Young athlete Gabriel Areas stepped out onto mats at the world renounced Tijuca Tennis Clube over the weekend to compete in Brazil’s most prestigious no-gi tournament the Brasileiros sem-kimono (NoGi).
He had five hard-fought matches between his weight division and the absolute, taking the bronze in the former and the silver in the latter.
In the first match in his weight division, he showed why he had earned the nickname Godzilla – racking up a seven-point lead before taking his opponents back and finishing with a rear naked choke.
His semi-final match saw him four points ahead having taken the back of a very tough opponent, with twenty seconds remaining, out of nowhere his opponent scrambled back to guard and threw up a triangle, Gabriel was forced to concede.
However, the sting of this loss was quickly avenged. Returning in the afternoon for the absolute division, the first round saw the pair matched up again. In a back and forth battle, Gabriel fought his way to his opponent’s back, this time there would be no mistake and he was able to finish with a rear naked choke.
A semi-final clash that was more of a wrestling match than a jiu-jitsu contest. Whilst most jiu-jitsu matches that don’t reach the ground tend to be dull affairs, this was anything but. Both competitors were ferocious in their takedown attempts – there were big double legs, single legs and hip throws – each time the respective athlete was able to scramble back to their feet or they ended up out of bounds. Equal on advantages the match could have gone either way – but Gabriel was given the nod by the referee.
The final saw him matched with a very good guard player. Although the contest itself was somewhat of a frustrating affair, as they became entangled in 50/50 very early on and traded sweep points back and forth, with Gabriel, unfortunately, losing out 8-6.
All-in-all this was an excellent day for young Godzilla, he had demonstrated the versatility of his game, between passing, guard work, wrestling and an ability to finish tough opponents. When asked how he felt about his performance, he explained:
“I am happy, but I am ready for gold next time”
The historic Tijuca Tennis Club where IBJJF Worlds
Young athlete, Gabriel ‘Godzilla’ Areas recently took a trip to Sao Paulo to complete at the IBJJF Sao Paulo Open, one of the premier tournaments of the year’s Jiu-Jitsu calendar in Brazil. This year’s edition was no exception, it was huge, seeing over 1,600 athletes competing over two days with twelve mats running simultaneously.
There was some excellent jiu-jitsu on display, in particular, the ferocity of the young competitors was mind-blowing. There appeared to be a renewed emphasis on passing the guard for the lower belts, who could be seen forcing their way through the complex guard-play of their opponents. All this was done at a hundred miles an hour!
The double guard pull which had become synonymous with the lower weight divisions in the last few years was not nearly as prevalent – it would appear that the IBJJF implemented rule change has made an impact.
Gabriel competed in both the Gi and No-Gi divisions in the blue belt juvenile category.
Training a little NoGi at the Connection Rio Hostel
Unfortunately, his first match was 2-0 loss to an excellent guard player. An initial mistake in his aggressive attempts to pass the guard resulted in being lured into a triangle. Although being stuck in a choke that would have put an ox to sleep, really epitomized the Gabriels’s never say die attitude.
When questioned on how close the submission was, he explained that he never thought of giving up as there is always a chance of escape. In response to what he would do differently next time:
“I will prepare a little more and improve my strong positions and learn some more, I want to always have an ace up my sleeve”.
Returning to the mats the following day for the No-Gi, he was able to come away with a bronze medal in his weight division. After being stuck in another sticky situation with a belly down foot-lock that popped his foot, again he was unwilling to concede and battled it out managing to escape.
He wasn’t the only competitor who suffered a similar fate that weekend, the rise of the foot-lock continued and a number of competitors could be seen hobbling around after their matches.
Gabriel himself mummified his foot and then struggled back out onto the mats for the open weight division. An inspired performance on one leg resulted in a points win against the champion from the featherweight division, this led to a place in the semi-finals.
In the semis, guard work was the key again and his opponent swept him three times for a 6-2 victory. For his efforts, Gabriel received a swollen nose and lip after being caught with a thunderous knee to the face to go along with his barely functioning foot.
Moz is kind of known for getting it in with the junk food after
competitions. Apparently, he is passing this tradition on to Gabriel!
Nevertheless, two IBJJF bronze medals in his first competition outside of Rio was not a bad haul.
When questioned on what he enjoyed most about the weekend, he explained that he loves to travel and enjoyed visiting Sao Paulo even though it is very cold. But the absolute best thing was the huge pizza after the competition!
Another great blog piece written by Andrew Morris a Purple belt under Terere who is currently in Rio training and living in the Cantagalo Favela. Read more from Moz on his own blog Tales from Deep Half
Gabriel Areas is one of Terere’s most promising young athletes. This seventeen-year-old blue belt has an exceptional work ethic; one provides inspiration for his young teammates at Terere Kids Project.
This is how he spends his days as he readies himself for a trip to Sao Paulo to compete in the IBJJF Sao Paulo Open this coming weekend.
Gabriel taking first place in SJJSAF Tauron Cup
Awaking at 8:30 A.M. each day to make the morning class at the academy which begins at 9 A.M. This should be an easy task considering he lives just five minutes away. However, each morning is a struggle, like most seventeen-year-olds he is up late night. Although, his reason for being up so late is usually marathon sessions of Dragonball Z or Yu-Gi-Oh episodes.
The morning’s training is taught by Professor Fabricio; generally, these sessions are more technique driven and allow athletes to work on their respective games in comparison to the evening sessions which tend to be more focused on kill or be killed rolling.
Gabriel is fondly known to those in the academy as ‘Godzilla’, this nickname originated due to his skills as a passador, which is someone who specialises in passing guard.
Gabriel uses these morning sessions to focus on improving his guard game. He is currently working diligently on his half guard as well as the berimbolo.
At the end of this session, he hurries back home to refuel before getting ready for school.
His school day begins at 12:30 P.M., where he studies lessons in Portuguese, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, English, and Physical Education. He admits to not always being the most motivated of students, preferring to spend his time on the mats or in class visualizing Jiu-Jitsu. But he’s an intelligent young dude that enjoys science as well as having an interest in history.
He has one eye on his future goals, knowing how important it is to achieve them, he also takes a metro to Botofogo every Saturday to do extra lessons in English.
Gabriel and his younger brother
Gabriel is very lucky, living with his grandmother, Mum and two-year-old brother, Vinicius; he has the support of a loving family with is something that isn’t afforded to everyone growing up in the community.
When he doesn’t have school, which is more often than you might expect due to the abundance of national holidays which come thick and fast in Brazil, he meets up with Mestre Terere to help him prepare for his own super fight. Together they go and do ‘preparação físico’ (strength and conditioning) at Fitness Rio gym.
Any extra days off he uses to travel over the Connection Rio hostel in Barra where he trains No-Gi with visiting Jiu-Jitsu athletes from around the world.
After arriving home from school, there is usually time for a quick nap, some homework, and food before he is back to the academy for the evening session. Every day there is a high level on the mats which includes renowned black belt competitors from the Cantagalo community. In addition to international athletes who have traveled across the globe to come and train with Mestre Terere at his academy.
The mats can often be a scary place. However, Gabriel shows no fear mixing it up with higher belts. He uses his relentless guard passing, a never say die attitude and fights for everything. More often than not this leads to passing the guards of brown and black belts, much to their chagrin. When training concludes at 10 P.M. he still can be found drilling guard passes on tired looking partners.
Gabriel dreams of winning the European and world championships. Someday he would also like to own an academy, but right know his sole focus is on competing and winning as many tournaments as he can. With the work ethic he displays every single day, this is something that I would not put past him.
I began training at the project over three years ago now, at that time it was very much in its infancy being open less than a year. But the academy was abuzz from the offset. Everyday a horde of young guys and girls from Cantagalo’s community would show up eager to have fun, learn Jiu-Jitsu, and spend time with their friends; safe in the knowledge they would also be fed. There was so much enthusiasm and an abundance of raw talent.
At this time there was a clear dividing line between the class delivered for the children and young teens and the regular adult's sessions.
Over the course of the year, I began to see some of this talent realized; a number of the teenagers graduated to train with the adults alongside training in the children’s class.
Arriving back ten months later, I would find the skills of these teens had developed exponentially. Rolling with a number of them had begun to pose some serious problems. Myself and fellow gringos would engage in brainstorming sessions to fathom the guard game of the then fourteen-year-old orange belt, Jhonathan ‘Moicano’ Marques. Who having won the IBJJF Brazilian Nationals was making life extremely difficult for all purple and brown belts.
Gabriel Took 1st place on August 28th at SJJSAF Copa Touron
Sixteen-year-old, Gabriel Areas had just received his blue belt. He had begun to frustrate not only his peers but also the adults with his relentless passing game. You couldn’t help but smile as he cartwheeled over the guards of higher belts which invariably led to the onset of their Jiu-Jitsu angry-face. His skills of guard demolition led to him acquiring the nickname ‘Godzilla’.
Arriving back at the project this year, it has been nothing short of amazing to see the evolution of these young grapplers. Once young teens, whom I first meet in the kid’s class had now graduated to training solely with the adults and were now assassinating fellow grapplers irrespective of age or belt colour.
Moicano, having been promoted to green belt had successfully defended his crown at the Brazilian Nationals and also traveled to California where he was able to achieve his biggest achievement to date, taking gold at the IBJJF Pan Kids. This incredible accolade had made him nothing but more determined. Despite this success, you could not hope to meet a more humble young man. The young whiz-kid displays absolutely no pretension as he uses his seemingly unstoppable berimbolo to become an unwanted backpack for brown and belt belts.
Moicano’s partner-in-crime, Gabriel ‘Moleza’ Bacellar had come up in the shadow of his talented friend. Since we first met, he had been on the mats daily, working tirelessly to get better. Seeking to emulate his hero Bernardo Faria, he had endlessly been working his deep-half game. His mastery of controlling the lapel has ensured that entering his guard was now a treacherous decision. Watching him train with his peers, I was delighted to see this hard work finally come to fruition.
The children’s class has always buzzed with boys and girls alike but it had always been a struggle to retain the girls as they got older. Thus, the addition of seventeen year-old, Izabella Moreia has been a revelation for the project. After only six months of training, she took bronze in the Brazilian Nationals and has since been on a tear. She is fearless on the mats, never turning down a roll regardless of size or belt level (she often has to compete above her weight class to get fights). She gives everyone a hard time, using spider guard with precision that seems inconceivable for someone that has only trained for such a short amount of time.
The team has also been joined by Leo “Bebezao” Bandeira, a fifteen-year-old orange belt, who has a passing game akin to a young Rodolfo. Rolling with him is not the most pleasant experience as he hops side-to-side, relenting only when he knows the pass has been secured. He possesses the explosive power of a bucking bronco; the look of utter surprise on the faces of higher belts after passing his guard just to have him bridge them back over.
Back at the children’s class, which is still teeming with young guys and girls. This new crop of students have the same enthusiasm and the same smiles on their faces as those that I’d met three years ago. They are training hard every day, getting ready to fill the shoes of those assassins who came before them.
Support Terere Kids Project
We are currently looking for sponsorship for to fund the next tournament which will take place September 17th in Rio. Competition lets kids see the results of the hard work and dedication that they spend coming to training everyday.
We accept donations via Paypal at TerereKidsProject@gmail.com but you can also help support our competition team by buying TERERE KID'S PATCHES.
Patches are US$10 (plus shipping) and can be ordered by emailing TerereKidsProject@gmail.com
There is a LIMITED NUMBER so make sure to order yours today!
Upon
meeting Switzerland’s most success competitor, black-belt Thomas “Mastwo” Oyarzún,
you will realize immediately, you are in the presence of a positive human
being. It is difficult not to be inspired by his enthusiasm and positivity as
he discusses a range of topics from Jiu-Jitsu, to hip-hop, to meditation and
karma.
He has been
putting this power to inspire to good use, having spent the first half of the
year traveling Europe, delivering seminars to raise money for the social
project. Arriving in Rio, he has spent the last month teaching at the project
itself where he is beloved by the young students.
How did you become involved with Terere Kids
Project?
I have been
with Alliance and Terere since I was a purple belt. I was always a part of
organizing the seminars when he came to visit Switzerland. At the start of this
year, I had just had surgery on my knee and gone through my own personal
situation in Jiu-Jitsu, I felt like I had to do something and the best thing
for me to do was help the project.
You have recently arrived in Rio after
traveling throughout Europe raising money to support the project. Can you
explain the genesis of this idea?
I had
visited the project a year and a half ago and met Nico (project director), we
got to chat a little and kept in contact. When Terere was unable to do a
seminar here (Switzerland), I did it myself.
I wanted to give the money to the project and Nico thought it was a good
idea. I organized two more seminars and from there, I thought I could do more.
I was lucky, I contacted different guys who agreed and then other people began
to contact me saying that they wanted to help too.
It was a
perfect time because surgery had taken me off the mats. The first seminars I
gave, I couldn’t even train, I could only teach. But this has helped me to
visualize my game even more as I wasn’t able to roll.
What countries did you visit?
I traveled
a lot in France and Switzerland, in the UK, and Russia. Time wise I wanted to
fit more in, but it was difficult. And now I go to the United States, I already
have three seminars booked in California. This week I will speak to some more
people and see if we can get more seminars.
How were your efforts received?
I have been
traveling and doing these seminars for the children and the whole time I have
had this energy that has been overwhelming, in a good way. People give you
recognition for all the good work you are doing, it is motivating, it makes you
want to do more.
Doing this
has given me the confidence to initiate conversation and ask academy owners for
their help, and people have been open and receptive to it. It is very hard when
people say “no, I don’t want to help kids in the favela”. But this isn’t to
judge anyone, everybody has a tough situation making money in Jiu-Jitsu. But
people have taken it in a positive way.
Spending time living within the community, what
problems have you seen that the young people here face?
I see how
people live and it is a tough life, favela life is tough, living in poverty and
things are dirty. A lot of dealers and the police, a lot of drugs. They all
have weapons and you can see all the kids just playing around in front of them.
There is always the possibility for the kids to be influenced by them, by
seeing it every day, they can choose the wrong path. The more they see
negativity, the more it can draw them in. The community is very strong, despite
all of this, people are very happy, it is crazy but it is true.
It a tough
line between the positivity and the negativity and the kids are caught in the
middle. By doing what I am doing, I hope to provide them with a little
positivity to tip the balance and send them on the right path.
What benefits does the project provide for the
children and young people of the community?
It is a
sport and it can help students escape their situation. Terere provides the
perfect example, everything that he has ever gotten from Jiu-Jitsu, he has
shared with those around him. He isn’t just a champion on the mats, he is a
champion in life.
So
important for the kids to come to the academy. I give them the same message
every day, that they are all friends, they are here to have fun, enjoy their
time and pass on the good energy, accept who you are.
Miguel conducting an interview for the mini documentary below
The project
has produced a Pan Ams Kids champion and watching purple, brown and even black
belts come to the academy and be beaten up by the young orange and green belts
of the academy. What do you put this success down to?
Moicano 2016 Pan Kids Champion and Professor Birrinho 2015
Brazilian Nationals Champion thanks to sponsorship from TKP!
They put in
the work, they understand that they can be a champion and get out of this
situation. There are a couple of students that are already getting their names
out there and I only wish them more success. There are five guys off the top of
my head that could be world champions within the next five to ten years. It is
just amazing to see that. The level they are on now is a result of motivation,
determination and being in good hands. Terere is showing them the right path
and that is very important.
Is being taught the most up-to-date technique
in class the most important thing?
The best
techniques have a lot to do with it and that is what Terere gives them. He has
always been building champions, many world champions they come from Terere. But
more than technique he has something, that he has obviously been given to him.
When I spend time with him my Jiu-Jitsu evolves so much. It isn’t just the
technique, it is more than that, it is this energy that he gives, you can’t see
it but you can feel it.
With you competing at the Masters Worlds next
weekend, at this stage what is more important to you, competitive success or
helping others through Jiu-Jitsu?
For me, it
is the life aspect, helping people is such an amazing feeling and it is a
continuous feeling, becoming a champion is fleeting, it feels good but then it
is over. And I think that the more you are a champion in life, the more you
will be a champion on the mats. The more positive I am, the more positive
outcomes will occur. Even if I lose in competition it will not take away from
what I have learned and what I have experienced doing all this work for the
project.
Any final words? Shout outs to sponsors who
have helped out with the project?
What is
best about the project is it involves kids. It is not about knowing what the
future holds but who holds the future, and that is the kids. You have to love,
you have to teach and you have to nurture and believe in all these kids, if you
don’t, there is no future. The more I give these kids the more confident I am
about the future. Give as much as you can and don’t give any negativity, just
give a smile.
I want to
thank the project, all this has been the greatest motivation that someone can
have, this has been life changing. To the project and Terere, he has shown me
the path that I have to follow. Thank sponsors Shoyoroll and Shoyoroll Europe,
everyone that is on the team. Thank you to The Arm Bar Soap Company, who have
always helped me out. Both companies have given me so much and given the project
so much, they have helped out by producing things for the project and continue
to do so. They have been a great help for the kids, I thank them from the
bottom of my heart. I would like to thank my family, my parents, my brother,
who is a great person to talk to and has always been an inspiration to me. I
also want to thank everyone that surrounds me.
Check out this mini documentary about how Jiu Jitsu has impacted the lives of kids in the Cantagalo Favela.
This week 7 athletes from the FT academy competed in the IBJJF Rio Winter Open that took place in the historic Tijuca Tennis Club.
Pretinha Santos won gold once again! Pretinha has been training at Terere Kids Project for less than a year but her enthusiasm for Jiu Jitsu has earned her a place at the top of the podium time and time again. She is a hard working student who also studies and works in addition to training. We are very proud to see her out there representing FT and setting an example for other girls in the community!
Congratulations to Alister Shirazi for winning gold in the White Belt division. Alister is a student from San Diego that has been living and training in Rio for 2 years now. He started helping out at the project by bringing snacks to for the kids class and was eventually adopted into the FT family!
Faby De Paula took 2nd place after a tough fight in the purple belt final against a girl from GFteam. Faby is a native of Bahia who recently relocated to Rio De Janeiro. In addition to representing FT on the mats Faby will be taking over some of the administrative responsibilities at the Project.
Karo Sarmento took 3rd place at the competition after a grueling weight cut.
Congratulations to who Gabriel Areas and Walter Lopes also competed but didn't make it to the podium!
While everyone else is getting geared up and ready for Summer time, we have been preparing for IBJJF Rio Winter Open that starts June 13th. TKP will be sponsoring Fabricio Da Silva, Faby de Paula, Gabriel Areas, and Walter Lopes to compete in the competition. Two of our resident "gringos", Karo Sarmento from Colombia and Alister Shoa from California will also be competing at the competition!
On July 30th we will be sponsoring 16 athletes from the kids class to compete in the SJJSAF Brasil Open. SJJSAF provides a discount to social projects which allows us to give all of the kids that are attending school and training consistently a chance to compete!
We are currently collecting donations to finish out the registration!
English Tutoring
Last month we made some progress with our English program. Tracking kids down and finding the time to get them to dedicate some extra hours to studying has been anything but easy but thanks to the help of Fightland Vice and a steady stream of volunteers we are able to match students up with a tutor that can work with their schedule.
Restructuring in the Projects
Program director Nico Ball will be heading back to the U.S. for the next 5 months to train, fight, and visit her family. Nico has been responsible for managing all of the donations that are sent via PayPal.
Stay tuned for more information on changes in Paypal account information and other updates that will be coming in the next couple of months.
Terere Kids Project Patches
In an effort to create more stability and help teach the kids in the project the fundamentals of fundraising, we have started selling TKP patches. Patches are being sold in the academy, at Connection Rio Hostel, and by our students that are looking to save up money for supplements or competition fees.
Patches are also being shipped in limited numbers to the U.S.
You can email TerereKidsProject@gmail.com to find out how you can get yours!
Proceeds from the sale of patches goes
to funding the snack program and paying for
competition fees.
Lastly, you can check out the June income statement by clicking here.
