If you’re a Great Grappling student and you’ve been in class over the last month, you already know this because Professor Jeremy Arel has beat it into your brain every time we’ve lined up at the end of class: this Saturday, April 26, Great Grappling Brazilian Jiu Jitsu will celebrate its third anniversary with a seminar, a party, and a promotions ceremony for students.
If you’ve been to one of these before, you know it’s a good time. This year, a unique aspect of the day will be the attendance of Roberto “Gordo” Correa, Professor Arel’s teacher from Brazil. Gordo will not only be joining in on the festivities, but he will also conduct the morning seminar. Obviously, Gordo is well known for creating and evolving the half-guard position, so there’s reason to celebrate simply from the standpoint of having a living legend in the house this weekend.
While the celebration marks the anniversary of the grand opening of the school, the day is really all about the Great Grappling family. While it should be looked at as a time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going, it’s also a time to simply have fun with your training partners. Since our students have varying training schedules, aside from the Christmas party this is only one of two times a year when we can all come together at once.
The day kicks off with the Gordo seminar at 10
Students should also keep in mind that school photos will be taken on Saturday. That means you shouldn’t just bring your best smile, but also your best white gi. We all know how Professor Arel likes his gis to match. So if you show up in a blue or black gi, you’ll be watching from the sidelines when we take the official 2014 school photo. Let’s be honest: that would be very sad. So make sure your best white gi is washed and ready for Saturday. We’ll see you then!
