Grappling events in Michigan

**Kforcer** · 10-02-2007, 12:50 PM

There's the Great Lakes BJJ tournament and the AACT tournament.

That's it. 2 events a year. Michigan deserves more.

I've never put on a grappling event before, but I am brainstorming how it could be done. There are plenty of people in Michigan that like grappling and there are plenty of people who are willing to drive to other states FROM Michigan so that they might grapple.

Therefore, there must be people in Michigan herself who'd like to have a grappling event in their own state--maybe even SEVERAL grappling events!

da samurai · 10-02-2007, 01:07 PM

I completely agree with u!

**Kforcer** · 10-02-2007, 02:17 PM

This deserves a sticky. Come out of hiding and let's put our heads together.

Saki_on_Sunday · 10-02-2007, 04:16 PM

I live in michigan I an I want to grapple. Why don't we just piggy back on some of the judo tournaments out here?

thmgoodw · 10-02-2007, 04:20 PM

Although I am now on the east coast, i'm born and bred suburban detroit (with all my family still there), would gladly come to Michigan for quality events.

**Kforcer** · 10-02-2007, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saki_on_Sunday

I live in michigan I an I want to grapple. Why don't we just piggy back on some of the judo tournaments out here?

You mean, hold grappling events in conjunction with the judo events? Or simply attend the many judo events in Michigan?

Bartatua · 10-02-2007, 04:41 PM

I'm a Michigan resident as well. I'm very white belt, but I'd definitely be interested in attending or competing in an event if they were more prolific.

Commissar · 10-02-2007, 11:31 PM

This is a good idea.

Just to throw an idea out there. A black belt BJJ instructor from Vancouver put together his own company who put on tournaments (Grappling Inc). You could look at a conjunction between you, and one or several established BJJ instructors around the area.

Maybe even focus on no-gi, to lure the wrestlers, and just hold a gi tournament with it.

KenTheWalrus · 10-02-2007, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saki_on_Sunday

I live in michigan I an I want to grapple. Why don't we just piggy back on some of the judo tournaments out here?

If you're talking about a shared promotion it will never happen, at least in my eyes. The two head judo refs in Michigan, Don Flagg and Tom Sheehan are my senseis and I don't see them ever agreeing to this. Mr. Saito, President of the USJF sanctioning body in almost if not all of the Michigan judo tournaments lives in Ann Arbor and oversees all of the Michigan tournaments. I can't see him or the USJF ever agreeing to a combined promotion. The usual venues where tournies happen like Ypsilanti High School or MSU would be hard to get as venues, at least it seems that way to me, without the USJF and their insurance coverage.

I do know that there are a few no-gi places that have sprung up in Lansing/East Lansing. MSU is in the process of getting a legit school club so there is defintely interest in mid-Michigan. I know for the GLO Judo tournament on October 14th we have about 15 or more people competing from MSU. I believe there might be enough for two 5 man teams from State and one from LCC.

Maybe Clint Crabtree from the Gurgel affiliate in Grand Rapids or the guys from Warrior's Way in Walled Lake could sponsor or hold a tourney at their schools. -ken

**Kforcer** · 10-03-2007, 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KenTheWalrus

If you're talking about a shared promotion it will never happen, at least in my eyes. The two head judo refs in Michigan, Don Flagg and Tom Sheehan are my senseis and I don't see them ever agreeing to this. Mr. Saito, President of the USJF sanctioning body in almost if not all of the Michigan judo tournaments lives in Ann Arbor and oversees all of the Michigan tournaments. I can't see him or the USJF ever agreeing to a combined promotion. The usual venues where tournies happen like Ypsilanti High School or MSU would be hard to get as venues, at least it seems that way to me, without the USJF and their insurance coverage.

I do know that there are a few no-gi places that have sprung up in Lansing/East Lansing. MSU is in the process of getting a legit school club so there is defintely interest in mid-Michigan. I know for the GLO Judo tournament on October 14th we have about 15 or more people competing from MSU. I believe there might be enough for two 5 man teams from State and one from LCC.

Maybe Clint Crabtree from the Gurgel affiliate in Grand Rapids or the guys from Warrior's Way in Walled Lake could sponsor or hold a tourney at their schools. -ken

Yeah, Clint is a good dude. They've held in-house tournaments in the past, for the right to be sponsored in the now-defunct Gracie Nationals and Worlds...so who knows, maybe they'd open it up. I don't know how much interest they'd have in no-gi though--they only train it once a week down there, and about twice if you count their MMA classes.

Southside Dojo has some of the best pure grapplers in Michigan and a huge matted area and they've hosted judo tournaments in the past, so maybe they'd be down to host a grappling competition. Severn's Michigan Sports Camp has held a grappling event a couple years ago, though it was almost a total bust.

My notion--in order to attract the most people and to make all things equal--was a submissions only tournament, no decisions, just submissions, in a round-robin format. The person with the best record in their division would take 1st, and so on. Also, this would, I'd think, level out things the most between the various grappling styles.

In East Lansing, there's the Hannah Community Center, which allows people to pay money to hold events there, as well as American Martial Arts and Fitness Academy, which would seem to have the room to hold an event.

U of M's team used to hold a "Wolverine Classic", but that seems to be a thing of the past.