03/30/2024
Wanted to share what I posted on my personal page for anyone following just the Peak Page.
I am not one to be prideful, nor do i post much about my personal experiences but i wanted to take time to reflect on one of the most rewarding experiences (of course marrying my wife and having two kids is the pinnacle) in my life and I feel extremely humbled to have received my Black Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu on March 16th, 2024.
My BJJ Story:
I have so much i want to say but will try to keep this brief.
Where to begin, this has been a culmination of 10+ years starting in early 2014.
I started my journey 225lbs, i was not happy with being overweight, having been a 3 sport athlete in High School and 2 Sport athlete in College; mentally i knew i could take the sport on but having incurred some back injuries in my early 20's i was concerned I would aggravate it and not be able to continue or become severely injured again and that would totally devastate me mentally/physically. Having my daughters already training in the BJJ at a young age and seeing their growth helped me make the final plunge. So i pretty much threw my hands up in the air and said what do i have to lose. As my journey progressed I enjoyed the feeling of seeing my growth over time and this encouraged me to study more on my non training days to catch up to my training partners in class. I was intermittently teaching after receiving my blue belt at Rule 4 BJJ under the tutilage of Eric Gardner. The location/space since my kids started training had been dedicated to a matted Gym and weight lifting but the owners made a life decision to change the use of the space we were in which put a stop on training. Fast forward to end of 2020 to where I could step out on my own (with the encouragement from Kevin Watson) and open a gym with Christian McGowan. I was never told how hard it would be but I kept hearing how rewarding it would be if I could push forward and keep believing in myself and be patient during the ups and downs.
I know this isn't the end of the journey for me, as I reached the top of this Peak, looking across the horizon I can make out many more Peaks, some closer and some further away from me. These Peaks could represent: learning to be more empathetic, being a better version of my self, moving to a new location, adding more classes, listening more, and growing my school etc. The self confidence that Jiujitsu has taught me knows no bounds and I hope I can continue to give back to the community and be a positive impact in other peoples lives.
My Advice:
No one is successful alone! Whether it is Jujitsu, Life, Business, Academics or whatever it is.
Surround yourself with healthy, supportive, inspiring individuals that encourage you to be 'your' best.
At the end of the day, this will help you live up to 'your' greatest potential.
My Thanks:
My Wife & kids (With out their support I don't think I would have continued as far as I have, encouraging me to keep moving forward no matter the obstacles)
Kevin Watson (Great Human Being, funny, energetic, positive impact on seeing me reach my goals, glad to call him my brother)
Christian McGowan (Super smart, fun to be around, energetic & positive impact on my growth on and off the mat, great friend and cofounder to Peak Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)
Eric Gardiner (Loves the sport and wants to see everyone apart of the sport)
Old training partners (Jay, Aussie Steve, Cindy, Troy, Alicia, Jeremy and any others along the way)
My current students (Deb, Dave, Greg, Frank, Steve G, Stew, Dustin, Dean)
Lastly, I want to thank Marcelo Alonso (47+ years he has been training/teaching). I get so excited when a seminar is posted because he has this aura that is super infectious and is a person whom has given his life to this martial art and even through his injuries shows me how resilient he is as a human being. His impact on this sport is astounding and I hope that I can continue to uphold the things he speaks about during his seminars and make whatever impact that I can that he has done over the course of his distinguished career.
