Reason #10 to Compete

Because we CARE!

We have been running BJJ tournaments in Edmonton since 2001. We have the longest running BJJ tournament and we have put on more BJJ tournaments than anyone else. We do this because we really want BJJ to grow in Alberta.

I (Mike Yackulic) have a goal to make a tournament for EVERYONE, not just the super competitive, but those who want to do it for fun as well. Because competing is fun, but not when you are going up against people way bigger, more experienced etc. Now we are not there yet but it get better every year, because we care.

Not everyone feels this way, and I understand. That is why we are offering Absolute Divisions, Superfights and other ways for the Competitive to challenge themselves.

I understand for many it may be a long day, but please trust me I know. I have been to tournaments that have ended after midnight (no joke after midnight), I have registered at 7am only to be told I would be up within the hour only to compete after 7pm.

I know it is frustrating when we run late, I know it is frustrating to not know when your division will be. But we are doing our best. Our schedule is our guideline and we are doing our best to stick to it. Please be patient. We want to offer a great experience for everyone, and I know Double Elimination helps alot… but it also makes the tournament a lot longer. We choose to keep this as I think it is incredibly important for beginners to get more experience.

Lastly I would like to address the referees. They are trying really hard to do their best. There are a lot of rules. Some are confusing especially when things start moving quickly. Everyone knows reffing is a thankless job and it is easy to pass on your frustrations to the refs, but they are people too… just like you. They don’t want to see anyone get hurt, they don’t want you to miss out on well deserved points and they don’t want to be embarrassed in front of their peers for their mistakes. I ask many people every year to ref, and very few want to, many outright say no because of past negative experiences. The retention of good refs is very difficult. So…

If you see a ref do a good job, please tell them so. It will really make their day… seriously, it’ll make them feel really good. If your ref misses your points, remind them nicely “did I get my pass points yet?”. Please educate yourself on the rules so you don’t ask for points that don’t exist. And if you would like to ref and have some experience, please let us know, I would LOVE to have more help.

If you have any suggestions to make our tournament better, please let us know. Email me at Myackulic@arashido.com with your suggestions. Some suggestions may not be applied as they contradict with other suggestions and our overall goal, but I assure you we will listen to them and strongly consider implementing them. Last year we had people ask for better mats… this year we were able to update half of our mats to premium mats.