The competitors at GMA Carlson Gracie Miami. Photo: Personal archive
Last weekend was the 2014 IBJJF Boca Raton International Open and a small group of competitors entered the tournament commanded by GMA member, Nova Gerecao third degree black belt Michel P. “Buiu” Pereira.
The team went in with high expectations but never imagined the great results they received: nine golds, five silver and eight bronze. To the surprise of some of the bigger schools, “The Ghost Squad Team from Carlson Gracie Miami” placed number seven out of 64 registered academies at the tournament. Not bad for a team of less than 22 strong and willful athletes that just assembled their competition team early this year.
A few weeks ago, some of the members of the squad team traveled to the 2014 IBJJF New York Spring Open bringing home one gold, one silver and three bronze medals out of seven competitors. They once again proved the strength of their small team.
“The dedication and camaraderie at the dojo is second to none, everyone looking out for each other, making sure they are drilling and exchanging feedback on a daily basis, no ego tolerance, a family atmosphere and respect is the order of the day” says Professor Buiu.
In response to the success of his team he says, ” I want to congratulate each and every one of you that competed for placing so high with such a small group. This is a phenomenal accomplishment! Believe. I also want to thank the ones that took time on their busy schedule to support the team thorough the day. It really show our commitment to each other.”
Congrats to: Daniella Rodriguez, Matt Flores, Michael Shannon, Erick Rosado, Victor Levy, Christian Perez, Harold Castedo, Javier Mendez, Simone Lee, Jorge Marquez, Jordan Basit, Stephen Heaven, Hans Castedo, Daniel Fundora, Catherine Jones, Jon Pineiro, Vincent Ruales, Lazaro Amaro and the rest of the team.
For information on Carlson Gracie Miami please visit : www.carlsongraciemiami.com
Carlson Gracie Miami. Photo: Personal archive