Hello everyone and welcome to our Fall newsletter! We will cover all that has recently been going on at the Den and many of the exciting events that we have in store for the next few months. As summer wraps up, things tend to get busier here between now and the winter and we have TONS in store. We had another busy, successful summer here at the Den and we kicked things off by taking 1st place as a team at the Albany Naga tournament for the 5'th year in a row !! This is the largest Brazilian Jiu Jitsu tournament held locally each year and our students absolutely killed it. We had adult students competing at every skill level from Novice to Advanced and we were also extremely proud of MANY of our youth students who have now graduated to competing in the Expert Divisions . This is something you rarely see from any of the other local schools..... ever.
We also competed in 2 other Naga tournaments this summer. One was in Wildwood NJ, which is the largest of the tournaments held annually and worldwide. We had a great group of students who made the trek down and enjoyed time on the beautiful beach together as well at the tournament . We again did well and most importantly had fun. The other tournament was held in Danbury Connecticut and although the scenery wasn't as nice- we had a great time as some of our first time competitors got their feet wet. Speaking of competitions and 1st time competitors , Willy made his competition debut at a local tournament called "Sunshine and Submissions" a few weeks ago and took home a 1'st place medal in his 1'st competition . Coach Steve made the drive up to Saratoga with him and we are proud of the results. Willy is a regular in our adult classes with about 8 months under his belt now.
Last month, we had our latest Belt Promotion Ceremony. It was one of our largest ever for our Youth as well as our Adults. This was such a great event not only because of so many of the students were promoted but also because so many of our Lions Den family came out to support them. These ceremonies are something we started 5 years ago and we are now seeing many of the other schools following suit. It is such a great and special time spent with each other, celebrating all the hard work put in on these mats. Our next belt promotion is scheduled for December 16'th and this one coming up could be truly special. We have a large group of adult students whom have been steady with us for years now and we have a Brown belt to hand out along with hopefully a big group of purples and blues. We haven't had a promotion like this since we have been open!
All of our students will now receive these great certificates to go along with their belts at all promotions. In October, we are also kicking off our new revamped Muay Thai program which will have a graduation system for our students. This is something that the traditional sport of Muay Thai has been lacking but been trying to implement and we are putting the finishing touches on it and are excited to offer it to our students.
While on the topic of promotions , we visited our Affiliate school in Glens Falls last weekend. Matt Secor promoted THE FIRST FEMALE TO BLACK BELT in our area ........EVER!! Dijah has worked very hard for this and we are proud of her. It was great to share this moment with her , her team and our extended family. We have a large group of females in our program here at the Den that we hope will follow in her footsteps. Coach Kat is a mid Purple belt with no signs of slowing down anytime soon! Love this stuff.
Ok let's get into all the things we have coming up. This weekend we will be in Barre Vermont at Donnybrook fight promotions for Adam Novak's debut Muay Thai fight. Adam takes on 1-0 Matt Hayes . looking for a fun night this weekend? Come on out !! Next weekend we are at the Rivers Casino in Schenectady, NY for our student Qasim Sanders fight at Cage Wars. This is a nice local event and we expect a large group from the Den at this one. Qasim is currently 1-0 , coming off a quick knockout in his last fight. Don't Blink
As we get into the fall and winter months be sure that you follow our Facebook page. We use this page for reminders on school closings in the event of a holiday or weather. We also have a bunch of other cool stuff on there. Our members can also join the facebook members only page which includes sign ups for events and also hosts pics and videos from our exclusive seminars. We do have a school closing on September 23'rd as our coaches will be attending a development day at the main Renzo Gracie school in Manhattan. We keep our coaches sharp and expect to deliver the best for our students. Training regularly , attending seminars and development days like this are something you don't always see from instructors but deserve. We bring you the best
On October 20'th, we will have our annual Halloween Party!! This is a super fun event open to all adult and youth students. This gets better each year. Each family brings a pot luck dish to share ( halloween themed is fun) and comes in costume. Each youth student has a large pumpkin we carve here. Lots of games a piñata , prizes and the whole den is decorated for the Holiday. Kids just need to sign up by the 10'th so we have enough pumpkins out for all. You don't wanna miss this one.
On November 11'th we will have the Youngest UFC heavyweight champion ever in the house!! Josh Barnett is a legend in the sport. He is a former UFC Champion, World BJJ Champion and World Catch wrestling Champion. Josh is also an amazing instructor and has learned under some of the best ever. We are excited to have him in and to have our students learn from here at the Den !!! This is another once in a lifetime opportunity. Take advantage of it!!
MORE HOLIDAYS !!!!!
On November 23'rd ( Thanksgiving ) we will be open for an hour in the Morning for Our annual Thanksgiving Rolls. Live training for all Youth and Adult BJJers . Always a fun morning and great way to kick off thanksgiving and feel guilt free for indulging later in the day.
On December 3'rd we will be competing at the Fuji BJJ tournament held at the Albany Armory
On December 9'th we have our annual Parents night out Christmas Party. Drop the kids off and we decorate our tree here at the Den with them, make ornaments , decorate Christmas cookies while we watch a Christmas movie. We also have Hot cocoa , Pizza and snacks for the kids. A great night for parents to get shopping or wrapping done.
December 16'th - our next belt promotion. Professor Secor is down for this one and will be putting on a clinic for our kids and adults prior to promotions.
upcoming closings :
Sept 23'rd - coaches development day
Oct 31'st - Halloween
Dec 3'rd - Fuji BJJ tournament
Dec 24/25 - Christmas