The numbers have finally been tallied for the Tap Cancer Out Spring BJJ Open, which took place in Stratford, CT, on April 13th, 2013, and to no one’s surprise, the tournament’s fundraisers broke all sorts of records.

The tournament attracted over 200 competitors, both male and female, from all over the New England and Tri-State area. 73 of those competitors also fundraised on behalf of Tap Cancer Out to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, generating 926 donations and ultimately fundraising over $37,500. After including registration fees, door donations and merchandise sales, the tournament was able to raise over $41,000, nearly doubling last year’s total.

Many competitors teamed up and fundraised as a school, made possible by the cool technology on our StayClassy.org fundraising platform. Four schools raised over $1,000, but the top team was Jungle Gym Martial Arts out of New Rochelle, NY. Jungle Gym raised an astounding $7,627. Our top fundraiser, with $3,460 raised, was Jeff Morris, also from Jungle Gym. They did a great job!

The day wouldn’t have been possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Our primary sponsor, Inverted Gear, provided motivation for our top fundraisers, awarding each of them with a free Gi! Dollamur Mats provided brand new Flexi-Connect Mats, perfect for the tournament setup, at a discounted price. Fight Soap set up a merchandise table and gave ALL of the day’s sales to Tap Cancer Out, as well as providing the competitors with free hand sanitizer. The Handprint Store and LapelChoke.com also contributed greatly.

Thanks again to all the competitors, sponsors, and especially the volunteers who donated their entire day to our cause.

We hope you join us in Danvers, MA, on June 22nd for our Summer BJJ Open!

Here are a few great photos from the event!!

Here are the results from our Spring Charity BJJ Open held in Stratford, CT, on April 13th, 2013.

**We are missing a few divisions. Please email us or comment below if you have any insight on the winners from the missing divisions.

Female Gi

Brown Belt – Middleweight

1. Hilary Witt (Alliance NJ)
2. Jessy Miele (IMBCT)

Purple Belt – Featherweight

1. Rachel Beach (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)
2. Blue Jun (AMAA)

Purple/Blue Belt – Middleweight

1. Christina Bernardini (Renzo Gracie Bronx)
2. Nina Perrotta (GAMMA)
3. Yolanda Rosado (Fenix BJJ)

Blue/White – Absolute

1. Melissa Duer (Team Link Hooksett)
2. Nina Perrotta (GAMMA)
3. Priya Patel (GAMMA)

Blue/White – Middle/Lightweight

1. Yolanda Rosado (Fenix BJJ)
2. Nina Perrotta (GAMMA)
3. Melissa Duer (Team Link Hooksett)

White – Feather/Lightweight

1. Kaitlyn Doran (IMBCT)
2. Nikki Machado (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Priya Patel (GAMMA)

Female No-Gi

Advanced (Brown/Purple/Blue) – Light/Featherweight

1. Jessy Miele (IMBCT)
2. Melissa Duer (Team Link Hooksett)
3. Blue Jung (AMAA)

White – Middleweight

1. Veronica Gerosimo (TSMMA)
2. Nina Perrotta (GAMMA)

White – Lightweight

1. Katlyn Doran (IMBCT)
2. Nichole Gagne (Calandrelli BJJ)
3. Alisha Vacca (Tri-Force MMA)

White – Featherweight

1. Priya Patel (GAMMA)
2. Erica Silverstein (GAMMA)
3. Juliana Tessaro (Calandrelli BJJ)

Male Gi

Brown Belt Absolute

1. Sean Durfee (The Academy)
2. Tom Fleming (Red Lion BJJ/Tatu BJJ)

Purple – Super Heavyweight

1. Kym Sturdivant (Gladiator BJJ)
2. Paulo Canabarro (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Patrick Maguire (Jungle Gym)

Purple – Light Heavyweight/Heavyweight

1. Conrad McKenzie (Jungle Gym)
2. Dennis Martinez (Clockwork BJJ/Primate BJJ)
3. Jon Nander (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)

Purple – Middleweight

1. Oz Pariser (Soulfighter BJJ)
2. Brian Roff (Jungle Gym)
3. Brendan Rooney (C3 Stamford)

Purple – Lightweight

1. Adam Aparicio (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Wes Claytor (Gracie Humata NJ)
3. Mark Moynihan (Gladiator BJJ)

Purple – Featherweight/Light Featherweight

1. Oswalt Perez (Jungle Gym)
2. Jaemin Chang (Renzo Gracie Northern Valley)
3. Michael Davila (Renzo Gracie Bronx)

Blue – Super Heavyweight

1. Tyrae Fletcher (Crossroads BJJ)
2. Efrain Romero (IMBCT)
3. Walter Padilla (American Top Team Shelton)

Blue – Heavyweight

1. Daniel Shiebler (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Carlos Ferreira (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Thomas Montgomery (Crossroads BJJ)

Blue – Light Heavyweight

1. Ari Sokolov (Tech Cell MG)
2. Chase DuPont (Soulcraft BJJ)
3. Amadeus Torres (Fenix Fight Club)

Blue – Middleweight

1. George Reis (Jungle Gym)
2. David Cardin
3. Dan Dinan (Team Pitbull/Brazilian Top Team)

Blue – Lightweight (20 guys!!)

1. John Paul (Brazilian Top Team)
2. Anthony Giacchina (Maxum BJJ)
3. Diego Riano (Radical MMA)

Blue – Featherweight

1. Ernesto Guerrero (Soulfighters)
2. Benjamin Courchesne (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Paul Grant (Jungle Gym)

Blue – Light Featherweight

1. Jeffrey Wu (Alliance BJJ)
2. Bryan Santos (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)
3. Hasan Khan (Precision MMA/BU BJJ)

White – Super Heavyweight

1. Frankie Ciatto (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)
2. Jay Crowe (Team Santos)
3. Silvestro Manente Jr. (Lions Den/DeLima BJJ)

White – Heavyweight

1. Wilson Trabal (Renzo Gracie)
2. Viktoras Soutas (Bronx BJJ)
3. Angel Alvarez (Tim Burrill BJJ)

White – Light Heavyweight

1. Trevor Sandlin (Bronx BJJ)
2. Pasquale Razzano (Gracie Sports Norwalk)
3. Brian Winchell (Team Link)

White – Middleweight

1. Sean Seaberg (Team Pitbull/Brazilian Top Team)
2. John McCarl (Binghamton University BJJ)
3. Jonathan Ritter (Team Serra/Longo)

White – Lightweight

1. Mitchel Silwa (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Marcio Civino (DMA)
3. Michael Rodriguez (Team DeLima)

White – Featherweight/Light Featherweight (correction needed)

1. Mark Ardito (Binghamton University BJJ)
2. Missing
3. Charles Matley (Tim Burrill BJJ)

Men’s No-Gi

Advanced – Super Heavyweight

1. Tyrae Fletcher (Crossroads BJJ)
2. Sean Durfee (The Academy)
3. Kym Sturdivant (Gladiator BJJ)

Advanced – Heavyweight/Light Heavyweight

1. Nelson Puentes (Alliance NJ)
2. Abe Pitrowski (Tri-Force MMA)
3. Jon Nandor (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)

Advanced – Middleweight

1. Christian Montes (Ronin Athletics)
2. Brian Roff (Jungle Gym)
3. Brendan Rooney (C3 Stamford)

Advanced – Lightweight

1. Adam Aparicio (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Wes Claytor (Gracie Humaita NJ)
3. Michael Bosco (IMBCT)

Advanced – Featherweight/Light Featherweight

1. Luis Figueroa (Calandrelli BJJ)
2. Michael Davila (Renzo Gracie Bronx)
3. Jaemin Chang (Renzo Gracie Northern Valley)

Blue – Super Heavyweight

1. Missing
2. Missing
3. Missing

Blue – Heavyweight

1. Daniel Shiebler (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Carlos Ferreira (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Mike Kalika (Alliance BJJ NYC)

Blue – Light Heavyweight

1. Ari Sokolov (Tech Cell MG)
2. Cameron Briggs (TSMMA)
3. Ziv Karmi (Renzo Gracie NYC)

Blue – Middleweight

1. David Cardin
2. Jesse Cahill (Binghamton University BJJ)
3. Dan Dinan (Team Pitbull/Brazilian Top Team)

Blue – Lightweight

1. Diego Riono (Radical MMA)
2. Shawn Trudeau (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Iceman Vicens (Renzo Gracie CT)

Blue – Featherweight

1. Missing
2. Missing
3. Missing

Blue – Light Featherweight

1. Hasan Khan (Precision MMA)
2. Chris Plahs (Maxum BJJ)
3. Bryan Santos (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)

White – Super Heavyweight

1. Frank Ciatto – (American Top Team/Kore BJJ)
2. Roberto Ropiza (Asian Arts)
3. Tim Smith (Gracie Barra)

White – Heavyweight/Light Heavyweight

1. Billy Spangler (Red Lion BJJ)
2. Brian Nicholson (Jungle Gym)
3. Angel Alvarez (Tim Burrill BJJ)

White – Middleweight

1. Colin Strieby (Binghamton University BJJ)
2. John McCarl (BInghamton University BJJ)
3. Matthew Provost Jr. (Tim Burrill BJJ)

White – Lightweight

1. Jose Rosado (Efran Royas BJJ)
2. Nathaniel Alamed (Team Hooey, Springfield)
3. Michael Rodriguez (Team DeLima)

White – Featherweight

1. Missing
2. Missing
3. Missing

White – Light Featherweight

1. Kelvin Cheung (Binghamton University BJJ)
2. Sam Nobile (TCMA/American Top Team)
3. Jovin Rivera (IMBCT)

I’ve been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for about four and a half years. I started in BJJ because I wanted to stay and shape while also competing, and my prior sport (volleyball) required too much dependence on other people. If I wanted to compete, I needed to find six guys, all with the proper skill sets, who were free on a certain day. With BJJ, I could be part of a team, but when it came time to compete, I only needed to depend on myself (and my competitors, I suppose).

In those four and a half years, I’ve competed fairly often. I haven’t competed on the largest stages—the Worlds, the Pans, etc. (I’m on the east coast)—but have done numerous NAGA, Grappler’s Quest, Good Fight tournaments as well as smaller, local tournaments. I competed at white, blue, and purple belts, gi and no-gi. I’ve weighed in night before (cutting extreme weight), morning-of, and seconds before the match. I haven’t experienced it all, but I have experienced a lot.

I’ve had a few great experiences, but more often than not some part of the tournament left a bad taste in my mouth. At one tournament, as was a white belt competing in no-gi, there were more than 30 guys in my division, as well as more than 30 in the division before mine. My wife drove two hours to watch me compete. She sat there for 5 hours—from 10:30 to 3:30pm. When she had to leave due to a prior commitment, I was still waiting for my first match. I finally drove home at around 8pm. I had lost both my gi and no-gi matches in the first round. I spent more hours sitting on the bleachers waiting than minutes on the mat competing. I questioned whether or not I wanted to compete again.

5 Reasons You’ll Enjoy the TCO BJJ Open

All of these experiences have taught me valuable lessons about running an efficient and enjoyable tournament. So when I decided to host a BJJ tournament of my own to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, I vowed to create the experience and atmosphere that I would want as a competitor. Here are some of the ways I turned it into a tournament competitors would enjoy:

1. Affordable Entry Fee and Perks

Every competitor will agree—it’s expensive to compete in BJJ tournaments. Most tournaments will cost you anywhere from $80 to $120, just for ONE division. It’s just too cost prohibitive for most people. So I wanted to make our tournament affordable. At just $40 for one division and $60 for two (pre-registration only), it’s one of, if not THE, most affordable BJJ tournament around.

If you fundraise more than $200, you can compete for FREE. It only takes a single email to family and friends to raise that much ($20 from 10 people), so it’s a pretty good deal. Plus, the more you fundraise, the more perks you can earn like patches, t-shirts and rashguards. The top 4 fundraisers earn a FREE Inverted Gear gi!

2. Well Organized

There are a number of steps I wanted to take in order to ensure a smooth tournament. Last year the only major mishap was having to bracket the day-of, and we were admittedly ill-prepared. Though everything ran well after about a 40-minute delay in the morning, I couldn’t let it happen again. That’s why we’re requiring pre-registration this year. Plus, at too many tournaments overworked table-workers are double and triple tasking, trying to manage brackets while keeping score; keeping time while calling the next fighters. So we have at least two, if not three, volunteers working at the table, plus a dedicated ring coordinator who manages the brackets and gets the next fighters ready so there are no delays, no fighters hovering over the table, and far less confusion.

3. Great for All Belts, White to Black

My first tournament as a white belt was overwhelming. There were SO many people there that I completely psyched myself out. At the TCO BJJ Open, we’re expecting about 200-300 competitors. Our biggest division had 16 guys, but most had anywhere from 4-10. We’re all here for a good cause, so the stress level is low (it’s not the Worlds or anything). If you’re looking for the right opportunity to get acclimated to BJJ competition, this is a great opportunity.

Even though we’re a great environment for beginners, that doesn’t mean advanced grapplers won’t enjoy it either. It’s a week before the New York Open, so it’s a great opportunity to work out the final kinks. We had some very accomplished brown belts join us last year, including a former purple belt world champion, so you’ll be able to test yourself. Plus, since it’s so cheap, why not get the experience?

5. Safe – IBJJF Rules with IBJJF Refs

The TCO BJJ Open follows the IBJJF rule set, which strictly prohibits all heel hooks and restricts knee bars and toe holds to the advanced belts. I know some people prefer the “anything goes” mentality of some of the larger tournaments, but if you want to be a world champion, you have to compete under IBJJF rules. We’re hiring qualified IBJJF referees this year, so you’ll know the referees are qualified and you won’t lose a match simply because of incompetence.

6. Fun – For a Great Cause

I didn’t know what to expect going into last year’s TCO BJJ Open as far as the competition and sportsmanship was concerned. Competitors came to win, for sure, but I saw such amazing sportsmanship and so many smiling faces that I knew we had something special on our hands. Everyone knew we were coming together for a cause much bigger than BJJ. Winning and losing on the mat didn’t mean nearly as much as helping so many people in need who are fighting a real fight with cancer.

We were all there to show the world what type of people make up the BJJ community. Ultimately, our first event attracted over 200 competitors (the max we could accomodate with our mat space) and raising over $20,000. This year we’re expanding to six mats and will accomodate upwards of 300 competitors. Plus we’ll run even more efficiently by requiring pre-registration (so we’re not wasting time putting together the brackets), bringing in more volunteers, hiring IBJJF referees and more.

>> If you can join us in Stratford, CT on April 13th, please click here to get all the info and register!

Check out our highlight video from last year:

I want to make this the best tournament experience you’ll have in 2013, and I’ll do everything in my power to make that happen.

Oss!

Because I’m feeling very excited that we’re closing in on 13,000 fans AND we’ve already raised over $7,500 (over 25% of our goal of $30,000) for the Tap Cancer Out Spring BJJ Open, we’re giving away a FREE COPY of Abmar Barbosa’s Jiu-Jitsu Outlaw: First Edition 4-disc DVD set valued at over $100!! Plus, we’ll throw in the sticker too.

Winning is simple!

1. Head over to the Digitsu Facebook page, Like it and comment by saying “Tap Cancer Out sent me!” (try to tag us, @TapCancerOut).
2. Fill out the form below
3. Comment on our Facebook post (the one with the picture above) to confirm that you’ve entered

That’s it!!

Make sure to subscribe to Digitsu’s YouTube page and follow them on Twitter as well.

The winner is Corey Rive!! Congrats Corey!!

A little more about Abmar’s DVD:

DISC 1: CLOSED GUARD

Who says that the closed guard is a dated stalling position? In this 90 minute DVD Abmar dispels this myth and personally teaches you the most innovative attacks in his arsenal… NOTHING IS HELD BACK!

DISC 2: SPIDER GUARD / THE BARBOSA GUARD

Train with a champion! In this extensive 90 minute session, you’ll tackle Abmar’s most effective sweep position, the Spider Guard, and his specialized Barbosa Guard.

In the Spider Guard section, Abmar shows his most effective sweeps (including the phenomenal sweep that he used in the 2010 IBJJF PANS) and drills that will improve your Spider Guard.

Additionally, on this disc, Abmar reveals his well protected secret… The Barbosa Guard.

Disc 3: PASSING GUARD

Bring your skills to a new level with 90 minutes of intense focus on Abmar’s lightning speed and relentless guard passing skills. Also, unlike any other instructional, Abmar shows you exactly what to do if you end up in the Barbosa Guard.

DISC 4: DE LA RIVA GUARD

This is perhaps the most complete instructional on what to do when your opponent is foolish enough to pry open your guard. In just 90 minutes, you’ll get an extensive look at the intricacies of Abmar’s competition confirmed DLR guard and how to use it properly!

With that kind of success in our first attempt at a fundraising tournament (quite possibly the first BJJ fundraising tournament ever), we couldn’t stop there. So in 2013, our plan is to host four fundraising tournaments with a goal of raising over $100,000!

To that end, we are happy to announce the dates and locations for the first two Tap Cancer Out BJJ Open tournaments in 2013.

SPRING

Saturday, April 13th
Bunnell High School
Stratford, CT

SUMMER

Saturday, June 22nd
St. John’s Preparatory High School
Danvers, MA

FALL

TBA – NY/NJ/MD area

WINTER

TBA – Chicago, IL

We’ll have more information to you as soon as we get it, but we wanted you to get these dates on your calendar ASAP! Registration for the Spring tournament will open in February.

SPONSORSHIP!

Sponsors are essential to the success of our fundraising tournaments, providing our fundraisers with incentives to raise more money.  If you’re a vendor and would like to sponsor one, a few or all of our events, please email us at information {at} tapcancerout.org. Past sponsors include Predator BJJ, Martial Arts Supplies, Inverted Gear, Fight Soap, Lapel Choke and Scramble.

After much deliberation, insight gathering and strategizing for 2013, we are happy to announce that we will continue our successful relationship with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society into 2013 as our primary beneficiary.

There are a few reasons we chose the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, but first let me address some obvious questions.

Our initial mission was to be an equal opportunity nonprofit, helping various cancer causes along the way. Each calendar year we’d raise awareness and funds for our beneficiary, and each following year we’d choose a new one to support. This year we even asked for your input, allowing our community to nominate a cause and received dozens of suggestions (thank you).

So why did we choose the same beneficiary as 2012?

What we’ve found is that it was harder than expected to partner with beneficiary organizations. The BJJ community, particularly due to its association with mixed martial arts, is still grossly misunderstood. Beneficiary organizations are careful who they partner with, and gaining their support turned out to be an arduous task. If we were to choose a new beneficiary each year, we’d spend valuable time simply trying to open doors, get meetings, and prove our worth as a valuable partner.

So instead, we’ve decided to continue our relationship with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

In 2012, we worked closely with the Leukemia & Lymphoma’s Connecticut chapter on various fundraising events, anchored by our TCO BJJ Open, where competitors earned their spot on the mat, fundraising for our cause and raising over $18,000. After merchandise sales, day-of registration fees and at-the-door donations, we had raised over $21,000 at the one event. Our familiarity with their organization (and their familiarity with ours) allows us to spend more time fighting cancer and less time trying to convince a new beneficiary organization that we’re a viable partner. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society knows that, and they’re ready to help.

Our 2013 Goals

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has embraced our organization wholeheartedly, and realize how amazing the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community truly is. In 2013, we are going to work with them on a national level to support our four fundraising tournaments, in hopes of raising over $100,000 on their behalf.

We’re looking forward to supporting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society in 2013, reaching goals never achieved by a BJJ nonprofit.

Fairfield, CT – July 2, 2012 – Tap Cancer Out, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the martial art of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, recently completed their first yearlong beneficiary fundraising campaign by presenting a check for $22,658.11 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Connecticut.

While Tap Cancer Out raises money on an ongoing basis through merchandise sales, donations, and sponsorships, the primary source of funding came from their Tap Cancer Out Charity Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament held at Bunnell High School in Stratford, CT, on April 28^th of this year.

The nonprofit challenged competitors to earn their entry fee to compete by fundraising on behalf of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 49 competitors utilized the nonprofit’s social fundraising platform, StayClassy.org, to raise over $17,000 dollars. That amount nearly doubled the organization’s original goal of $10,000. The top fundraiser was David Patton, representing Team Serra/Longo in Long Island, NY, who raised $2,100. In total over 200 competitors from dozens of schools around the northeast took part in the tournament.

“The generous donations given by all of the participants and supporters of Tap Cancer Out will enable The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to provide patients and their families with much needed support as well as funding life saving research,” said Brandy Sinisi, Campaign Manager for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Connecticut Chapter. “Thank you to the entire Tap Cancer Out team and their supporters for their hard work and determination to put an end not just to blood cancers, but to all cancers.”

“It’s a really special accomplishment not only for our small nonprofit, but for the grappling community as a whole,” said Jon Thomas, Tap Cancer Out founder and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt. “The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society holds a special place in my heart, so we’re honored to be able to provide them with this amount of funding in just our first year.”

Though Tap Cancer Out is headquartered in the US, their reach has been worldwide, selling merchandise and receiving donations from numerous countries including Australia, Germany, Singapore, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom.

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a martial art and self-defense system that focuses on grappling and ground fighting instead of strikes. The art was adapted and mastered in Brazil after being brought from Japan in the latter part of the 19^th century. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is not solely a martial art: it is also a sport – a method for promoting physical fitness and building character in people of all ages.

About Tap Cancer Out

Tap Cancer Out is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu based 501(c)(3) nonprofit raising awareness and funds for cancer fight organizations on behalf of the grappling community. Tap Cancer Out was created in 2011 to support the organizations, hospitals, researchers and volunteers who won’t quit until they have forced cancer to “tap out.”

About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society ® (LLS) is the world’s largest voluntary health agency dedicated to blood cancer. The LLS mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. LLS funds lifesaving blood cancer research around the world and provides free information and support services.

To celebrate surpassing 8,000 Facebook fans, Inverted Gear has given me the opportunity to give away one of their Gis to you! The winner will be notified on Wednesday, June 27th, and will be able to choose his or her size and color (blue or white).

I already own an Inverted Gear Gi and have rolled in it a few times, so I wanted to give you a short video review. Give it a watch and fill out the form below to be entered.

Some other (better quality) reviews were done by Ken Primola (video here) of I Love BJJ and Seth Harris (his first impression here) of BJJ Gear Junkie.

The Winner!!

Congrats to Dan Gardella for winning the Inverted Gear Gi, and a special thanks to Nelson at Inverted Gear for providing the merchandise to reward one of our awesome followers.

Earlier this year, I came across a Facebook page for Seana Rossi. A purple belt under Jorge Britto at Toronto BJJ, Seana was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at the young age of 26. She didn’t let cancer stop her from living life, and in 2008, two years after being diagnosed, she started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. But by 2009, the cancer had returned. Even through chemotherapy, Seana still trained and competed in numerous tournaments. The Facebook page was set up to help raise funds for necessary medical treatments that weren’t covered under health insurance.

I watched as the BJJ community came together to support Seana, even though most of us (including myself) never met her. It didn’t matter. We saw our BJJ sister, complete with gi pants and a bandana to cover the effects of the chemo, with a big smile on her face. Seminars and fundraisers galore took place to help raise money for Seana’s treatments. Everyone gave everything they could.

Seana passed away on May 19th. In a true sign of what BJJ is all about, Seana’s instructor, Jorge Britto, promoted Seana to the rank of faixa preta—black belt—posthumously. Said Britto,

For my part could not fail to promote Seana as my first black belt (in memoriam) for all she did and how she represented the qualities of a true warrior, the values of Jiu Jitsu that we fight for. A black belt is a white belt who never quits, and Seana never quit. If Seana were still with us she would complete this mission because she never, never give up.

I’m not writing this story because I wanted to be the bearer of bad news. I wish with all my heart that I could have written about Seana’s victory over this vicious, relentless disease. But I did feel compelled to write about her story. When I look at the pictures of Seana, I see her heart, soul, and light that pours from her eyes and smile. She’s a perfect stranger, but I see a teammate. I see a friend. I see a sister. My teammate. My friend. My sister.

I don’t know what it feels like to have known Seana personally, but I do know what it’s like to lose a friend and family member to cancer. Nearly all of us have. It takes its toll, but life progresses…it has to. We move on and keep their light inside our hearts and memories inside our minds. They become part of us. Every time Seana’s teammates step on the mat, she’ll be with them. Every time the match gets tough, they’ll hear her voice cheering for them, supporting them, fueling them to never give up.

Seana, I never met but you touched my life. You will be missed, but never forgotten.

In lieu of flowers the family has asked that donations be made to the Ovarian Cancer Canada http://www.ovariancanada.org/Donate

Image via RichO’s Photography

Long overdue, the results are in. Thanks again to everyone who competed! Apologies for any misspellings. Some school names were missing from sheets. If yours is missing and would like it added, please email us at info {at} tapcancerout.org.

NO GI FEMALE

White Belt Absolute Light/Featherweight

1. Jennifer Fronio (Jungle Gym)
2. Jill Mackey (Daddis Fight Group)
3. Lauren Miller (Renzo Gracie BJJ – New Haven)

NO GI MALE

 Advanced Lightweight

1. Chris Simmons (Strike Zone)
2. Pat Kelly (Jungle Gym)
3. David Lockheart (Renzo Gracie Newark)

Advanced Middleweight

1. Christian Montes (Ronin Athletics)
2. David Spero (Spero’s Martial Arts)
3. Nima Giholompous (Bushido JJ)

Advanced Heavyweight

1. Maxwell Evans (Strike Zone)
2. Justin Cole (Strike Zone)
3. Michael Sanders (Royce Gracie Agawam)

Blue Belt Light Featherweight

1. Mike Seabrook (10^th Planet)
2. Guillermo Olivera (Dungeon MMA)
3. Angel Torres (Jungle Gym)

Blue Belt Featherweight

1. Gary Alvarez Jr
2. Kenneth Markwat (10^th Planet)
3. Viken Jawharjin (Tim Burrill)

Blue Belt Lightweight

1. Simon Tang (Advanced Martial Arts)
2. Andy Jimenez (Renzo Gracie)
3. Shawn Trudeau (Tim Burrill BJJ)

Blue Belt Middleweight

1. Vinicus Canabarro (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Charles McBane
3. Donnie Orior (Team Link)

Blue Belt Light Heavyweight

1. Alex Hansen (Team Serra/Longo)
2. Dan Howley (Bushido)
3. Nathaniel Kenton (Crossroads BJJ)

White Belt Featherweight

1. Andrew Orio (IMB CT)
2. Brian Goepfert (Team Link)
3. Jason Thigpen

White Belt Lightweight

1. Brian Backhaus (Team Link)
2. Jacob Gugely (AMA/Carlson)
3. David Gierula (Ultimate MMA)

White Belt Middleweight

1. Cameron Biggs (TSMMA)
2. Pete Riha Jr. (AMAA)

White Belt Heavyweight

White Belt Super Heavyweight

1. Roberto Ropiza (CTMMA)
2. Judah Butler (IMB CT)
3. Efrain Romero (IMB CT)

GI FEMALE

Blue Belt Lightweight

1. Jennifer Fronio (Jungle Gym)
2. Ryleigh Infanti (Tema Noguiera)

White Belt Featherweight

1. Deborah Tilford (The Center for Martial Arts)
2. Lauren Miller (Renzo Gracie BJJ – New Haven)

White Belt Middleweight

1. Aline Brito (Gracie Sports)
2. Adianis Matias (Renzo Gracie)
3. Sandra Hampson (TCMA)

GI MALE

Brown Belt Open-Weight

1. Radhames Familia (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Francicso Ferrara (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Eric Marandino (Team Link)

Purple Belt Featherweight

1. Dan Cassella (Callendrelli BJJ)
2. Michael Mancinelli (Gracie Sports)
3. Terrence Boorman (ATT/KORA BJJ)

Purple Belt Lightweight

1. David Lockheart (Renzo Gracie Newark)
2. Steve Dakhe (Advanced Martial Arts)
3. Pat Kelly (Jungle Gym)

Purple Belt Middleweight

1. Dave Spero (Spero’s Martial Arts)
2. Brnedan Rooney (CTMMA)
3. Nima Giholompous (Bushido)

Purple Belt Heavy & Lightweight

1. Manny Estradea (Jungle Gym)
2. Edrik Lopez (American Top Team/KORE BJJ)
3. Michael Sanders (Royce Gracie)

Purple Belt Super Heavyweight

1. Jason Laforge (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. Paulo Canabarro (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. John Herring (CCFA/Silvaback)

Blue Belt Light Featherweight

1. Andrew Herost (Dungeon MMA)
2. Angel Torres (Jungle Gym)
3. Jon Rivers (Dynamic Martial Athletics)

Blue Belt Featherweight

1. Gary Alvarez (Team Link)
2. Justin Zillman (Abusado)
3. Tylor Marquis (Dragon MMA)

Blue Belt Lightweight

1. Andy Jimenez (Renzo Gracie)
2. Shawn Trudeau (Tim Burrill BJJ)
3. Ernesto Guerrero (Team Strength)

Blue Belt Middleweight

1. Vinicius Canabarro (Tim Burrill BJJ)
2. David Olivera (Marcelo Garcia)
3. Ray Sherwood (Ultimate MMA)

Blue Belt Light Heavyweight

1. Ed Maciuskais (Kore/ATT)
2. Nathaniel K (Crossroads BJJ)
3. Dan Howley (Bushido)

White Belt Light Featherweight

1. Andrew Orio (IMB CT)
2. Sang Bhutia (Ultimate MMA)
3. Michael Durbin (Renzo Gracie)

White Belt Featherweight

1. Matt Verde (SJ BJJ)
2. Jason Root (DWMMA)
3. Franklin Laracuente (Tatu BJJ)

White Belt Middleweight

1. Flavio Diaz (Marcelo Garcia)
2. John Dick (Gracie Sports)
3. Cameron Briggs (TSMMA)

White Belt Light Heavyweight

1. Cody McMahon (CTMMA)
2. Francisco Laracuente (Tatu BJJ)
3. Ezekiel Rivera (Renzo Gracie)

White Belt Super Heavyweight

1. Efran Rumero (IMBCT)
2. Michael Krasner (Soulcraft BJJ)
3. Ray Shedd (Ultimate MMA)