Grapplethon 2 - The Aftermath (Part 2)

An unforgettable event filled with great training, camaraderie, and supporting Frank Edge

I'm sure everyone who was apart of it can agree Grapplethon 2 was a successful event. As all of the participants may have left with some great memories and increase in skill aside from being in a lot of physical pain afterwards and  mixing my cell-phone with my VCR remote the past two weeks have been hard for me to grasp which has lead me to a current conclusion that just maybe the primary component that has helped me to become a "better man than I once was" was right in front of me the entire time.

Throughout the week of maintaining a full time paper job and commitment to helping a fellow teammate  with his "Battle Within" in preparation for the IBJJF Nationals the constant thought of how Frank Edge is doing and my willingness to put my body on the line in an 180 minute challenge for someone I barely know still plays in my mind on a daily basis in regards to what is truly important to me  being apart of this great fight community.

Two questions have popped up from time to time from various people. One was why did you go 180 minutes to help  a guy you didn't know ? and  The other is why do you constantly write articles on many MMA fighters ( some who are unknown) for no pay ?

The answer is simple to understand Pain . Not to sound like  a wacko but when I speak of Pain I am referring to the struggles we all undergo  in our daily lives. A good friend Tyler Maples made a great point which he referred to a fighter's journey as dark and lonely. Whether it is Frank Edge's fight with Cancer, an ambitious MMA fighter chasing  UFC dreams, or a solider putting their life on the line defending his country.. pain is simply unavoidable . Nevertheless there are also ways to cope with it.

The greatest lesson I've FINALLY come to realize through my writing and this charity Grapplethon event is that everyone  has the ability to inspire, learn, and help  each other through the pains we are dealing with due to the similarities in struggles or our noble initiative to at least acknowledge it and pick someone up when they are down.

The work of helping someone through these events must be done for the work and work alone which primary goal centers on bringing some light to dark circumstances.(which should never center on expecting something in return)

Examples: giving a friend some advice for a problem he is having or even giving spar change to someone homeless on the streets

If anyone has read my blog on "The Influence of Writing" you  probably would understand the value and importance of the friendships I have made in writing articles which has made a positive impact on my life in many areas. A give and receive theory sorta speak.

What I am about to say is very hard for me to say because I don't want people to think I am a PUSSY because those who know me (especially my track record from back in the HEY DAY) I'm far from it. It's a choice based on what's truly important to me and what has really helped me to become who I am today. Unbeknownst to the after effects the Frank Edge Grapplethon experience has given me I have come to the conclusion that although returning to competition  has been great for me which has allowed me to overcome fears and collect a little "Bling" in the process it fails in comparison to the feeling of helping someone, receiving a thank you,  being called a brother or any aspect which centers on the camaraderie I built these past 3 years.

The feeling that I had of being able to  put a smile on a man’s face dying from cancer is indescribable and even a bit emotional/overwheeliming for me to talk about as a write this blog,a feeling far greater than winning a tournament match. It keeps me going it lets me know I have some sort of worth in the world or in people's lives to say the least. (Especially since I’ve experienced some depression back in the days when I was coming up in bjj/mma).

This statement is not to say that Im done with competing. Like I said I never expected grapplethon to have this profound effect on me  so for now I'm going to take it day by day, and if I want to compete I will, but I'm not going to be heavly searching to do it" .

For almost nine years as a student of this art I always tried to be notice whether it is showing how mean I can be on the mat or chasing being the BEST (back in the old days) ..always thinking about my arrogant self. Nevertheless sometimes becoming a better man than you once were is  exhibited by what you do for your fellow man which will define your true character." #SELFLESS


Thanks to all my friends and most importantly  Frank Edge for finally making me realize this.

1 % Better Everyday

-monta(y)

Grapplethon 2 - The Selfless Cause (Part 1)

It's funny how quotes mentioned to me in the past evidently forecast the tale of what I may be experiencing today. On an afternoon drive after graduating from college I had a small conversation with long-time mentor JPK. We talked about a lot of things in regards to my entry into  the "Real World". The conversation was very deep however one statement  stuck out to me ..when he spoke to me these words.




"Monta(y) there is going come a time in  life where it wont always be about you anymore & it will be what you do for your fellow man which will define your true character."

Naïve, still growing, and developing some form of low self-esteem during that post graduation period  I came to the conclusion that what he said was complete bullshit because blinded by my own selfishness/ego I honestly felt had nothing to offer to help anyone let alone help myself.  Flash-forward  to today the last 2 weeks have been a very reflective and crossroad moment for me as  I soon realized that  JPK statement's  intent was to prepare me for something over the horizon  later in my life .

Aside from the articles people have grown to love which may exaplin the reason why I have been blessed with so many friends and opportunities , the recent Grapplethon 2 event really opened my eyes to a lot of things which clearly became a life altering lesson of the ultimate commitment of what it means to be selfless . Technically speaking Grapplethon 2 was not  suppose to happen for a variety of different reasons (which I refuse to bitch about on this blog). Nevertheless once those roadblocks were out of the way there was no doubt in my mind that it was going to happen which this time featured me helping a complete stranger by the name of Frank Edge.

 Frank Edge is by all means the definition of a true fighter. Reading his story  and frequent wall post on Facebook without question will bring tears to your eyes as he takes you on a daily chronological journey through his battle with testicular cancer. Although stricken with this horrible fate which could led to his death, what I highly respected about Frank was his will to #keepfighting even with things  not currently going in his favor. At that moment I knew I had to show my support to let Frank  and his family know someone out there cares about their struggle.

 Since I been involved in the fight community helping out strangers was always natural to me because of the multiple times I did it with my writing, as long as I was compel/driven to do it  (Look up some of the people's names and their fight status  if you don't believe me). So organizing an event to aid Frank  was not an issue for me.

Although creating Grapplethon 2 was my idea however it would have never came to life without the major assistance of the raffle gift sponsors, promoters, Jason Lee, the people who came to the event, and Dan Lukehart for letting me use his academy when he didn't have too. #collective effort
(wanted to point that out before I continue with this blog)

Unlike Grapplethon 1 upon hoping off the plane after a great time in Austin, Texas I wasn't nervous at all as to what was going to happen. This time around I heavily focused  because I knew I had a job to do  in making a great event for Frank and also for everyone attending. Strangely enough days leading up to the event a lot of questions start popping up in my head  which I couldn't explain, as if this event was going to change me in someway  which I kind of ignored at the time. Another burning question that was on everyone's mind ( including myself) was would I be able to complete an insane challenge to  get more money ($1,000 from what I was told) to add to the charity in the form of the 1914 Kimonos 180 minute challenge.

For those that don't know what that is it  basically means I have to roll 180 minutes straight with no break in between the rounds. Speaking for experience especially since I refused to drink water during the challenge unless you fall under the categories of doing it for charity, training for a world class title that hold great importance to you, or border-line crazy I would advise you not do this because the after effects will take a toll on you physically and mentally.

Being pushed by countless grapplers during the 3 hour period was by far one of the toughest things I ever had to do as a grappler. There were many times that I wanted to give up however the rapid thought of  "I Gotta Do This For Frank" keep me moving to reach the finish line even if it meant destroying myself in the process ( and boyy did I do that -haha-). It was the hurt and pain I felt reading his story which got me through it all with the help of everyone I trained with that day.

The event itself far exceed my expectations. With the $1,000 (later found out it was $2,000) accumulated from the grueling 180 challenge we also collected an additional $745 ( in event entry fees) from all those who attended.

The event also gave me the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, make new ones, and even meet /train with some people I did articles on which was great for me. It was  a beautiful sight seeing so many practitioners from various BJJ schools coming together training and enjoying each others company which really showcased unity our community has.

With the blue mats soon deserted only leaving behind  pools of sweat from the 67 people Grapplethon came to a successful close , however as I reflected on the events that occurred at the event on a train ride home I was soon hit with the answers to those unexplained questions I had in my mind.

(which will be covered in the part 2)........