Had a great day on Sunday celebrating a great year with the SJJA guys.
Personally, I was fortunate enough to receive my blue belt from professor Bruno Alves, and my mate Kyle Fish, who is the reason why I got involved with jiu-jitsu and Bruno, received his purple belt.
Whilst I am happy to have gotten my blue belt I was much more happy for Fishy. Seeing him go up and receive his purple from someone who he admires and respects probably the most in this world and seeing the connection Bruno and him share was special. Brought a tear to my eye. I know how much jiu-jitsu means to Fishy but more so it is because of Bruno. Jiu-jitsu is the vehicle that brought them together.
I can't thank Bruno, Aaron, and Igor enough for all their help with jiu-jitsu. More than that though, I have made some great friends for life. Gem and I first met the boys to help them with their nutrition and strength training, as Fishy had recommended us, but it turned out to be way more than that. I am very grateful for it.
It was great to see Simon Chandra receive his blue belt, and awesome to see Mike Johnstone receive his black belt as well. You have to earn it, it isn't given. To see the reward after a lot of struggle and sacrifice is a great thing. There is a deep fulfilment you see in people when they have been through a lot physically and emotionally to achieve something like a black belt. You don't see it often these days but it is great to be around.
I look forward to 2019 and what it holds for all the guys at SJJA.
