Last Saturday, April 28th, Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy held its annual party for all students and instructors! It was a great time to say the least and a great opportunity for students and instructors to bond off of the mats.
One of the goofy photos that the team took at the party. Apparently a lot of people want to choke me?
As you can see, it was a lot of fun for everyone. When you spend a good amount of time training hard and being focused, It is necessary to let loose and have some fun once in a while.
The party kicked off at around 3pm. As time went by, more and more students started showing up and it started to look like a party.
Considering the fact that we are a MMA academy and competitiveness is something we deal with whenever we train with or against or fellow students, we had to keep it a little bit competitive at the party as well.
No, we didn’t have a battle royal between the entire team (although that would be pretty sweet). We actually turned the changing room into a Super Smash Bros extravaganza.
We set up a moderately sized flat screen TV, plugged in the Nintendo 64 and went at it. I ,myself, only played one game because I am awful at it, but most of the students were having some pretty intense battles (especially some of the little ninjas we have in our kids program). I’ll be the first to say that i got beat by an 8-year-old at video games.
Once everybody showed up, Coach Josh came through in the clutch with about 100 sandwiches from our local Panera Bread!
Not only that, but there were water bottles and chips to accompany the sandwiches. I was starving so I immediately housed 2 turkey bravos and 2 water bottles. But then again, what’s a party without mass amounts of food, right?
After everyone was fed and happy, it was time for the best part: Superlatives and Champagne!
To put the cherry on top of the cake, the coaches at Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy put together a list of superlatives. Awards were given out to select students who showed great enthusiasm, skill development, dedication and overall hard work over the past year.
The New Student Dedication Award was presented to the one and only “loco-bows” Andrew DeSousa. Andrew definitely deserves this award. As a new student, his dedication to our gym has caught the coaches attention and caused him to improve in many ways.
The BDMMA Spirit Award went to our great teammate Joey Rosario. Joey is also a new student, but his frequent questions on technique and positive attitude give him credit towards this award. He is one of the nicest guys on the mat, but will give you a run for your money!
The Most Improved MMA Award went to Kim Thibodeau. Kim is one of the toughest women i’ve ever met. Her MMA skills are sharp and she has made leaps and bounds in her overall game. Congrats to Kim!
The Most Improved BJJ Award went to yours truly, Nate Chubay. Now I don’t want to talk myself up because I am a pretty humble guy, but receiving this award was huge for me. I have been spending my time on and off the mat studying the masters and looking to improve my game in the fastest and most efficient way. All I can say is that hard work pays off!
The BDMMA Student of the Year Awardwent to Crazy Wayne!! Crazy Wayne is super dedicated and trains 10 times harder than most guys his age. Not only does he spend almost every day training with us, but he always has the best attitude and is always there to learn and to help. Crazy Wayne is the man!
The BDMMA $400 Referral Prize Award went to Joey Rosario! Joey walked away with $400 cash in hand, and from what I saw, he was an extremely happy guy. Now he can spend all of it on new gis and private lessons! (just kidding, but even so, that’s not a bad investment)
At the conclusion of the superlatives, we then proceeded to “ball hard” and pop some bottles of champagne. It was a very special occasion, and a sweet glass of champagne as well.
Joey, Neil and I enjoying our glasses of champagne (or as I like to call it, championagne)
Another great day at Black Diamond Mixed Martial Arts Academy came to a conclusion, and I think it is safe to say that everyone had a great time. Cannot wait for next years’ party!
-N
Chube Jitsu 