November 2008 - News ArchivesBlack Belt Ceremony 2008... Simply Spectacular!
Words are not enough to describe such event. It was a fantastic, flawless night. Hundreds of students and special guests filled out the YMCA gym to capacity! There wasn't a single seat left, chairs or bleachers. The support from family members was unbelievable and our students experienced one of the most powerful events a Jiu Jitsu Academy could possibly provide. Mestre Renzo Gracie: THANK YOU! Not only for honoring us with your presence, but also for bringing along your amazing Black Belt students and friends. We know how crazy your schedule is, and that only makes us appreciate your generous efforts even more! Special Guests, Professors or not: Thank you so much for coming! 30 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts in attendance is not something you see everyday. Hard to describe, even. Also among them, many Mixed Martial Arts sensations, all of them sharing wih us such significant moment. Your support will always be instrumental, as we represent something a lot bigger than our own names. The unity and brotherhood found in Team Renzo Gracie can't be reproduced. Students and family members: Congratulations! Graduates or not, you made this event a tremendous success! Thank you! Happy helpers: It couldn't have been done without you and your hard work. From our girls at the merchandise stand to the many volunteers who helped transport and set up the mats, unfold chairs, etc, how could we thank you enough? Mike Swain: Thank you for the mats. It was an honor to have our Ceremony be held on the same mats used for the Pan American No Gi Championship held earlier this year. Prof. Almeida greatly appreciates all of the help he has gotten in his life and never forgets where it comes from, so based on that, he speacially awarded with beautiful plaques his best friend/instructor/brother/mentor Mestre Renzo Gracie as well as his greatest friends Luca Atalla (Editor-in-Chief, Gracie Mag), Gene Dunn, Thomas Clifford and Nick Lembo for their ongoing support and contribution to the sport that we all love.
Now, attention students: We NEED your feedback! Let us know about your experience, take some time to put in writing all of your thoughts regarding such special event. Email your comments to info@ricardoalmeida.com and PLEASE, send some pictures our way! We'd love to post them! Only 1 picture per email please, otherwise the page will never load. Enjoy the pictures and CONGRATULATIONS!!!! We had the time of our lives!!!!
PS: Tom DeBlass, don't think you fooled us for a second. We knew you'd cry...
Black Belts Also present but not in the picture: Roger Gracie, Andre Gusmao, John Rallo. THANK YOU SO MUCH, guys!
Here we go!
We have our first letter, and we are not surprised that the most dedicated student a teacher could possibly ask for is the one who is most thankful for the experience:
We have already confirmed the attendance of 30 Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts!
Saturday, November 22nd
Please check out the updated list of our VERY special guests coming from many parts of the entire Eastern region: 1st Degree Brazilian Black Belt under Renzo Gracie Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt under Mestre Royler Gracie Parisi Speed School Director and Strength and Conditioning Expert Martin Rooney
and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belts: Professors Rolles Gracie Igor Gracie Gregor Gracie Daniel Gracie John Danaher Matt Serra Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro Alexandre "Soca" Carneiro John Rallo Rob Constance Andre Gusmao Brian McPherson Chad Beatty Steven Bongiorno Larry Norman Jamal Patterson Art Keintz Brian Walter Mike Boyle John Huben Steve Kim Magno Gama Augusto "Tio Chico" Vieira Leonardo "Tunico" Leite Andre Laport Mike Codella
A special shout out goes to our fellow associated instructors and students who will be traveling very long hours from Saratoga Springs, NY and Auburn, Maine. Prof. Chad Beatty and Coach Travis Wells are making the great effort to bring many of their students to be a part of our BB promotion day. You have never seen so many Black Belts in one room. And they will be training live with you!
" 'Are you back training?' in a demanding tone was the first thing I heard when I called Master Renzo Gracie to confirm the seminar we were to hold at RABJJ this past Sunday. Not 'How are you?', 'How are the kids?' or 'How is your Injury?'. I believe every person needs a teacher, a tutor, a guide. Someone who has treaded before them and knows where the Although I haven't heard much about shortcuts, there's been plenty of quick sand and even tougher obstacles to overcome, and the times I applied myself the hardest, immersed myself in training, taught the most classes , things just always seemed to fall right into place. It was a good reminder from the man I chose as my mentor. I am very grateful for having Jiu Jitsu in my life and still am as excited about the next technique or the next class as As myself, most students at RABJJ are referred to the school by friends and family members. In the spirit of thanksgiving, this past Sunday Mestre Renzo Gracie himself was at the academy teaching a seminar to I would like to personally thank Mestre Renzo Gracie for his generosity, as well as RABJJ students If you missed it, here are the pictures:
Autism Speaks, It's Time to Listen.
It is not a very usual thing in the past few years for anyone to see Prof. Almeida doing seminars all over the world like he used to, due to his many new demanding commitments in life. But since late last year, he made a commitment to raise awareness regarding such impactful issue, which has been growing extremely fast over the past 5 years. Ten years ago, 1 in every 10.000 children were diagnosed with Austism. Now, 1 in every 150 children are diagnosed every day. That is 1 in every 90 boys. That's so alarming, to say the least. This past weekend, it was Renzo Gracie Black Belt, Prof. Mike Codella and his Academy's students ( Staten Island ) who worked with us towards the cause. What a great Academy, full of fantastic teachers and students who were super excited not only about Prof.'s visit but also to be a part of such noble project. We'd like to thank Prof. Mike Codella (who will also be one of our special guests at RABJJ's BB ceremony this upcoming weekend) for inviting us to his school, for introducing us to his students and his beautiful family and for raising a great amount of money that will help raise Austism Awareness. If you'd like to be better informed about Austism Spectrum Disorder and help out in any way you can, please click on the link below:
Here are some of the pictures from a great Gi and No Gi seminar:
RABJJ Academy New Website is finally up!
We hope you liked the changes, guys! As we promised, always stepping up a notch! Enjoy the new layout and share with your friends and families.
Also on the card students representing our brother Matt Serra's Academy and our friends at AMA fight club. On a side note, Frank Edgar will be fighting his next UFC bout against Matt Wiman next month, and Frankie is looking GOOD! We'll write more about it as the fight gets closer. Good luck to all of you, guys! We'll be there to cheer you on!
CONGRATULATIONS! Let's fill the room with love and congratulate the happy parents-to-be, men and wives: All of us at RABJJ wish you the best! CONGRATULATIONS!
We couldn't be happier for such amazing friends! Professor Amal Easton and his beautiful wife Casey tied the knot in a fantastic ceremony in Colorado! Prof. Easton is one of Mestre Renzo's long time student and an unbelievable, multiple times Champion Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, as well as a great friend of all of us here at RABJJ. All of us at the Academy hope to see you again soon!
News from RABJJ Central Maine! Check out a great article about Coach Travis Wells, head Instructor of our Associated Maine Academy: ____________________________________________________
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