And so the winner is ...
bdussy5
Congratulations, buddy, you have won a brand-new 'classic design' Taipei Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy T-shirt!
We can mail it to you right away, or you can wait until Baret gets here and we'll ask him nicely to autograph it, if you like. Drop me an e-mail with your address (from your mma.tv account would be better, so we know it's you and not one of these other bums ;-) and preferred size (we currently have L or XL, in white, but more sizes and colours to come shortly).
It's a huge honour to have Baret Yoshida come to Taiwan to help us promote our sport; just 9 months ago we started off as a few guys learning from a Gracie white belt. And now, here we are, running a legit Academy full-time, with a dedicated competition team, under probably the best instructor we could ever have hoped to have, hosting an international grappling tournament ... and a Baret Yoshida seminar!
My mum would be so proud if she could only understand just what the hell I am doing!
The tournament looks like it's going to be a great success, and Baret's world-class seminar is certainly not to be missed. More details about the seminar and tourney will appear on a seperate thread.
Cheers!
Sean McCormack
Taipei Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy
DAMN DAMN DAMN DAMN!!!!!!!! I could have had a ticket to be in Taiwan!!!!!!!!!! this is totally fucked up!
I guessed Barrett on the other thread. i should get the prize.
I picked the right lotto numbers but on a different day; do I win a prize?
BTW bdussy5, e-mail address: TaiwanBJJ@hotmail.com
GrdStrm, it's not too late! I think you told me on another thread that you may be visiting Taiwan. Now's the time, mate!
God, it's good to be in Taiwan.
:-)
Damn dude, Baret is one of my fav fighters too. This totally sucks! You should inform everyone like months in advance so we can plan our trips! ahhh well next time i suppose...
Congrats, he's awesome, and one of the best.
Sorry, GrdStrm. It all happened at fairly short notice, and we were still confirming everything up until a few days ago.
Will keep you better informed next time.
Thanks, kying418. I'm stoked :-)
What about a shirt for 2nd place?
Schembri is better
John,
Don't ever apologize for your feelings! I understand where you are coming from but the reason we have decided to spend a lot of money on securing a high-visibility arena is this: (1) BJJ is not known to the general public here. We need to expose the public here on what BJJ is and how it works. The people that come to our Academy already know all the benefits and details of BJJ training. If BJJ is to spread here in Taiwan, the mass need to see it. (2) As a competitor in over 30 BJJ tournaments myself, I really despised any hint of bias or favoritism. There is no way competitors from other schools or countries would be comfortable coming to my place to compete. I want it to be held in a public arena where the results will be clear and no show or hint of bias.
I understand how you feel about being a white person in Taiwan. If it makes you feel any better, 90% of my competition team is whites from around the world such as Canadians, Australians, Americans and so forth. In fact, I'm sure you will make plenty of white and local friends at this tournament, and it would be great to have you.
Stress and worry is a part of any competition. Just come out and do your best, see and learn some new ideas and techniques and I am sure you will have a positive experience. We are having guys from several countries and regions coming in, and they all feel nervous just like you. I am confident that if you come to the tournament, you will go home feeling good and glad that you came.
If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact me at 0926-206-284 or andrewymd@msn.com Thanks for posting and hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
Andy Wang
Forgot to mention that it is indeed Baret Yoshida from Baret Submission Wrestling/Grappling Unlimited Hawaii coming to do a special seminar here in Taipei, Taiwan on May 16th, 2004. Baret has a million offers to do seminars, books and instructionals world wide for his exciting submission set-ups and finishes but only does them on occasion. We are fortunate to be able to bring a world class competitor here! The seminar will be approximately 3 hours and cost only $60 American dollars. He will be doing a special section on how he finished some of the best guys in Abu Dhabi!
How can i get a T-shirt? I'm willing to pay for it. I'm half-taiwanese and my best friend trains at your club. I want to sport a taiwan BJJ t-shirt here in the states.
Hun Xie,
We're happy to have any support possible, so thank you! Who's your best friend? I hope he/she likes it so far.
If you're interested in a T-Shirt, they are $600 NT, or $19 American for members plus shipping. We'll give it to you at member price since you're a fan! Leave your shipping address at TaiwanBJJ@hotmail.com and let us know how many you want and what size.
Thanks again for the support and hope all is well for you in the States...I really miss Taco Bell!
Sincerely,
Andy Wang
Er, Andy ... NT$600 is actually more like US$19! And that's the members' price!!
(He's a great instructor, though :-)
Hun Xie, I'll let you have one for the price Andy quoted, just to be fair. Haven't checked the e-mails, yet, but will do. Who's your best friend? Want me to choke him out for ya? ;-)
And thanks for supporting the Academy!
Sean