Milton Bastos is signed up for the IBJJF Seattle Open and is calling for more black belts to join. Photo: Ivan Trindade

The deadline is fast approaching for one of IBJJF’s newest tournaments: the 2014 IBJJF Seattle Open. This will be the northwest’s first time competing in their backyard.

The event will be held on Oct. 25 at the Everett Community College Fitness Center located at 2206 Tower St., Everett, WA 98201.

Many GMA academies have athletes signed up already including Gracie Barra Seattle, Impact Jiu-Jitsu, Caio Terra Association, Lovato Jiu-Jitsu, Cascao Jiu-Jitsu, Foster Jiu-Jitsu, Ralph Gracie OC, Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy, Gracie Barra Pasadena, Five Rings Jiu-Jitsu and more.

Earn a gold, go up in IBJJF rankings, prepare for the 2015 grand slam tournaments and enjoy the northwest, perhaps indulging in some coffee.

You can register until Oct. 17 at 11:59 p.m. PST by going here: www.ibjjf.org

See the athlete list so far: http://static.ibjjfdb.com/Campeonato/000322/en-US/RegistrationsByCategoryAndAcademy.pdf

Last week the Jiu-Jitsu community in Philadelphia attended a seminar for a student of Jared Weiner at BJJ United who is currently undergoing treatment for leukemia. They raised over $10,000.

Because of the disastrous Supertyphoon Haiyan in the Philippines that hit last week, many are in need and  we can help to fund relief efforts. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, there are currently 3,621 deaths, 12,165 injured, 1,140 missing and many homeless.

Check out these events coming up that will give you the opportunity to donate to various outlets. If you are not local or cannot make the events, there are other opportunities to support:

Rolling for Philippines – Sunday, Nov. 17 San Jose, CA

At Heroes Martial Arts is holding an open mat on Sunday, Nov. 17 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 460 S Market St. San Jose, CA. They are asking for a minimum $20 donation and black belts like Samir Chantre, Osvaldo Queixinho, Bryant Pangelinan, Alan “Gumby” Marques, Matt Darcy, Jeremy Adkins, Sergio Silva, Julio Echeverria to name a few will be present also. Instead of conducting a massive seminar however, they will be available for “privates” at the rate of $2 per minute. Call 408-288-8857 for more information. If you can’t make it you can donate online at: http://www.crowdrise.com/rollforthephilippines/ which goes to the American Red Cross.

Roll for the Philippines – Saturday, Nov. 23 Peoria, AZ

There will be an open mat at Siege MMA on Saturday, Nov. 23 with all proceeds donated to the relief. It will run from 1 – 3 p.m. at 14131 W. Rio Vista Blvd. #9 Peoria, AZ. They are asking for $20 or more if possible. Call 602-680-3467 for more information.

Seattle Martial Arts Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fundraiser and Auction  – Sunday, Nov. 24 Seattle, WA

Seattle martial arts and crossfit schools will come together on Sunday, Nov. 24 for a fundraising event with lunch and a silent auction. It will run from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at MKG Seattle: 10714 5th Ave NE, Seattle, WA. Workshops will run from 10 a.m. on with a Filipino lunch available for $10 donation per plate from 2 – 3:30 p.m. For more information visit http://www.mkgseattle.com/fundraiser/

Roll4Relief – Sunday, Dec. 1 San Diego, CA

Michael Liera Jr. and his family have set up open mat fundraiser for the BJJ community in San Diego, CA. The event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Arena MMA: 3350 Sports Arena Blvd. San Diego, CA. It will be a day of music, Jiu-Jitsu, food, prizes for family and friends. They are asking for a $25 mat fee for donation. More information can be found at their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Roll4reliefhaiyan

Northwest GrappleThon for Philippine Disaster Aid – Friday, Dec. 6 to Saturday, Dec. 7 Edmonds, WA

There will be a 24-hour grapplethon to raise money at Gracie Barra Edmonds which is twenty minutes south of downtown Seattle. It will run from 6 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 6 to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 9681 Firdale Ave, Edmonds, Washington 98020.

“We wIll charge a fixed amount to participate, in this case, $30, and then people are welcome to solicit pledges from co-workers, family, and friends based on how many rolls you get, or how long you can go, etc. I’m feeling that “a dollar a roll” is a reasonable ask. If you aren’t a Jiu-Jitsu person, a “roll” is a 5-10 minute “live” sparring session with another person. How tough it is really depends on the participants, but it can be extremely draining and painful when your opponent is way better than you are. So, if you think it sounds like an awfully hard dollar, you are probably correct. If you’d rather do it based on time spent, $6-$10 is probably fair for an hour. We will also be doing T-shirts for the participants, and you will receive one with your donation of $50 or more. There will also be prizes available for the participants, and if you are interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please reach out to griff@edmondsbjj.com and we can discuss it directly.”

“Braver & Stronger” Fundraiser T-Shirt by Gawakoto, Meerkatsu and Scramble – Pre-order ends Monday, Nov. 18 Online

To raise money for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Phillipines, Gawakoto has teamed up with Meerkatsu & Scramble to produce this one of a kind shirt featuring all three artists’ work. Pre-orders for the first batch will be taken between Thursday 14th until Monday 18th. Tees will begin shipping roughly two weeks after. This way the money from the shirt can be donated quicker. Donations will go to Disasters Emergency Committee.

To order go to: http://store.gawakotoclothing.co.uk/Pre-Order-Fundraising-Shirt-Stronger-Braver_p_45.html 

Any other events or fundraising opportunities? Let us know!

Jiu-Jitsu in the northwest has steadily been growing over the years, a culture beyond the California, Texas and east coast meccas. Brown belt brothers Zach and Nathan Adamson are two pioneers in Oregon under Rafael Lovato, Jr. who push to help spread the art in the northwest region today. Through positivity and passion the two have created their GMA academy Seaside Jiu-Jitsu Academy to instill these attributes into others through Jiu-Jitsu.

Their most recent endeavor is the 2013 Adamson Bros Kids In-House Tournament set for April 13. The invite-only style event was created to gather the best kids in the region (ages 5-12) to all come together to battle for trophies and prizes. Zach says, “We did this event pretty much invite only style so that our facility wouldn’t be over run but we could still have the top kids from various teams all bring their kids out to the coast for the event. We have roughly 50 of the best kids confirmed from the Idaho, Seattle, Portland, and Eugene areas.”

Every competitor is guaranteed two matches.
All of the kids matches will be as follows:

3 Minute Matches for kids ages 4-6 year old
4 Minute Matches for kids ages 7-12 year old

Also announced are male purple belt super-fights. Already confirmed are:

Dong-Yeob Mok: Alliance (South Korea)
Brian Swift: Carlson Gracie Team (Seattle, Washington)
Curtis Mickelson: Team Adamson Bros (Sand Point, Idaho)
Ryan Cunningham: Performance Grappling Team (Springfield, Oregon)
James Bang: Marcelo Alonso Team (Seattle, Washington)
Dyton Galliher: Iron Lion (Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho)
Seth Dawson: Northwest Martial Arts (Eugene, Oregon)
Kevin Dadik: Five Rings Jiu Jitsu (Portland, Oregon)

Tournament rules and regulations will follow the IBJJF format. This Includes the purple belt super fights. The winner of the purple belt super fights will win $100 cash, sponsor pack plus a trophy/title. Cash bonuses will be awarded for submissions!

Saturday April 13 marks the event date, set to be held from 12-2 p.m. The academy location is at Seaside Jiu-Jitsu 1601 S Roosevelt Dr. Seaside, Oregon.

If you would like to register please visit http://www.oregonjjevents.com/