02/01/2024
Sadly yesterday was the last day for Carlson Gracie La Costa. We’d been open for 2 years (longer if you count the time in my garage) and it became too much to manage on top family life and a demanding career. It was honestly the hardest decision I’ve ever had to make, knowing how much Jiu Jitsu was giving to the students, although I had to make the decision that prioritized my family.
I first visited California in 2009, where I competed at the IBJJF World Championships as a blue belt. In the following years, it became a dream to live on the coast in California and open a Jiu Jitsu school. After moving to California in 2016, it still took another ~6 years until I opened the school in 2022. Now coming full circle and closing the school down, I’m grateful for every single second of the experience and it will forever be one of the most memorable and important chapters in my life. While the ending isn’t quite what I envisioned I am so happy that I realized a dream and would encourage anyone to chase their dreams 110%. I believe it’s better to know than wonder what could have been. I now know that this is no longer the right direction for me and I’m totally ok with that.
There are too many people to thank individually, but if you have in anyway contributed to Carlson Gracie La Costa, I’ll be forever grateful for your support. To all the students that have come and gone, thank you for trusting me and our coaches to teach you Jiu Jitsu. We hope that it has sparked something inside you that will never go away, a love for a martial art that has the power to transform lives and the willingness to continually challenge yourself to be a better version of yourself. Good luck.
