The tournament on August 24 in Tucson, Arizona is one to not miss. Registration begins July 15 and the division range from kids to adults to masters and seniors.

The black belts should pay special attention as there will be two absoute divisions, 180 lb and up and 180 lb and below. Each winner will receive $1500 in cash. For the lower belts, Koral Kimonos will be awarding gis to the absolute winners of each division.

Located at Rincon High School in Tucson, AZ, many names are already planning to make the trip including: Augusto “Tanquinho” Mendes, Clark Gracie, Ryan Beauregard, Magid Hage, Brandon Magana, Steve Rosenberg and Roberto Tussa Alencar.

When you register starting July 15 pay the discounted rate of $60 for kids and $70 for juveniles and up.

For more information head to www.AZBJJL.com

The five Jiu-Jitsu-fighting Trun family members / Photo by Deb Blyth

“We do Jiu-Jitsu as a family,” Tynysha says. “Mark and I both grew up doing martial arts, and so, we wanted our kids to be in something self-defense related. We moved to Arizona of couple years ago and met Gustavo, and liked him. We decided to pursue Jiu-Jitsu. The kids started first, and then Mark and I followed.” Tynysha says the draw for her is that she loves choking people out! C’mon, mom… really? YES! “I’m a small person,” Tynysha laughs. “I’m 118 pounds. It’s very empowering to be small and to be able to hold my own on the mats.”

In the family, Coree, at 11 years old, has been the most successful competition-wise. She’s earned six gold medals and two silver in the eight tournaments she’s competed in since starting in 2010. Seven-year-old Liam is next, with six gold medals and two bronzes, but he’s been undefeated in all of the tournaments he’s participated in since 2011. Then there’s 9-year-old Sierrah who has won four gold medals, three silver and one bronze. “The kids love Jiu-Jitsu,” Tynysha says, proudly. “Sierrah always says she doesn’t really like it, but then when she rolls, it’s like a light gets flipped on and she loves it!”

As for Mark and Tynysha, they both love to compete, time and money willing. As one can imagine, paying entry fees for five people can be a little on the expensive side, but whenever they get the chance, they go for it. At the 7th AZ State Championship, Mark and Tynysha did not compete, but all three kids did, and all three won gold medals in their divisions!

So, what are the overall benefits for the Trun family being in Jiu-Jitsu besides it being just plain fun? “We’ve all bonded with our coaches and other team members,” Tynysha says. “Steve Rosenburg teaches a great kids class! As a family, we’re all so close, we wouldn’t want to do anything else. We’re harder on ourselves than on each other. We watch each other’s matches and we all know what it’s like to compete and win and lose, so we don’t pressure each other. We understand what it’s like to lose, and we don’t need to tell each other what we need to focus on. Each individual person already knows what that is. So, we are all just proud of each other for being on the mats and competing. We love each other no matter what – win or lose. I think parents put too much pressure on their kids to win. It sets them up for failure. I want my kids to want to do Jiu-Jitsu, so we make it fun. After every tournament we all go somewhere special, win or lose, to celebrate. Jiu-Jitsu has really brought us all closer together.”

What’s not so simple is how they plan to get there. Without the aid of many of their top counterparts in Brazil, the team has to rely on its growing stable of US talent. Talent that has helped capture two IBJJF International Open titles for Nova União in just two weeks. Having played an integral part by leading the charge to victory in both Phoenix and Dallas, Gustavo Dantas black belt Steve Rosenberg is a shining example of how deep the talent pool is at Nova União’s stateside branch.

Steve Rosenbergb in action

Having shown his mettle at earlier belts, through such achievements as winning the lightweight class in the 2009 Pan adult division as a brown belt, Steve is no stranger to competition. Belonging to what is considered one of the toughest weight brackets, he has been working hard to stand his ground as a black belt, a division predominantly won by Brazilians.

With the momentum from his back-to-back wins at the Phoenix and Dallas Opens, Steve isn’t planning on slowing down as he heads into the 2011 World Championship. Being only one in a handful of American black belts representing Nova União at the 2011 Worlds, Steve represents the caliber of the team’s US-bred competitors. Characterized by fierce loyalty, hunger to succeed, abilty to rise to challenges, and willingness to defend the team’s flag to the death, Steve has become the beacon of hope Nova União has been waiting for.

It’s the beginning of a new age for Nova União. With team unity playing a pivotal part in achieving its goals, Nova União is set to create a new squad of elite competitors to lead the team. Just as Robson Moura and Vitor Shaolin were part of Nova União’s elite during the team’s golden age, in the late nineties in Brazil, the team is ready to recreate its frontline with the American talents under Nova União’s main leaders in the US. Consider Steve Rosenberg ready for battle.

Watch the Dallas Open semifinal between Steve Rosenberg and Tony Tipton:

Victorious Nova União team

Last Saturday’s Phoenix International Open had a special feel for Professor Gustavo Dantas and Nova União in the United States. With more than a two hundred-point difference separating them from second place, the team took top spot in the overall team contest.

Gustavo Dantas, one of the Nova União’s leaders in the United States, signed his students up en masse, notching 328 points to BJJ Revolution Team’s 106 and BTT’s 100.

With the result, the American leg of Nova União occupies, for the first time, the number one post at an IBJJF event, one of the goals for this season.

Check out some of the team’s standouts at the event:

Steve Rosenberg in action

Steven Rosenberg, gold in the adult black belt lightweight division
Robert Judson, gold in the senior black belt absolute division
Daniel Hampton gold in the absolute blue belt division
Alex Centner gold in the ultraheavyweight blue belt division
Kevin Duran gold in the light featherweight white belt division
Nick Nelson gold in the featherweight white belt division
Gary Hatch gold in the middleweight white belt division
Michael Ballard gold in the heavyweight white belt division
Benino Gurrola gold in the ultraheavyweight white belt division

Steve Rosenberg sinks a winning triangle.

Winning the adult lightweight division, Rosenberg, who took second place at the 2010 Las Vegas Open, was happy to compete in his own backyard in front of his students. He is responsible for the future of Team GD Jiu-Jitsu by heading the kids Program.”It was cool to have them all supporting me and cheering me on,” states Rosenberg.

Rosenberg will also be competing next weekend at the Dallas International Open. “All these tournaments are great preparation for my main goal, which is to win the Worlds. I will be there in June trying my best”.

Judson jockeys for grips.

Judson, who is also the father of two daughters, won both the Senior 1, heavy and absolute divisions and set the pace by securing the first gold medal of the day for Nova União. With his own school in Prescott, 100 miles north of Phoenix, the savvy instructor was even more excited about his students’ performance. “I’m really proud of them, especially Daniel Hampton who took second in the adult medium heavyweight blue belt division and came back to take first in the absolute. They put in a lot of hard work and training, and it was great to watch them shine”.

Check out Steve Rosenberg in his match with Gracie Barra’s Bruno Rocha:

Gustavo Dantas on the 2009 No-Gi Nationals podium. Photo: Personal archive

Nova União Arizona leader and GMA Gustavo Dantas along with Professor Steve Rosenberg will take a large team to the competitions to shake up Las Vegas this coming Saturday the 14^th, the Las Vegas International Open and the American No-Gi Nationals.

Dantas recently took a trip home to Brazil, where he won gold at the International Master and Senior tournament. The black belt plans to see action in Vegas, too.

“I’m taking 20 competitors, all with a good shot at placing. We’re taking some of Nova União’s standouts in the United States. At purple belt there’ll be Issa Able, Heilman Ryan and the recently-promoted Christian Broadnax. Also going is Rio Open 2010 champion Kristina Barlaan. Last year we took third at the No-Gi Nationals. That’s what we’ll concentrate on again,” says Gustavo.

The IBJF in conjunction with its affiliated federations will promote two more large-scale events in the upcoming weeks: The Chicago Open (sign up here) and the Honolulu Open (sign up here).