Mr. CHEATER in the Tourney!

Cheating happens everyday -- cheating the traffic law, cheating in school, cheating on your partner. But when it happens in a sport you love most, what do you do?

Image SOURCE

I officiated in the 2011 Philippine BJJ Nationals in Manila last weekend. As I was weighing one of the guys (junior white belt), I noticed that the scale went crazy for about 10 seconds before it stopped on the right weight. I thought it was weird but I just dismissed it. When the guy went off the scale, one of my teammates told me what he saw: as my eyes were glued on the screen of the scale, his teammate (a blue belt) was holding his pants and was slightly lifting his left leg up! He made weight on his first weigh-in -- 81.95kg for the under 82.5kg division. So I asked him to step on the scale again, cleared the area around him, and told him to stand in the middle (his left foot was desperately hanging on the side of the scale) -- then I saw that his actual weight was 86+kg! That was a difference of 5kg! I was so freakin' furious!

Image SOURCE

I disqualified him from the junior division and told his coach about it. His coach was equally furious. He was so scared of his coach he almost cried in front of us. He was such a disgrace for the sport, and a mockery of the discipline that every martial art instills on its practitioners.

We let him join the adult division, and to our dismay, he tried to take two medals (he got a bronze) from us. WHAT A BLATANT CHEATER. He apologized after all the brouhaha, but now he's been branded as a "cheater." I'm sure the next time I see him in another comp, I will definitely be watching him to make sure he doesn't cheat again. He just lost his credibility and the respect of the organizers.

Image SOURCE

BJJ Action Tomorrow!

We're having the Philippine Gi & No Gi Championships on Nov. 19 & 20, 10:00 AM, SM Manila.

If you happen to be in Manila, Philippines this weekend, don't miss it!

More info HERE.

11.11.11

 
It only happens every 100 years, so what did you do on 11.11.11?

It was a very unfortunate day, as I learned that my student committed suicide by jumping off a building. According to the reports, it was because her partner was breaking up with her, and she couldn't take it. She's a single mom, but always delivered beyond expectations in school. She was one of the students who made an impression in me. 

So to make myself feel better, I figured the only way to forget about it (I was really upset) was to 1 - splurge on hotel buffet; or 2 - train hard. Because I have already gained unnecessary weight while recovering from my surgery (and still have to shake off A LOT of fat), I decided to divert my energy to a good training.

One of the worst things that could happen when you're in the mood to let everything out on the mat is to NOT have a partner. I got to the gym before training started, and as everyone partnered up, I got left with no one. There were odd number of people on the mat, and I got no partner! So I was sulking in the corner for the first 3 rounds, until someone noticed that I wasn't doing anything and called me. Thank you, guy! 

It went on well from there, and actually enjoyed the training. Sweat puddles were a bit too much, but I'm glad I trained on 11.11.11.

Anyway, have you experienced not getting a partner when you're the only woman training at that time? Does it make you feel alone/outcast? On normal days, I don't really mind, and if there is an odd number of people on the mat, I find a couple my size and we take turns in drilling. But sometimes when you are upset and just need a little bit of extra love, it hits you big time. Am I being too girly, or is there anyone out there who feel the same thing? Talk to me! :)