Grading Nite

Congratulations to all students who attended. I was very proud to see Dave get his blue. Dave was the first student at Mornington so to see the progress that Dave has made over this time is fantastic. He is a great student and makes training a priority in his life and is part of the fabric of our club. Its a great step for Mornington Extreme to produce its first blue. Hopefully the first of many. Jason also got a bump to purple. I consider Jase a training partner rather than a student because he teaches me as much as I can teach him. We are lucky to have him as part of our club. Anyone who has wrestled with Jase can attest to his talent, skill and strength. His solid wrestling and awesome jits now combined with some improving stand up skills, look out. Chris got four stripes on his white and is knocking on the door of a blue. Niall moved to two stripes as well. Smithy and Rick had to sit out with injuries but were present to watch the occasion. Both are due to grade but unfortunately will have to wait. However, on a more disappointing note, their were a few guys who I felt were in a position to grade who did not attend. These things don't come around often and when they do you need to seize the moment. Gradings are about personal achievement for certain but they also reflect the growth of our club and therefore are bigger than just the individual. BJJ is a team sport since you can only be as good as your training partners. As is often said, iron sharpens iron. So if you are invited to grade realise that its not all about you and perhaps consider the bigger picture. Trust me, no-one ever wants to be graded in BJJ or thinks their ready for the next rank because it just places a big target on your back. Thats the challenge. But once again, a great nite for Extreme and I was proud to be a part of it.