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)........
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