Crazy 88 competitor victories at the IBJJF New York Spring Open
The theme at the tournament: Progress Not Perfection at the IBJJF NY Spring
15 Crazy 88 competitors traveled to the IBJJF New York Spring Open on April 21-22, a slightly smaller group than the team had last fall for the New York Pro. For adult competitors on their run from the Pans Championships in March to the IBJJF World Championships in June, this would be their last tournament before the big show.
The standouts of the event included:
- Masters competitor Andrew Carter won the elusive Gold he has sought after in the Adult Blue Belt Light Division
- Monica Barlow took Gold in the Masters 1 Blue Belt Light Division and Silver in the Open Class
- Leona Mansapit dug deep to pull out the Gold in her first Masters 1 Purple Belt Light Division
A break down of the matches:
Andrew Carter, attorney and soon-to-be father, won the Adult Blue Belt Light Division at the NY Open. He won five matches to earn champion status. He submitted his first opponent with a choke from the back, won 2-0 in his second match, 2-0 in the third, and won a judge’s decision in the Semi- and Finals matches.
Monica Barlow won Masters 1 Blue Belt Light Division Gold. She triangle choked her first two opponents and defeated the last 6-0 for the win. She triangle choked her first opponent in the Open Class, won 5-0 in her second match, and lost on points in the Finals to take Silver.
Leona Mansapit drove up the day off and fought her butt off. She won two matches; the first by Americana, and won a war in the Finals by points to win Masters 1 Purple Belt Light Division.
Olivia Obodoagha utilized a strong take down game to win Blue Belt Super-Heavy Division Gold at the IBJJF NY Spring Open. She won her first match on points and the Finals by an advantage. Obodoagha won her first match 11-0 in the Blue Belt Open Class. She lost a judge’s decision in the Semi-Finals and took Bronze.
After a loss in his division, Jeremy Collins won his first match in the Blue Belt Open Class by an advantage. He won the Semi-Finals match by arm bar and took Silver for the day.
Jordan Welch competed in the White Belt Feather Division and collected Bronze. She won her first match 17-0 and her second match by arm bar. She lost 0-4 in the Semi-Finals.
Individual breakthroughs were made by:
Vanessa Griffin
- She won three matches to take Gold in the Brown Belt Middle Division. She won her first match 17-0 and her second with a bow and arrow choke. In the finals, she earned her first win against a girl who had beaten her 5 times before.
Tye Ryan Murphy
- He took a Silver medal in the Master 1 Black Belt Open Division, winning his first match 5-0. He showed improvement and strategy against an opponent he had lost to several times before.
Eduardo Viana, Kayla Dehm, Leah Mayes, Meaghan Sirico, Matt Mendes, Bayra Batchuluun, Tial Thang Zathang also competed at this event.