He sent us an email today. “I am a writer, and so I have dealt with my grief over his death in the only way I really know how: by writing. Here is the eulogizing blogpost I wrote for him last night. Thanks”

Thank you, Josh!

Luis "Sucuri" Togno

On Monday when Luis Togno sat down next to me at the Sucuri dojo in Waxhaw, North Carolina, I didn’t really have any idea who he was. Sure, I knew that he was a thickset Latino wearing a Gi and that he was going to try to teach my son some moves; but if you had told me that he was one of the top-ranked martial arts experts in North America, I probably would have laughed at you.

I had met him twice before, and each time he had walked straight over and greeted me with a broad, gentle smile and a handshake that radiated warmth and – dare I say it – love. The first time this happened, I was a little flustered. I am always a bit uncomfortable meeting new people, and bigger men usually make me feel overly aware of my own diminutive frame. Luis was not tall, but he was solid; with that loose-limbed confidence with which life-long athletes seem to carry themselves. Despite this, there was something inherently non-threatening about the man, and I instantly found myself drawn to him.

My friend Zebulon is a teacher at the dojo, so the first time I met Luis, I asked him if he trained with Zeb. He gave a good-natured half-chuckle and said, “actually, I own the school.” And then he shrugged and looked away, as if to change the topic – to perhaps spare me any embarrassment.

There was no presumption in the man. None. No banners proclaiming his exalted presence. No bowing and scraping from Zeb or the patrons. He was just Luis… a great guy.

On Monday when I opened the door and looked in it was just Luis, another boy and my son standing on the mat. True to form, Luis walked over and greeted me. As we moved into the dojo together, I nodded towards the tank-like men in the training video playing on the flat-panel tv-screen and asked if he thought he could take those guys. His smile faded just a fraction and he looked away. “Those are the Gracie brothers,” he said, “I trained with them for eight years.”

I could hear genuine affection in his voice for these godfathers of the sport, and felt for a brief moment the crassness of my question – the way it did a disservice to the core principles and ideals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Embarrassed, I sat down in a wire-mesh chair facing the mat and picked up a magazine written in Portuguese, pretending to understand what I was looking at. Luis, unperturbed, sat down next to me in his relaxed way. We talked of the school. Of life. His phone rang and even his ringtone was subdued, non-threatening: a low human voice, whispering urgently, “Psst. Hey, you. Over there. Psst. Hey.”

He turned to me with an apologetic smile. “Today’s been crazy. One of those days,” he said. He got up, answered the phone, and then came back to teach my son, Mateo, to roll. He was gentle, kind, and playful. He put his feet on Mateo’s stomach, locked hands with him, and brought him smoothly into the air, tucking him and rolling him onto the floor. Mateo loved it, but when after a while Luis tried to get him to do another exercise and Mateo claimed he couldn’t because it was too hard, he shrugged and came back to sit next to me.

“I don’t like to pressure them at that age,” he said as he watched the two boys running around and tumbling all over the mat. “Just wait, though,” he went on, “when his Gi comes he’ll begin to associate this place with training, and not just playtime.” Luis smiled at the boys’ antics, unconcerned. Eventually, he got Mateo to try something else. The Thursday before, I had filmed Mateo training with Zeb. I thought about photographing him with Luis, but did not have my camera. It did not seem to matter.

Then yesterday when I picked Mateo up after work, his mother told me with tears in her eyes that Luis had been in a horrible wreck, that he was on life support, and that it did not look good.

Today, I stayed home from work to take Mateo to the doctor, and when I stopped by his mother’s workplace on the way home to tell her the prognosis on Mateo’s feverish past few days she, in turn, told me that Luis had died… was dead.

“Okay,” I answered. “I’m sorry.” I felt as though I should say more. I wanted to say more; but after all – I barely knew him.

At four-thirty today, though, I started to cry. I was sitting on the couch, thinking of Luis, and the tears suddenly began to flow. “Why you sad, Dadu?” Mateo asked, and I did not know what to say.

“You remember Luis?” I asked, crying.

“Yeah, yeah,” he answered, his little eyes lighting up. My heart cracked a little. Something irretrievable leaked out.

I wanted to be real with my son. I wanted to tell him the truth. “Well…” I started, but I could not quite do it. “Something bad happened with Luis,” I said, “and it’s making me…”

“No-no,” Mateo cut in, “nothing bad happened.” He paused. “You want play hide-and-seek?” he asked. “That will make you feel happy, Dadu.”

I nodded, unable to speak. I sat there, then, holding my beautiful boy and crying for a lovely human life cut so grotesquely short.

“Wail, for the world’s wrong,” wrote Percy Bysshe Shelley, and there are times when I feel that all I have within me is one long, keening wail. I have cried for death before, and for lives brutalized and diminished by the selfish cruelty that seems to be our peculiar birthright as humans. I cry, now, writing this, and I begin to feel that all the sorrow in all the world is connected: a vast, unstoppable flood of grief rising up and burying the cries of those who mourn and feel no comfort.

I have written of this whelming sorrow before, after the Haiti earthquake, and now, as then, I am overcome.

On Monday, I sat with Luis Tongo. Although he did not know me, he showed me love. Because he showed me love, I felt pain at his passing. And so the two – love and pain – became entwined. I do not understand this. I do not yet quite see the beauty in it. But I feel it may be there.

Somewhere.

Luis Sucuri Togno.

O faixa-preta da Alliance e nosso GMA Luis “Sucuri” Togno sofreu um violento acidente de carro na noite retrasada, em Charlotte, nos EUA. De acordo com o site da sua academia, Togno acabou falecendo no hospital local devido aos graves ferimentos no acidente. Togno era o líder da Sucuri BJJ em Waxhaw, na Carolina do Norte.

Um de seus alunos escreveu no Facebook sobre a terrível perda: “Sempre nos lembraremos dele e continuaremos honrando o seu legado. Obrigado, mestre e que você descanse eternamente em paz”, postou Jon Plyler.

Mestre Romero Cavalcanti também comentou a triste notícia no Facebook.

O GRACIEMAG.com e toda a família GMA estende tal desejo aos amigos de Togno e seus familiares.

Ele vai fazer falta!

Black belt Sucuri

The Sucuri BJJ family and the local Jiu Jitsu community will be hosting a seminar in honor of Alliance black belt and GMA member Luis “Sucuri” Togno, who tragically passed away due to injuries sustained as a result of a car wreck on February 16th.

As it honors the legacy of Luis, the objective is to raise money to benefit the Togno family.

This seminar is being conducted on a donation basis. Make a donation to the cause and bring your paypal receipt with you for admission.

You may also make cash donations at the door.

Go to bjjinc.com for a link to the paypal site.

This seminar will feature instruction from black belt instructors throughout the region, and is open to students from any and all academies.

The seminar will be March 5th, 9am-12pm at RHEK 1122 East Hudson Blvd.  Gastonia, NC 28054.

And we already have the funeral arrangements for Luis.

Services will be held at 11:00AM Saturday, February 19th at E.F. Drum Funeral Home in Lincolnton.

The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Internment will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Lincolnton.

More info at the Sucuri BJJ FB page.

Some sad news for the Jiu-Jitsu world today.

Alliance black belt and GMA member Luis “Sucuri” Togno suffered a bad car accident last night in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Black Belt Sucuri

According to his academy website, Togno passed away at a local hospital at 11:19PM, due to the severe injuries sustained in the crash.

Master Romero Cavalcanti broke the sad news on Facebook.

Togno was the leader of Sucuri BJJ of Waxhaw.

One of his students wrote on FB about the terrible loss: “We will always remember him and continue to honor his legacy by carrying on with our training and by sharing what he has given us with others. Obrigado Mestre and may you rest in eternal peace.” said Jon Plyler.

GRACIEMAG.com and the GMA family extend its condolences to Togno’s friends and families.

He will be missed!

For more info, go to sucuribjj.com.

Some sad news for the Jiu-Jitsu world today.

Alliance black belt and GMA member Luis “Sucuri” Togno suffered a bad car accident last night in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Black Belt Sucuri

According to his academy website, Togno passed away at a local hospital at 11:19PM, due to the severe injuries sustained in the crash.

Master Romero Cavalcanti broke the sad news on Facebook.

Togno was the leader of Sucuri BJJ of Waxhaw.

One of his students wrote on FB about the terrible loss: “We will always remember him and continue to honor his legacy by carrying on with our training and by sharing what he has given us with others. Obrigado Mestre and may you rest in eternal peace.” said Jon Plyler.

GRACIEMAG.com and the GMA family extend its condolences to Togno’s friends and families.

He will be missed!

For more info, go to sucuribjj.com.

The event in Greenville, South Carolina, was a huge success. A true celebration of team spirit.

Jacaré overlooked the graduation of 12 blue belts, four purple belts and a new black belt. Here are their names:

Blue Belt

1. Kenton Allison
2. Adam Cellamare
3. Devin Daw
4. Susan Fraser
5. Robert Gamble
6. Dale Gilbert
7. Alan Hester
8. Adam Kleinfelter
9. Shaun MacNary
10. Joe Toppe
11. Jerry Malsam
12. Luke Henry

Purple Belt

1. Jonathan “Neal” Grant
2. Chad Bingham
3. Paul Stone
4. Edmund Woo

Black Belt

1. Adam Hunnicutt

For more info, go to alliancebjj.com, alliancegreenville.com.

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.

GMA member Luis “Sucuri” Togno, leader of Alliance Charlotte, just opened a new school in North Carolina.

The black belt brought the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu to the city of Wahxaw.

The new academy will offer BJJ, MMA, Cardio Kick for women, Submission Wrestling, kids Self Defense programs.

For more info, go to sucuribjj.com

Do you own a Jiu-Jitsu academy and want to have your school featured  on GRACIEMAG.com? It’s easy, all you need to do is to become a GMA member. Click here and find out how.

It is schedulled February 6th, in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The registration fee is US$ 50.

Don’t miss out this great chance to compete.

For more info, go to allianceofcharlotte.com.