This past weekend was the 2015 San Francisco Open. For this tournament everyone trained very hard and I couldn’t be prouder of the team. We lived up to the motto printed on our shirts “one team”, as the one team philosophy was displayed through out the day. In the black belt division, my brother Kim closed out with Vitor Paschoal. I shared the mats with Kim at the Europeans and this time I had the honor to coach and cheer him on! In the black belt masters division Collin Grayson from CTA Rockwall closed out with Kenny Kim from Impact Jiu Jitsu. To see the growth of both of these school owners and share in their success both on and off the mat is a great feeling!! In the purple belt heavy weight division Ryan Walsh closed out with Kenny’s student Madjer Okde and in a very stacked absolute division Ryan closed out with Benji Silva.
There were many winners, Yuri Simoes won his weight and absolute, Thomas won his weight etc. but more importantly we came together as a team. In the end it’s not about the medals or awards but the journey and to share this moment with affiliates from across the nation was awesome! Behind every successful team are countless training parters at the gym, families that support and understand the demand of the athletes training and a culture and philosophy that puts the team before the individual! I feel truly blessed and honored to be a part of it all. Congrats again to everyone!!
