As the year winds down and everyone is diving head first into the holiday season we thought it would be fitting for Ivey League to keep on it’s toes and enter a team into the NAGA NJ end of year tournament. (This is the biggest show on the east coast every year) So the team drove up there to meet with the other Lloyd Irvin programs and away we went. (3+ hours away!)
Day one of the tournament was the adult students, here is a rundown of how things played out….
First up was Teresa Russin, Teresa had a so so run in Nogi, placing 4th in her weight class. In Gi she scooped up a 3rd place finish winning via points.
Jack Dawson – Jack placed 3rd in the nogi intermediate, losing on points in the semi finals. In Blue belt gi he took second place and was a hair away from winning it all (keep in mind Jack is a white belt)
Danny “Red” Heath – Danny took second in Gi white belt, losing in the finals by a score of 6-0. Danny did have a breakout tournament, winning 3 matches in a row and tapping his first two opponents with a triangle and an armlock.
Jeff Dawson – The younger Dawson didn’t place in either weight but did manage to win a few matches. Jeff did his first tournament with 2 days notice and has been training for a total of 8 weeks. No shame in that.
Henry Stack – Henry or as we call him Brown belt Henry took home the title for mens brown belt master class, winning in the finals by forfeit when his opponent didn’t want to challenge. Henry won his match in the semi’s via points.
Coach Danny Ives – Danny or as he calls himself the “old man” got out there and competed for the first time in a while. Danny took second in the Masters expert division, losing in the finals 2-0 to former pride fighting standout Luiz Azeredo from Chute Box.
Below is a video of Danny’s first match
On day two of the Naga it was the kids team’s turn to shine and they did more then that, going undefeated and winning 5 different divisions!!!
Holden Murphy – Took the gold medals in both Gi and Nogi beginner, winning his matches with strong takedowns and swift and classic front chokes. In the finals of the Gi weight class Holden was in a tight back and forth battle with a young man from Renzo Gracie’s academy, but with 40 seconds left on the clock Holden hit a beautiful double leg takedown and scored 2 points to win the match.
Alexia Lara – Just like Holden, Alexia picked up double gold medals and was looking as sharp as a sword (which she won for her efforts!) Alexia took the Nogi beginner division, winning in the finals via a paintbrush submission hold in 2 mins, getting her first sub in a tournament. In the gi, she dominated her matches with great takedowns and a pressure-based offense that gave no room to breath. In the finals of Gi she won via a rack of points. We must mention that Alexia was so nervous that she didn’t even want to go out to compete, but Ms. Teresa and her Dad Luis made her believe in her abilities and sent her out. As always she relied on her skills and listened well, resulting in impressive wins and a developing reputation as a force to be reckoned with.
Garrett Troutner – Garrett, being a first time competitor we were unsure as to how he would perform in front of a crowd…needless to say he did just fine and then some by winning the teens intermediate division, winning in the finals via points. Garrett brought his whole family to watch him and they were so happy, and that’s something that most people overlook. This tournament brought together a family, how cool is that?!
