“Burn Your Ships,” is a saying that stretches all the way back to the early days of seafaring exploration and conquest. One of the first known uses of the term came from the Chinese Warlord Xiang Yu at the Battle of Julu. After forging a river, Yu ordered all his boats destroyed to prevent retreat, leaving his army with no other choice but to defeat the Qin Dynasty or die. The idea is that, when presented with a risky scenario, sometimes the best choice is to commit fully to the path by eliminating other options and distractions.
So why the history lesson in a BJJ article? Well, we’d have to ask Drew Weatherhead about it first.
BJJ Black Belt and head memer of the uber-popular Because Jitsu Instagram Page, Weatherhead is currently producing a new project born from a depressingly familiar situation. In the midst of the COVID Lockdown, Weatherhead announced that his gym, Central Alberta BJJ, would be shutting down permanently. The loss in revenue and government protocols had culled a huge number of gyms all over the world, and Canada was not immune to this trend.
“It’s hard to explain how demoralizing, frustrating and soul-sucking this pandemic has been on my Business, my Family, and I,” Weatherhead wrote in the news-breaking Instagram post on May 17. Deciding to move his family into an RV for a country-spanning road trip, Weatherhead is also documenting the said trip in a new series titled: The North-South Chronicles. Also selling his family’s home, Weatherhead hopes to use the trip as an opportunity to start fresh. “As of right now, the Ships have been Burnt. And the only thing ahead is the possibilities of the unknown,” Weatherhead wrote.
Covering his family’s first steps on their new journey, Weatherhead hopes to share insights about life and martial arts along the way. Starting in Canada, he hopes to bring his tribe stateside once the borders are open again. Episode one of NSC, appropriately titled “Burn The Ships,” dropped on the Because Jitsu YouTube channel earlier today, with many more installments to follow.
With the countless laughs, he’s provided the BJJ world with over the years, following him and his family on this daunting new adventure seems like a fair trade.
Congrats and good luck to you, Drew!
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