actualités, Sport

Military grappling championships

PO2 Greg Fillmore (left) and MCpl Scott Rose (second from left) brought home medals from the Military Combatives Grappling Championships, which took place June 24 in Petawawa.
Photo: submitted

12 Wing Jiu Jitsu grapplers win medals at military championships

Par Ryan Melanson,
L’équipe du Trident

Members of the 12 Wing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club recently came back to Shearwater with a gold and silver medal after testing their skills against other Jiu Jitsu practitioners from across the CAF.

The fifth annual Military Combatives Grappling Championships was held on June 24 at CFB Petawawa, and MCpl Scott Rose, PO2 Greg Fillmore and Lt(N) Matt Snow all competed in the tournament’s advanced category, facing off against some of the best grapplers the Armed Forces has to offer. The event is a fundraiser each year for Soldier On, and has been growing steadily since it’s debut in 2013, with about 150 competitors from 35 different units taking part this year, raising $3,000 for the charity.

The tournament is strictly for CAF members, and MCpl Rose, the club manager and instructor at 12 Wing, who has a decade of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu experience, said organizers put together an event on par with any international competition he’s competed at.

“They did an outstanding job putting it on, and the talent level was much higher than what I anticipated.”

The high calibre of competition didn’t stop the experienced grappler from taking gold in his weight class, however, catching his opponent in a variation of an ankle lock to get the submission victory in the final match.

PO2 Fillmore, who settled for the silver after a tough-fought final in his class, still came away pleased with his performance overall, with a number of close matches and one particularly exciting overtime victory.

“My first win was a pretty crazy match, it was really back in forth and everybody was going wild for it. It was exciting,” he said.

Lt(N) Snow, who came away from the competition with a winless 0-3 record, was trying his hand with more difficult opponents after winning gold at a lower skill level at a civilian tournament in Windsor this past April.

“He stepped up to the next level, so that’s an accomplishment on its own,” MCpl Rose said.

A number of club members will be back in action soon at the Chokes by the Ocean Tournament and PPV show taking place on July 29 in Pictou, and they can always be found three days a week at the Shearwater gym. Sessions run Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4 – 6 p.m., and grapplers of any skill level are welcome to attend.

A typical practice will see a range of experience among the group, with some trying the unique sport for the first time, alongside others who might be preparing for competition. Practices are led by MCpl Rose, and consist of a warmup, lessons in new techniques, and then the chance to execute those techniques against an opponent.

“We definitely invite everyone to come check it out. All skills levels are welcome,” MCpl Rose said.