Erik Lund was impressed with the performance of his small group during the Western Canadian Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships May 11.
Six students from the Penticton Goes Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club captured eight medals in Burnaby. Lund said his students trained hard and took the championship seriously.
Mason Poon, 17, of Penticton moved up to the adult division and won gold in the light featherweight white belt division. He then went up again to win the adult featherweight no-gi division.
Lund described the performances as amazing.
āAs a coach Iām always apprehensive to move a juvenile up like that just for safety reasons. The athletes confidence is really important to me,ā he said. āI donāt want to put him in a situation that he canāt handle.ā
Tournament organizers approached Lund asking if Poon could move up. Lund approached Poon and his parents about it and was given the OK.
āI donāt want to say he made it look easy because that is disrespectful to his opponents,ā said Lund. āHe looked really good. He looked like he belonged in the next division up. Heās been promoted to blue belt as a result of that. I think Mason has accomplished everything he can as a white belt.ā
Pentictonās Brian Booth took silver in the mastersā ultra-heavyweight white belt division, while Keagan Ingram, 10, of Summerland and Michael Poon, 15, won gold in their divisions and Kelson Hartland, 13, of Penticton took bronze representing the kids team.
Greg Nield, 29, of Summerland took double gold in the adult blue belt division where he won both his weight class and the prestigious absolute division.
His goal was to improve on last year when he won his division, but finished second in the open. Nield said it was good and has prepared him for competing in the International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation world championships that started Wednesday in Long Beach, Calif.
āI felt more pressure in the Western Canadians because I almost felt like another year has gone by I should do better. Where as I donāt feel a lot of pressure with the worldās because I donāt really know what to expect,ā he said. āIām kind of using this as an experience. I know it sounds kind of weird because itās a bigger event. I havenāt competed in it before. You canāt really expect one thing or another from yourself because youāve never done it.ā
Nield, a massage therapist, is excited to be exposed to different styles.
As for representing Penticton Goes Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he said he just wants to do his best.
āHopefully make everyone proud,ā he said. āItās all you can do.ā
Lund said Nield, who has been training for three years, will be going up against guys in the blue belt division that have been training for up to six years.
āItās great to see the progress heās made,ā said Lund. āIād say his progress is faster than normal. I want him to just get the experience. Want him to do as well as he can.ā
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