóvenes en “El Prócer”, “El Minotauro”, y “Dedalo e Icaro”.
En la historia “El Prócer” el heroe había descubierto que el pais que el ayuda en le Guerra por independencia está en los manos de un dictador. No habiá libertades por la gente. El dictador usa la cara del heroe y fuerza para controlar la gente. Pero había esperanza con los jóvenes. Los jóvenes protesó el gobierno. En el final de la historía el Prócertiene esperanza para el pais porque los jovenes usan sus juventud y pelearon al gobierno.
En el mundo es la realidad tambien. Los jóvenes lucha por nuevas ideas. En los Estados Unidos, los jóvenes protestaron la guerras de Vietnam, Iraq, y Korea. Protestaron leyes y juicios. En el Medio Oriente los jóvenes protesta guerras, los Estados unidos, y a veces la influencia del gobierno. Es el mismo en algunos paises Sud Americos. Por ejemplo en Venezuela fue una elección. La gented votó para ver si quieren a Hugo Chavez ser el presidente vitalicio. La gente, los jóvenes, dicen “no.” Los jovenes usan su juventud para la beneficia del pais, y de su sociedad.
En la mitologia de “El Minotauro” el protagonista, Teseo, eran un joven en Grecia, no hay una Guerra pero hay un monstro, el Minotauro. Cada año siete jovens y siete mujeres entraba al laberinto y el minotauro comia los jovenes. Un año Teseo decidio que necesita matar el Minotauro. Teseo peleó y mató el Minotauro. Enfrente de peligro y injusticia jóvenes tienen mucho valor. Cada dia jóvenes sirven en Fuerzas Armadas y mueren. Ayuda personas en peligro, y a veces jóvenes empiezan orginizaciónes para ayudar personas. En tiempos de necesidad la juventud están peleadores por las personas que necesitan mucha.
En la última historia, “Dedalo e Icaro”, el jóven, Icaro está muy diferente de los otros jóvenes. La sociedad de Icaro, no había guerras o monstro, pero había un rey enojada. Pero el Rey está enfadada con Dedalo e Icaro porque el no podia vivir en el palacío que Dedalo e Icaro construyeron para él. Cuando Dedalo e Icaro escaparon con wings of wax and feathers Icaro va muy cerca del sol y los wings rotó e Icaro murío cuando él peleó la tierra. Icaro no escuchaba su padre, Dedalo, cuando él dice no vas del sol. En la historia los jovenes tiene paz y no escuchan los adultos. Cuando había paz los estudiantes no usan su abilidades para luchar por un idea.
Hay similaridades y diferencias en las historias. En “El Prócer” y “El Minotauro” los jóvenes usan su juvenud para ayuda su sociedad. Teseo y los jóvenes pelearon por la libertades de sus paises. Tienen una razón, y usa su poder y juventud para cosa buenas, no para ser lazy. Pero Icaro no tiene nada para pelear. Él solo quiere hacer cosas que ayuda Icaro y no ayuda otras personas. Él no le gusta escuchar del voz de experincía. Icaro colo quiere jogar jugetes. La sociedad y el gobierno no fue importa para ti pero es necessario en el futuro. En el final de las historias, Icaro está muerto, y los jovenes de “El Prócer” y “El Minotauro” viven con esperanza para el futuro.
A veces, la juventud se desperdicia en los jóvenes. Pero al ptro tiempos los jóvenes tienen la abilidad y poder para influencia su sociedad y y el mundo. En mis historias “El Prócer” y “El Minotauro” los jovenes usan su poder totalmente. Pero al mismo tienmpo Icaro de “Deseo e Icaro”, icaro no escucha su padre y murio, Usa su juventud para buens cosas. Por que en el último.

bjj update b/c its needed!

2007-12-11T23:17:00.000-08:00

so i have not updated my bjj status in here for a while so here it goes! i am done competing for the year, there are no more tournaments for me to compete in but here is the list of tournaments and places....

NAGA- Arnolds March 3 &4- third place women's lightweight white belt gi
Hoosier Open- June 9- Second place, womens, combined middle and lightweight whitebelt gi.
NAGA Ohio- July 14?- first place women's lightweight whitebelt gi
secondplace women's advanced no gi (long story as to why i was in there)
NAGA Midwest- September 29- third women's beginner no- gi, lightweight
Second women's beginner lightweight gi
NAGA-NAGC- November 17-18 first place women's white belt lightweight gi

also check out nationallyranked.com it has my overall national ranking on the front page look under women's 18+ gi.

overall i ended up 7-3 in gi, and 1-2 in no-gi.... i need to work on no gi.... badly.

ok so here are the photos!

lol one more... ill stop for a bit on the poems

2007-11-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

Quickie

An urge
to claim
What's yours

um a lil nit of naughty poetry

2007-11-05T12:46:00.001-08:00

So Sweet

Sweet words
sung softly into ears
Slight fingertips
tracing, dancing down my hips
A Silken mouth
teasing my body to life
Hearts beating
faster stronger in time together
Bare arms and legs
entwined together closing the gap
Two bodies, one more time

Withdraw

I need…
your lips
tracing down my hips
that itch
when you touch
The next hit
arching my back
The final high
electrifying my body
Crashing back
and begging for more

older poetry brought back

2007-10-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry

I'm bad at this
I can't

I'm good at one thing
screwing up.

Forgive me
I can't

You mean so much
Just wait

I'll prove it
I can....

little black book

u got a little black book?
me too

u show me yours
i'll show u mine

phone numbers
lists
notes
dates

so busy why?

mine's a little different
no numbers
no lists
no notes
no dates
none of that

mine is different
words,
pictures,
pencil
color
and blank pages

your black book
tells of a busy future
my black book
tells of a rocky past

The outside

I know you look at me
but you can't realize

How much pain
is hidden behind my eyes.

You see my face
my hips
my thighs

And say ..you're not small,
just fun sized...

But the words are
the things that make me cry

You doubted my love
no matter how much I tried

Pretend
I pretend to know nothing,
You pretend to know everything

It..s hard to pretend
-Hard to smile after a fight

After you yell and shove
Tell me I'm worthless

Cut me down
Keep me in line

Never leave a mark
But screw with my mind

I pretend
-It's real love

And you
-Pretend you are right

hmm

2007-09-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

i'm definately doubting that anyone reads this, but then again im not exactly in spain yet so there's no real reason

i'm sorry but im gonna be so excited and so bummed at the same time. i can't wait to get out of this house and the cerfews and nagging. i love my parents but i'm 21 dont tell me to go to bed at midnight, i'm quite pissed by the time i get home because someone will either be pissed, or ill upset them for not wanting to be bothered. I can't even hang out with my friends which is the worst part, i need to get out... it's killin me at the moment.

at the same time i'm kinda bummed because i really want to hang out with my friends but that's not really happening because i'm living at home. so i'm almost dreading leaving and not seeing some of my friends for almost a year

idk justkinda bummer at the situation leave me one

caution poetry ahead.....

2007-08-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

Can you blame me?

you woulda never forgiven me.
You woulda killed the guy

Scared me shitless
screamed till I cry

But that wasn't my reaction
all I asked you was why?

It's not like I was a bad girlfriend
You could never say I didn't try

I was good and faithful and waited for you
but all you ever did was lie

p.s.

2007-08-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

i'm gonna start putting more poetry up, it will be happier i'm hoping...

a quickie

2007-08-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

ok this is a very quickie update!

I am now 21 and i am loving it

i am also single for the lack of a better word. My ex jeremy cheated on me and took pictures... i found the pictures. the best way to end a relationship woth me and never hear from me again except in you're worst dreams and fears, is to cheat on me.

i have a new job at the claddaugh in plainfield. apparently i will have lots of craic (fun)

school started woo hoo... not really

i had a broken finger and 10 stitches, not fun it was the most pain i've ever been in.

i've also been analyzing something that recently started up and because of it i've may have hurt myself by overanalyzing and not just going with it....

idk i'll get more indepth later.

the drinking dilemma

2007-07-18T22:55:00.000-07:00

This is not meant to be a soap box by any means. I understand that it is rare to find a person between the ages of 16-20 that has not tried alcohol, gotten drunk whatever. It's becoming part of life, and a part of our culture. In Europe they have less problems with drinking because of the fact that alcohol is such a part of life, the drinking age is lower, the driving age is higher, and almost everyone uses public transportation, having personal cars for every driver is not normal. Drinking alcohol is a social thing, it is not about getting drunk, playing games, or just being crazy drunk people and drowning away your problems.

With that in mind look at America. Drinking under 21 is illegal but you can die for your country at the age of 18. So alcohol becomes appealing. Everywhere there are kids becoming alcoholics. They are going to parties, trying alcohol, getting drunk, and horrible decisions are being made. Just to fit in, to be cool to act 'mature.'

July 31 2007 is my 21st birthday, I've done the whole under aged drinking thing. And honestly I'm not too big of a fan. I hate getting drunk I'm always afraid of what might happen. The feeling when you vomit from consuming too much, or waking up the next morning feeling like you'd rather be dead to the world for the next few days. There are so many things that could go wrong. So I stayed sober most times, so I could get myself or my friends out of trouble. I have no problem socially drinking, but never getting drunk…
So how am I going to celebrate my 21st? By going to clubs, possibly drinking… but most likely just going dancing and having some fun.

The drinking is really worrying me. I have seen some of the smartest people I know succumb to alcohol. Guys you know who you are but I will not name you. College athlete, great grades, has a great chance at becoming an amazingly successful guy, but he had problem with alcohol. If he was not drinking too much then he was great to be around. But there was this point that he'd hit, where he would punch walls, cuss, start fights, and then the thing that affected me the worst, that scared me most was when I saw him pass out from throwing up and not only that quite a bit of it was blood.

The next guy was my first incident with someone who had a drinking problem, one of my friends freshman year invited to me to a party he was hosting, and at the end of the night he ended up passing out next to me, but he stopped breathing a few times in the night. The next day he was fine but I was emotionally rattled by it.

My last one is the sweetest guy to me I care about him so much and he means the world to me. But when he drank he was the last person I'd want to be around. I thank god he decided to stop getting drunk because he was fine as long as he wasn't drunk, but once drunk he was rude and inappropriate, and I don’t like being around him.

All three of thee guys are great guys their one downfall was alcohol. I don't understand why we have to be like this. Making fools of ourselves, doing dangerous stunts, fighting, getting to the point of alcohol poisoning. It's ridiculous, no one looks cool, or awesome when they are drunk, sloppy, and belligerent. Something needs to change, the social norms need to be fixed. Drunkenness should be so shunned that no one does it, and social drinking be alright, just never to the point we get to.. I do not want to hae to dgo to a friends' funeral because of alcohol.

hooray!!!

2007-07-05T21:12:00.000-07:00

I got to see my boyfriend for the first time in months on Monday and i almost cried, actually i really wanted to cry, i had missedhim sooo much and hated being away from himso yea it was pretty much amazing, now i'm noto one for public displays of affection but i just didn't care. I wanted the kisses, the hugs the cute little things he said to me, and just everything about being with him.... unfortunately i'm not quite sure when i will get another day like that.... because of some extenuating circumstances, god damn it i just want to see him again.

alright i'm ok... so yea the other big news? i now have a tattoo. it says Psalm 144, and it's so cute! everyone who has seen it likes it.... and it hurt to get done, but now its fine

aalright that's alll i have for now!

You've been doin too much jiu-jitsu when...

2007-06-30T11:33:00.000-07:00

You've been doin too much jiu-jitsu when...

1. On your way home after Jiu Jitsu class you always stop to go shopping so you can show off your kimono and belt.
2. All of your enemies "gotta big mouth!"
3. You begin pronouncing the word Jiu-Jitsu (jew-jit-su) as "zhuzhitsu."
4. You are constantly thinking up a new setup or move that no one has discovered just so you "can put your name on it."
5. When in bed with your wife or girlfriend you are doing jiu-jitsu reversals to maneuver her into the position you want.
6. When talking with friends, bosses, or relatives you eye them up and down to see which would be easier to get on them: the armbar or the choke.
7. You are constantly staring at other people's ears while at bars and clubs to see who is a grappler.
8. ONLY when you are explaining a move to a friend do you develop a SLIGHT Brazilian accent. 9. Waiters, waitresses, and the cable guy are all now "my friend, my friend."
10. When you turn over in bed at night you are posting your foot and sliding your hips to turn instead of just rolling over.
11. You spend hours on end looking at BJJ sites trying to think of things you can say.
12. You try to get grandma to do a footlock on you.
13. When your family members begin to lose feeling in their joints.
14. Last night you dreamt that Royce Gracie put you in an armbar, and when you woke up your arm was caught between your desk and the edge of your bed.
15. When asked how BJJ deals with multiple attackers, you say "I don’t know, I've never found more than one person dumb enough to try."
16. You find it fun putting house pets (e.g. dogs and cats) into locks, chokes, and holds.
17. When you start wanting to test your BJJ skills against big guys at bars and clubs.
18. It becomes increasingly difficult to say "so your a black belt in Tae kwon do-- that very impressive," with a straight face.
19. You catch yourself attempting to pass your girlfriends guard.
20. You talk in broken English, even though you're a college graduate.
21. You practice chokes on anyone that turns his back to you.
22. When someone tries to give you a hug you immediately drop into base and execute a hip throw.
23. When your girlfriend comes over and you greet her with an open guard instead of a hug.
24. When you find yourself twisting and mangling your ears trying to get the cauliflower to look cool.
25. You start teaching your 10-month-old baby the mount, the side mount, and the guard.
26. When breaking joints becomes an everyday thing.
27. When nobody is around, you start doing submissions to your pillow.
28. Your Gi has more patches on it than a whole company of Girl Scout uniforms.
29. During the winter you wear your Gi top around the house instead of a sweater or turning on the heat.
30. You’re trying to get your friends to the BJJ dojo just to show them what a great Lion-Killer you have.

poetry corner

2007-06-25T21:41:00.000-07:00

forgive me, i've been going thru some stuff and have started writing poems again.... dont be too harsh!!

Waiting Game

A letter
A call
More letters

Anticipation

A visit
A court date
More calls

Hope

Another visit
Another letter
The wait is almost over

I can't wait any longer

The Night

The darkness drags me under
The nights are unforgivable.
Nightmares, terrors, and tears.
Slashing at the remnants of happiness.
My savior taken from me,
Insomnia is my only hope
Pain my only release

Control

Emptiness
gnawing need
dizziness
shrinking numbers
vanishing waist
Overcoming the need
suppressing the want

Death
imprisonment
reactions
fights
depression
PTS
losing love and happiness

If I can't control my life I'll control my weight

please comment, it is helpful

tournament photos

2007-06-13T23:55:00.000-07:00

This is me before the hoosier open i was actually really calm at this point... definately not normal for me.

These are some of the medal winners from my team. Vanessa and Amanda on the left got first. Marcello my coach is in the middle. Edwin got third, and i'm on the right, i got second

Me and my two tournament medals thus far... i was trying to look tough.

tournament update

2007-06-11T20:36:00.000-07:00

so i had a tournament june 9, 2007 and i got second place. this is my second tournament and the second time i've placed second! This time i voluntarily took second though. The girl i had to fight for fist was a fellow teammate and since she had been practicing for a significantly longer time, beat me all but one or two times at practice, and this wa her last tournament as a white belt, i backed out of the fight and willingly gave up the place, i mean either way our school went #1 #2 right? So my record is 3-1 and I pretty happy with that. How many people can say that in their first 2 tournaments they have medaled both times and have a winning record? Sp yea the girl i did beat at the tournament was a pretty easy win, i had been practicing a certain choke for a really long tim and when i got to the match i was dead set on using it and it worked beautifully. I may try it at my next tournament also, mainly because it is not a well known chooke and it is insanely effective.
I'm also going to post a picture of me and my medals on here, just gimme a little time!

Navita

R.I.P

2007-06-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Rest in peace Corriene Carlucci You were a beloved mother and grandmother. May you live in heaven and be rejoined with your husband. I'll miss you grandma.

congrats!!!

2007-06-02T23:13:00.000-07:00

My little brother graduated today... congratulations collin you made us all very proud. I've had a weird night. I am a little confused at the events but I guess I got the answer right? I think that no matter what everything will work out in the end. I don't know but that's okay... Good night everyone!

Warrior

2007-05-28T11:44:00.000-07:00

Psalm 144: 1- 2
Blessed be the lord, my rock,
who trains my hands for battle,
my fingers for war;
My safeguard and my fortress,
my stronghold, my deliverer,
My shield in whom I trust,
who subdues people under me.

Psalm 21: 9-10
Your hand will reach all your enemies; your right hand will reach your foes!
At the time of your coming you will drive them into a furnace.
Then the LORD'S anger will consume them, devour them with fire

These help me when i fight, because i know God is on my side. God created warriors. Something happens to us to make us different from the rest but I will be a warrior for the rest of my life and know that God has created e this way.

voodoo doll

2007-05-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

The devil comes and I try to stall and
Soon my subconscious and conscious might start to brawl
And I put up my walls
And they begin to fall
As this cunning demon takes me as it voodoo doll
Darkness sets in as the horns start to grow
Suddenly I become somebody I dont know

Whoa-what do I do?
Ooh ooh ooh oh
This body’s temple of doom
Whoa-what can I say?
To-ohh-ohh oh make all of this go away

I got many different names, but 2 u it’s all the same
I be the crawlin in your skin, I be the reason 4 your sin
I be the cunning in your charm, and I be the needle in your arm
Call me once might let you got, call me twice and then IM gonna get ya

Mind playin tricks on me

Im paranoid, homie
Nobody know what Im going through
God, I’m so lonely
I know I’m loosin it
I'm hearing...wispering
Somebody’s watching me, clockin me, hear my heart tickin’
Worshiping 2 gods can get you in deep
Crystal ball show you things you’re not supposed to see

Whoa-what do I do?
Ooh ooh ooh oh
This body’s temple of doom
Whoa-what can I say?
To-ohh-ohh oh make all of this go away
I got many different names, but 2 u it’s all the same
I be the crawlin in your skin, I be the reason 4 your sin
I be the cunning in your charm, and I be the needle in your arm
Call me once might let you got, call me twice and then IM gonna get ya

You know I’m comin for ya, u know Im gonna get ya

This song is a Fergie song, go figure. I've liked it for a while. It'a called Vodoo Doll. Again if you know me well you know I have a problem. No matter how happy I should be in my life as soon as something goes bad I end up purposefully hurting myself. For some reason it usually ends up being weight related. I've had diet pill addictions, struggles with anorexia and bullemia, both at different times, I've worked out until I almost passed out from exhaustion. I've tried everything to wreck my body and get as small as possible. Every time it usually takes me getting very hurt by the things I am doing, or by someone who catches on before I can stop. I have more problems than I like to admit and can't control them so I try to control my weight and body. Unfortunately it has taken its toll. My friends are now concerned about any dramatic weight change, because it may be a sign I'm slipping. My body can't alway hold food because I've tried so hard to train my body to not want it. Not only that but cutting weight the right way is probably the hardest thing in the world for me.

Also always watch my hair, because when something major happens, i will change my hair. I do not always get the greatest things done to my hair either, but when i know a major change is coming or it has already happeed, I change my looks as well.

I have now started cutting weight. And I am doing it the healthy way. I'm counting calories, eating healthy, cutting out pop, sugars, and fast food, working out regularly, and not over doing it. I some how have lost about 7 pounds since coming home from college and it is a nice feeling. The other day though I had two friends tell me I had gotten too skinny. I'm 5'3" and about 123 pounds at the moment, in no book am I too skinny for the way I am built. Actually I believe I can get down to aobut 113 before I am flirting with being too light.. Ten pounds is a major difference. So for now I am going to try and say how much I weigh and if I get too low do not hesitate to tell me. Just do not say I'm too skinny when I'm no where near what i need to be for my tournament. I am not too skinny, I've made sure of that I am just now trying to work onmaking weight formone day and that's it after, my weight will not have to be that low for a long time... By the way my target is about 115, if i can't make it it's not big deal. This is not life or death!

Fergie woot woot!

2007-05-22T20:57:00.000-07:00

So I have this special power. I have this innate abilityto win concert tickets. I've gone to many concerts and only paid for one ticket. So with that being said Fergie was in my home town today for this small autograph thingy. And i got to meet Fergie, so now I have her autograph. It gets better because i went outside the store and they were having litttle contests for tickets, and i ended up doing a sit up contest with 9 other girls. Well not thinking this through the people had us do sit ups on asphault, not anything soft... like a normal sit up contest. So I ended up doing 160 sit ups and winning the fergie tickets. I was fairly proud of myself until I tried to stand and almost collapesed from over exertion... quick tip for everyone, do not work a morning shift, workout, go stand out side in 85+ degree weather in black under armour, then do 160 sit ups, and forget lunch... It's a great way to dehydrate and then nearly collapse.

Anyway I went to the concert with my best friend from elementary school. It ended up being a high school reunion, I swear there was about 40 people from my highschool that had already graduated or were getting ready to graduate this year. It was kinda nice to see them. Any way it was a great time and completely worth it. The only thing i regret is not being more careful about the sit ups and i ended up scraping my back up pretty nicely.. i'm gonna try and get a picture of it so i can post it on here. Another post shall come soon!

new and old blogs

2007-05-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

so this is not my fiirst blogspot... i just got tired of the old one and how much i complained about everything in it. So if you really want to read it, the address is carluccikn.blogspot.com.

As for this one it will mostly be about brazilian jiu jitsu, friends, and my upcoming trip to Spain. Once I get to Spain it will be about everything that i experience and see, so my friends in the states can keep tabs on me.

For those who do not know my, my pen name is Navitas. Navitas is latin for energy, which is exactly what I am. I am the physical embodiment of energy. I need very little sleep, granted i dont like to sleep because i am afraid that I may miss something while I am asleep. So i end up having alot of time to think. My passions at the moment are brazilian jiu jitsu, cage fighting, dance, music, and just having fun! I'm not sure how popular this will become, i do not know if anyone will actually care, but sometimes it is easiest to write just to clear my mind.

So stay tuned it may get interesting.