Thirty Mongolians from a Judo club made their way to Long Beach for the 2011 World Championship. Photo: Ivan Trindade

The list of reasons so far that show why you should follow, support, watch and enter the 2013 World Championship is strong. Number twelve is no different as we give you and your whole country reasons to join in May 29 – June 2.

Reason #12: See people from all over the world reach the podium and prove evolution

As if we don’t have enough politics in the realm of sport Jiu-Jitsu, the presence of nationalism can create unnecessary tension. Jiu-Jitsu is Jiu-Jitsu and claiming its roots in Brazil is necessary in terms of history and lineage but associating nationalities with the art only serves as another divide. All politics aside, though, non-Brazilians on the top spots of the podium have a way of determining expansion and evolution.

We don’t need new teams in the form of countries or ethnicities but taking note of non-Brazilians and even non-Americans proves a lot. These places can be less privileged and the people training have less advantages as they are from a country that has not harbored great training for many years. Just a sample of athletes shows evidence of this evolution.

People such as Sebastian Brosche and Alexander Trans from Denmark, Oliver Geddes and Luke Costello from Britain, Dais Yoshioka and Daisuke Nakamura from Japan, Ida Hansson from Sweden, the Iturralde brothers Francisco “Sinistro” and Leo from Ecuador, and the troop of Mongolians who took home medals from the 2011 Worlds.

Even for the Americans to top the podiums at black belt at the mundials or even in other organizations like Abu Dhabi World Pro and Copa Podio it still not as rare. Rafael Lovato, Jr. made his way to an absolute black belt title at the Brazilian National as the first American. Clark Gracie, Orlando Sanchez, JT Torres, DJ Jackson, Mackenzie Dern, Tanner Rice, Aj Agazarm, Keenan Cornelius, Gianni Grippo and more are making names for themselves amongst the many champion Brazilians in their categories.

Represent your team and your country. Register for the worlds and let your country be recognized and in doing so, show that Jiu-Jitsu is excelling in even the farthest corners of the Earth. Click here to sign up!

Bruno Malfacine celebrates win with his Alliance team. Photo: Dan Rod

The 2013 World Championship from May 29 – June 2 is coming closer, and so is the registration deadline. As part of the 18 reasons to participate and support the event, I give you a rule that doesn’t only apply to competitors.

Reason #8: Strengthen your team through coaching, supporting and gaining points.

A great benefit of having the Mundials at the Long Beach Walter Pyramid is having close enough seats to the competition mats as a spectator. Whether you’re just shouting the time to your teammate, yelling for support of a friend or coaching your student, anyone can get within proximity to do so. Even though a competitor is alone in a Jiu-Jitsu match, it does not mean they can’t be helped.

Also regarding teamwork is the team trophy at the end of every IBJJF event. Accumulated points from competitors based on their rank and place on the podium will determine which team overall gains the trophy. So whether you are a black belt or not, gold or bronze, all the points help gain a lead for your team.

For the last five years, Alliance team has won the adult team trophy. Before that, Gracie Barra dominated the podium almost every year from 2002 until 2008. The presence of team trophies allows larger groups of people to work together towards a common goal, even if they’ve never trained on the same mats. All over the world people are part of affiliate teams who join forces under one banner giving the great Long Beach Pyramid its share of cheering, chants and color-coordinated seating sections. Whether you’re from Atos, Alliance, Gracie Elite, Gracie Barra, Brasa, Checkmat, GFTeam or any other name, having teams gives the competitor a motivation that goes beyond a gold around the neck but also a way to give back to their network of teammates and mentors.

Who do you think will take the trophy this year? Will Alliance continue its reign or will Gracie Barra take back the throne? Do you think Atos could take it this time with their growing team? Let us know.

And don’t forget to register for your chance to represent and make your team proud. Go here to register before May 21: www.ibjjf.org