Gracie Open Tournament 2009

This was my first time going to a Jiu Jitsu Tournament and it was pretty fun. I didn’t compete or anything but I was there to show support for my 7 year old nephew and his 2 other classmates, representing Darcio Lira Traditional Brazillian Jiu Jitsu, who had entered the Tourney.
Admission was $ 10 for spectators anyone under 9 was free. In and outs were allowed as long as you had a stamp on your hand.
The venue was spacious for the event, the bathroom smelled of folks tryin to cut weight and the competition area was set up pretty well. Seating for spectators was plentiful and there was lots of room to move around.
The tournament itself started 30 minutes late but things happen. Once things got underway, wow… things were pretty organized. Matches went like clockwork and the referee was on top of things to ensure competitors didn’t get injured or get disheartened. The matches I was watching were for the lil ones (7 — 9 yrs old) so the ref was good enough to stop the fight when a clearly better grappeler was dominating his opponent. I thought it was a good rule, but others didn’t see it that way. I figure the kids are there to learn, grow and have fun, not to get hurt or be dominated for no reason. There’s no money so there’s no harm in looking out for the purpose of letting the kids enjoy themselves.
There was an On The Mat shop in the lobby area of the event selling, sweaters, shirts, shorts and other apparel. Also present was a Gracie representative selling Graciefighter branded gear, Prices for both shops were good and on par with other stores so there were no mark ups just because they were at an event.
Nick and Nate Diaz showed up around 3pm to compete in the later matches around 5om. Sadly we didn’t stick around to watch it but I’m sure they would’ve put up some exciting matches.
At the end of it all, my nephew took a dominant 3^rd place, losing by points 2 — 0 to the kid who took 1^st place for the whole Tourney in their age bracket. It was his first tourney too! I’m excited to see what this lil man can do cause he puts on a good show and will be a «Prodigy» in his sport! Good job Zavion!!!