COLUMBUS — It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog, an adage once again proven at the Foley Event Center in Foley, Alabama, last weekend.
Lavelle Smith, the current pastor of First Christian Church in Columbus, took eight students from his current martial arts outreach program with him to Foley for the North American Grappling Association U.S. National Grappling Championships.
Smith’s team competed against nearly 70 other jiu-jitsu teams in attendance, and his eight students combined to earn five gold, three silver and five bronze medals, placing 18th of 68 overall in the Kids and Teens Champions category.
“I’m well-pleased as a coach and an instructor overall,” Smith said. “Jiu-jitsu is a tough sport. You’re never going to win them all and you don’t know what to expect a lot of times…Overall, to get the amount of medals that we did was great.”
Other than Smith’s two children, everyone else on the team was competing in a large-scale event like this for the first time, and they delivered.
Smith said there were some early jitters and mental mistakes to begin competition, but as the day wore on, the team’s confidence grew and positive results followed.
“When I started looking at placements online, I was hoping we would be somewhere in the middle,” Smith said. “I kept scrolling up and finally saw our name, and it did take me by surprise that we placed so high with so few students.”
Most of the eight competitors who traveled to Foley were under 18, but the adult competitors also did well, earning two gold medals in competition.
Aside from the medals, Smith has already heard students talking about wanting to compete in this tournament next season.
“Their excitement levels were crazy,” Smith said. “…They really get enthused and excited once they get there. The thrill of competition really has a way of getting in their blood…A lot of other parents commented on social media saying they wish they went this time and that they want to go next time. The self-esteem and self-confidence of it all, it’s contagious.”
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