Got promoted to Blue Belt yesterday
I wanted to first start by giving a big shout out to my home school/gym in the 10th Planet Yooper Hotbox. We are sponsored by the Chicago Moon where I have also spent some time training. The hotbox is a tiny gym nestled in the Yooperland of America (AKA the upper peninsula) and we don't get much recognition but we are starting to really make some noise recently. Apart from my coach Greg, who was promoted directly by Josh Passini and Eddie Bravo, I am the first 10p hotbox student who has been promoted to blue belt. We do have some serious unranked killers here though who will be making noise in the JJ world soon!
For those of you who don't know me, or if we are not friends on facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008305180391 (ADD ME) here is just a little bit about me:
I have been working hard for years to truly earn my stripes in jiu jitsu. I didn't want to show up X amount of times to class and get promoted like so many schools offer. We also have no schools in my area, so I spent a lot of time learning on my own. I had to open my own gyms just to train. The first few years were slow going, but then 10th planet found me, and I have never looked back. I have traveled all over the country to seminars, camps, studied books, forums etc extensively to earn my blue belt and I could have never gotten this far on my own.
I always rep 10p much as I can too! Its in my blood wink emoticon Luckily I have the best coach and mentor I could ask for in Greg Westmoreland, who has helped me elevate my game above and beyond!
I also absolutely have to thank all the coaches and athletes who I have had a chance to work with over the last few years.
A big thank you goes to Josh Passini, who promoted me and has helped my wrestling game, rubberguard, prison guard, swim moves and more. I promise to keep working harder to prove my ranking on the mats and in competition.
Another big thank you goes specifically to Master Eddie Bravo! I was lucky enough to meet him and learn from him last year at the Ann Arbor training camp, and the system he created has kept me hooked. I learn almost every day from his videos, and study the technique as much as I can. Its an honor to be a student under your system.
A special thanks goes out to Nathan Orchard, Chris Herzog, Derek S, Brandon Mccaghren, Adlai Cleveland, Nathan Knucklesandwich Wallner etc (sorry if forget anyone, too many to name) for sharing your knowledge and helping my game elevate to the next level. Thank you to all my teammates at 10th planet Yooper Hotbox for the daily grind, and constant trials to keep me motivated to keep coming back. Its an honor to rep the system, and be a part of something so amazing!
