Monta Grapplethon Closing Remarks

Words still can’t express how I feel right now after Grapplethon: Team Dana Moore. I’m not gonna lie there has been a lot  of things in BJJ that have been pissing me off as of late that made me want to leave for good but its moments like yesterday  that make me blessed I welcomed this art into my life. This Grapplethon for Dana was by far the most emotional and personal for me just because of his story which made it so rewarding to see so many people come out to support him.

In my closing statement its only fitting I thank a couple of people for making this event possible.

The Participants- thanks again for bringing your positive energy to the event. Without your willingness to take a stand and step onto the mats with the right attitude things like this could never be possible which is why we all as a team are so good at creating such an awesome atmosphere every time we get together. Also from a personal standpoint it was great seeing old friends and making new ones.

Professor Grant Collins- Thank you for being a gracious host making your home our home and trusting us ( brett weekly & myself) for putting on a fun, safe, and memorable event.

Sponsors/Raffle Gifts contributors- Thank you for stepping up and bringing more life to the events with your generous offerings to the participants and Grapplethon benefactors.

The Moore Family- I know it may have been mighty out of the blue having some random stranger wanting to host a charity event for your son and it is because of your openness which I am grateful for. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of your lives and I can honestly say through knowing your family it builds great strength, positivity, and faith within myself of ones abilities of going through that storm while on that life sail.

Brett Weekley- Due to a small incident that happen at the first grapplethon and the beginning stages of grapplethon 2 I told myself I would never allow or trust anyone to help me in the future.  However I guess you gotta make some exceptions. Knowing you for close to two years now you are without a doubt that one of a kind person one rarely runs across in the BJJ World and because of that  I'm proud to have you as a friend/brother. It takes a caring person to think about your friend Dana the way you did, which really shows the type of person you are selfless to the core. I know you don’t like taking a lot of credit but you should take some at least. Thanks again for all you help with the creation of this event and taking a load of stress off my back (especially when I was competing 3x in one month), introducing me to Dana , and your wonderful family (mom, dad, and April) for being an added support through the event.

Take a bow brother and btw it far from over in terms of u being a grapplethon host !!!

&

The Champ Dana Moore- thanks again for the inspiration you honestly don’t know what an honor it was to finally meet you (which probably explained all those nerves I had) meant a lot to me. Keep fighting brother and I will see you soon.

1 % better

monta' ( pronounced like Monday with a "t" replacing the "d")

 

Sailing Through a Storm

" For I Am Not Afraid of Storms, For I Am Learning to Sail My Ship"? -Louisa May Alcott

Metaphorically speaking  we are all ships and life is a endless sea of adventure. Sometimes the life sail may be smooth encountering our share of  fun times while on the flipside on that same sail it can get rocky which sends us through horrible shit storms. These storms can cause damage to our ship causing it to possibly sink leaving us with that questionable doubt of Can We Move Forward ?

Storms can undoubtedly be dangerous especially when it arise in our lives however learning how to deal with these unexpected occurrences is how we mature which gives us a  broader understanding of that vast sea we called life

As the captain of my  ship sailing through life has been a crazy voyage which isn't even close to reaching its destination. Five days in counting marks another storm that is a brewing in the form of another charity Grapplethon for a BJJ brother name Dana  Moore. Going into this event I can honestly say I have never been so nervous (this probably even rivals my tournament nerves)   because of  my curiosity of the event results but also  I will be meeting the "benefactor"  for the first time which I never done in the past two grapplethons events because they lived out of state( mind you I am  a underground  guy I rarely like to be seen or notice for anything). In addition as the days get closer something has been really bothering me especially after listening to Dana's  story of strength through the storm he is going through being a 24 year old blue belt bind to a wheelchair due to a construction accident. This reflection of his story hit close to home which has been deeply thinking about my friend Rustle Laidman who died almost a year ago.

February 22 2013 marked a cold storm in my life after a tournament in Denver, Colorado as I got news of his death. For those that read the Ruslte Laidman Eulogy  you would know how much he meant to me as he is  one of the most influential people I meet not only  in martial arts but also in life. Normally when I encounter such storms I'm am able to deal with close one's deaths but for over a year the sting is painful especially when his name is mentioned casuing my heart to sink which gets me really sad asking that three letter word WHY. Although I wont get into details ( you can make your own conclusion or feel free to ask me privately) When a close friend dies in the manner that my friend Rustle did it is something you cant get over. It is something that leaves  you hurt, angry, and clueless wondering wish you could have helped or what if he was still here especially in my case with so many great things going on  in my life these days.

Nevertheless through every storm  you come out of you learn more about the climate which allows you to have a different outlook on the sail as you find new ways to navigate through future scenarios. What Rustle's death taught me was the idea of  an individual's pain. Many people are sailing through life as I write this blog and are forced to go through troublesome storms . Storms are no freaking joke as they can cause mass devastation to a person financially, emotionally, health wise, or stoppage to one's desired goals. Furthermore no matter how one tries to mask or hide this emotional pain  whether it be through drinking or weed smoke that give them a brief escape, sport activities ,  religion preference (no offense), or self motivating quotes it still can be hard going through the storm alone.  However the greatest part about sailing on the sea of life is we run into other ships that don't mind lending  a helping hand. In all people going through struggles  just need to be made aware that someone cares about what they are going through.

Just wish I would have done this before my friend passed away but hey I'm learning how to sail my ship :-?

The reason for the continual push of Grapplethons does just this in an effort to show people we care while also learning some things in the process. I cant begin to imagine the things I have learned about my friend's death, the Boss Frank Edge,  Bad Ass John Flite, or the Champ Dana Moore which has helped me to be stronger and better in my life. Its taught me how to handle situations better, treat people better, be fearless in dangerous situations, and so many others aspects which allows this ship Monta Wiley to keep his voyage pushing.

Ships and Storms how are your pushing through it to continue your voyage and be better than you once were.

With that said nevrous but really looking forward to Saturday.. Cant wait to see what happens on this sail.

1 % Better As Usual or Try'n to Be at Least....

monta ( pronounced like Monday with a "t" replacing the "d")