The Vashon Island Grappling Club ventured across the Sound last weekend to join thousands of competitors at the Washington State Fairgrounds for The Revolution, a two-day Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) competition.
BJJ is a martial art similar to wrestling, with takedowns and pins, but it also allows chokes, armlocks, and leglocks.
“I could have never predicted that I would be doing my first jiu-jitsu tournament at my age,” said Claudia Gross Shader, who stepped on the mats this past winter at age 59 with no prior competitive sports background.
Gross Shader has since become a regular attendee in the Wednesday night adult class run by instructors Sean Lang and Bobby Dodd at Open Space for Arts and Community.
“Jiu-jitsu has a lot of benefits for people my age — I’ve become stronger, more flexible, and even more confident off the mats,” Gross Shader said.
In this weekend’s tournament, Gross Shader competed against women twenty years younger and more than ten pounds heavier, taking a bronze in both the gi and no-gi divisions.
Joining Gross Shader were fellow teammates Kidd Williams — who took home a silver — and Eric Rogneby. Both competed in the gi and no-gi divisions. Instructor Sean Lang competed in the gi division, earning another silver, and Bobby Dodd competed in both the gi and no-gi divisions, winning a gold and silver respectively.
Rounding out the adult team was one-time Vashon resident Nick Arnold, who took gold in the gi division. Arnold, who spends most of his time on Kauai, returns every few months to train with the Vashon Island Grappling Team, bringing with him his extensive experience as a decades-long BJJ practitioner and joining Lang and Dodd as a guest coach.
While the adult divisions showcase a lot of talent, determination, and strength, arguably the most intense competition comes on day two with the juniors. Kids as young as three compete against each other in divisions divided up by age, weight, and experience level.
Vashon Island Grappling’s youngest competitor at this tournament was 5-year-old Mozzy Dodd. Mozzy, who has been training regularly for over a year, fought hard in both the gi and no-gi divisions. She was joined by all three siblings: Deeroy Dodd, age 7, Lovella Dodd, age 9 — who earned a silver in the gi division and a bronze in the no-gi division — and Bidziil Dodd, age 14, who took home a bronze in the no-gi division. Also competing for Vashon Island was Walter Rogneby, age 12, who won silver in gi and bronze in no-gi.
“I knew the timing of this tournament would be tough for our kids,” said Lang. “We are only four weeks into our fall session after almost a whole summer off of training. I’m proud of them for going out there anyhow. They showed a lot of heart.”
Lang, who has a background in Judo and wrestling as well as BJJ, believes that these kinds of martial arts offer a wealth of benefits for people of all ages.
“I see kids come in here and slowly develop more body confidence. Adults, too.”
Lang doesn’t believe competition is necessary, although it can be an excellent learning and motivation tool. For kids who don’t want to compete in tournaments, the kids class puts on a performance twice a year at Open Space showcasing their skills.
Kids’ BJJ classes are held at Open Space on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, with the current session ending mid-December and the winter session beginning in January. Adult classes are ongoing every Wednesday evening, and Saturday morning is open mat, with kids and adults welcome to train together.
Anyone interested in joining should contact Open Space for more information. All ages and experience levels are welcome.
Heidi Lang is an instructor for the Vashon Island Grappling Club.
