The 2012 Pan American Championships
were held in Irvine, CA this weekend. With over 2,600 competitors, this is by
far the largest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament in the world! Some of the best
black belt competitors made a presence on the mat, and with the support of Budo
Videos, the tournament setting was greatly enhanced, not to mention the live
streaming of all matches online! As for our competitors from El Dorado Hills Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jordan Hernandez and Eliot Kelly completed an intense
training camp in preparation for the tournament.
In the white belt division, Jordan faced a
division one wrestler in the first round with flawless takedowns and back
attacks. Although he was unable to make it through to the podium, he made
significant gains in his Jiu-Jitsu game, and already has his eyes set on the
next tournament, The American Cup in San Jose, CA.
In the brown belt division,
Instructor Eliot Kelly was able to advance all the way through to the finals.
In the semi-final match he shut out his opponent from Alliance with a score of 7-0
and finished the match with a collar choke after taking the back. The final was
an action packed, exciting match with attacks coming from both competitors.
Although Eliot secured a 4-0 lead early in the match, he fell behind and had to
make an honorable attempt to come back. Almost securing several match ending
submissions, the match ended with Eliot almost in position to gain 4 points
with a final score of 8-11. “I’ve been drilling a lot of new things in lieu of
this tournament, and I was able to execute most of it. With a little more
drilling and awareness, I’m confident I will get to the top next time!” Even
after his loss, Eliot seemed very optimistic about getting back on the mat to
train, learn, and adapt.
Ben, Kevin, and Frank from EDHBJJ
also made the trip down to Irvine to support their teammates in action! A BIG
Thank you to all who were involved in getting both competitors ready and supporting
them through the Pan American Championships. Also, a BIG congratulations to all the Sacramento area Jiu-Jitsu competitors who made the trip down to Irvine!
The IBJJF Pan American Championships were hosted at the Braun Event Center in UC Irvine.
Eliot Kelly
"2012 Adult Brown Super-Heavy Pan American Silver Medalist"
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