Lolakana's first tournament: three competitors, three first-timers, three golds and a silver.
Double Gold - Mal (3-6 Division, Mighty Mite)
Mal dominated both his divisions at his first tournament. The most impressive part? His preparation.
The day before the competition was Halloween. Mal decided to skip candy entirely to stay sharp for his matches. That's the kind of discipline you rarely see in adults, let alone a kid in the 3-6 age group.
Silver - Matthew (Juvenile, Beginner-Intermediate, Ultra Heavy)
Matthew rides a motorcycle and towers over most of our adult members. Walk into the gym and you'd assume he's one of the instructors.
Then he says something that reminds you he's 16.
He won his first match convincingly. His second match taught him what every competitor learns eventually - tournament nerves and adrenaline are part of the game. Against a division full of giants, Matthew showed the kind of potential that makes silver look like just the beginning.
Gold - Curtis (Adult, Intermediate, Feather)
Curtis won gold after two competitive no-gi matches in the adult intermediate featherweight division.
He got a new job recently and hadn't been able to train as much as he'd have liked in the lead up to the tournament. Zach was in text contact with him throughout the day, but no one had seen him. We were gathered around the entrance and a cold breeze blew in the door and Curtis was standing there in the door, ready to go—the sort of entrance that only happens when you come from a family of martial artists.
Thank You
Congratulations to all three competitors.
Major thanks to Zach for coaching, and to Andrea for the company and being the photographer and also the coat and bag hook when photos were necessary, and the timely reminders to step outside and get some air.
See y'all on the mats.
