On Saturday, May 5th 2012, The Black Diamond MMA Competition Team made an appearance at the North American Grappling Association East Coast Championships in Warwick, RI. Not only did the team perform well, we also managed to bring home several medals!
Now as some of you may or may not know, The North American Grappling association (also known as NAGA) is one of the most well-known grappling/fighting organizations around. NAGA holds grappling tournaments all year round across the United States. On May 5th, NAGA held their annual East Coast Championships right here in our very own Warwick, Rhode Island.
The Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy was proud to have some of its students competing in this exciting event. Some of the students that competed include myself, Andrew DaSilva, Luke Hopton, Joey Rosario, Ben Burdick, Andrew DaSouza, Slick Jimmy, and even our very own Coach Josh Labossiere.
For many of these guys, it was their first time competing in a NAGA tournament (including myself). For those of you who have never been to any kind of grappling/jiu jitsu tournament before, it is quite the experience:
The room is loud and filled to the brim with live energy, amplified by the screaming of coaches and the booming voices of the fight announcers. Adrenaline is pumping through each fighters veins, whether they can control it or not. Grapplers of all shapes, sizes and styles meet on the mats and put it all on the line to clash their abilities against one another.
After trying to visualize this, you can imagine that it is a very intense, gladiator-like scene. Much credit is deserved by anyone who steps out there on those mats, especially if it’s their first time. So, with that being said, a lot of credit goes out to all of the guys on the team who had the guts to step out on the mats and put it all on the line.
As far as shiny metal things go, Team Black Diamond MMA was able to bring home the gold in the cruiser weight purple belt division, a gold in the no-gi novice middle weight division, a bronze in the no-gi novice feather weight division, bronze in the cruiser weight white belt division, and lastly a bronze in the no-gi intermediate lightweight division.
That’s 5 medals!
Now seeing that most of the guys that attended were competing in their first tournament, I can easily say that we did very well as a team. We didn’t win every match and every gold medal, but the hard work and determination I saw from our team was outstanding.
As an overall experience, I would recommend competing to anyone who is able and willing. It is a unique experience unlike any other. Although it may slightly take you out of your comfort zone, at the end of the day it makes you a better grappler, a humble competitor, and brings you closer together with your team. It is definitely worth it!
A few members of Team Black Diamond celebrating after the tournament
(from left to right) Joey, myself, Coach Josh, Dasani, J-Cola
Again, much credit goes out to Coach Josh, Slick Jimmy, Luke, Ben, Joey, and last but not least, both Andrews for competing. A valiant effort by the team and a huge step towards a gym full of elite grapplers who are on the path to sweet, righteous victory.
-N
Chube Jitsu 
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