8/31: IBJJF WORLD MASTER COMP
So, this weekend I am headed to Las Vegas for about the 8th time to compete in the IBJJF World Master competition. One of the things that I find so incredibly gratifying about this sport is that even at 55 years old, I have the opportunity to compete with the best people in the world at my age. As someone who loves competition and loves competing on big stages, this is only possible with organizations like the IBJJF that separate people into age groups, and label a tournament “World Competition”. It brings out the best competitors, that yes, can afford to travel to the competition. Certainly, there are very talented competitors that are simply not able to afford the trip, and maybe one day I will travel to meet them in Brazil, or Europe or possible Australia as well, but this is the pinnacle of competition for people over age 30.
When I started competing at this event as a purple belt, I honestly didn’t put much prestige in winning as a colored belt. Don’t get me wrong, I ALWAYS want to win, and standing on top of a podium at any event is awesome, but I realized that the brown and black belts would probably mop the floor with me. My perspective changed again, though, as try as I might, I just couldn’t win. It IS a big deal to win this event at any belt color. My first year at purple belt I went in injured from a bad rib injury 5 weeks prior, having not sparred at all in those 5 weeks, won my first 2 matches and then lost a very close match in the finals, 3-0, to a competitor who has won the tournament at least 5 times and at every belt level. My second year as a purple belt I lost in my second match in the semis to the eventual champion. My third year, this time at brown belt, I lost again in the finals by 1 point by making one mistake. It was by far the most heartbreaking loss I’ve ever had. The next year I started off by finally winning a tournament as I won no gi worlds as a brown belt. There was only one other person in my division, but it was a win nonetheless. That year at gi worlds, I finally put it all together and won all 3 of my matches to finally achieve my first big goal in Jiu-Jitsu competition: win worlds at ANY belt level.
Success at the black belt level has been very difficult, as one would expect. I only have a couple wins against any black belts at any competitions, but my goal has never ceased in winning a World Master back belt title. This year, if my body cooperates, I have one of the best chances I will have ever had.
In the grand scheme of life, what does this really mean if I win? You may be surprised to hear me say……..not much, actually! Don’t get me wrong, I want to win this event with every fiber of my being, and it means an incredible amount to me personally. It is the pinnacle of what is realistically possible for me in competition at my age. But it will never define who I am, win or lose. It’s just a competition. Too often, people tie their value to a trophy or a competition. Even winning these events, you only get to stand on that podium for about 1 minute, and then it's all over and it’s time to get back to the real world. Those that are grounded in reality also realize that to TRULY claim a world championship, you must win the adult division (any age can compete), or win an ADCC event. THAT is the true pinnacle of the sport. I am under no false imagination that I could compete in the adult division. It is why I will always add the disclaimer of the age and belt rank of my victories, as anything less is doing a disservice to the meaning of these competitions.
That being said, I appreciate everyone at the gym suffering through the last couple weeks of heat and humidity in the gym as I went through my weight loss regimen. I appreciate everyone who sparred with me to help me get ready. I certainly would love to come back with a gold medal in my bag. But what this competition really means to me, is it’s simply a way to judge myself against the best of my peers and continue to validate for myself that I am still headed in the right direction when it comes to teaching and leading others in this sport.
