As the final roll of mats got strapped, wrapped and ready
for transport, I found myself standing in the middle of everything – a vast
space where history was made.
The pillars and hallways of Commercenter Alabang will
never be the same.
Its walls have heard screams and chants of adoration for the
victors who fought on its surfaces. Its windows bore witness to the joys of
victory and the tears of defeat.
Through the efforts of like-minded and passionate people,
what was once a dream became a reality. After so much planning and organizing –
Arte Suave Manila was born.
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| The first of many. |
Triumvirate Fighting had a vision of cultivating a grass
roots program to develop talent and provide exposure for white and blue belts
in the local Brazilian Jiujitsu scene. They are, after all, the future of this
martial art.
Personally, I wanted an avenue for the young guns to take center
stage and show people what they got. Most BJJ tournaments are focused on
watching Purple – Black belt divisions that the first two belt levels are often
ignored, which shouldn’t be the case. I love watching whites and blues go at it
for the simple reason that they are at the stage wherein everything they do is
driven by their passion for the sport.
From the spazzy-adrenaline enhanced-spur of the moment scrambles
to the look of relief after each conquest. The frustrations after getting
bummed out and the breaking down of people in the sidelines due to exhaustion
all lead to creating an experience that everyone will carry for the rest of
their lives. Nothing beats the feeling of overcoming obstacles that react and
fight back. The lessons from joining a tournament (whether you win or lose)
helps the person improve both as a competitor and as a human being.
We wanted to keep the fire burning. We wanted to keep the
passion alive. We wanted more stories to be shared. We wanted more names to be
discovered. We wanted to make everyone feel that what they are practicing was
worth it. We wanted to change the landscape on how things are done.
We wanted to make it
better.
Whatever we nervously did for two days exhibited what we are
all about. We were able to pull in competitors from all BJJ academies, gave
them good competition, have them compete on the best mats possible, a nice
venue and winners got more than a medal.
The smiles, laughter, high fives and hugs shared during
those days made all the trouble worth it. This is what Jiujitsu is all about –
sharing each moment with the people you love.
As I stood there, in that vast empty space as they rolled
out the rest of the mats, I ended up telling myself - We’re going to do this
again ;)
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| The team behind the success of Arte Suave Manila. |
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