By Derek Johnson
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
In a sport where the final score is rarely over 10, a 31-0 deficit would seem to leave little room for a comeback. Seven-year-old Mary Patrick found one anyway.
Early in the second annual Lake Arrowhead Jiu Jitsu Open on Aug. 29, 6-year-old Rio Keel of Eleven Elevation Jiu Jitsu Academy put on a technical clinic, repeatedly advancing to dominant positions and building a 31-point lead over Patrick of the Los Angeles Jiu Jitsu Club. In Brazilian jiu jitsu, points are awarded for gaining and controlling advantageous positions – through takedowns, sweeps, dominant top positions and taking an opponent’s back. But unlike many point-based sports, the score becomes irrelevant if one competitor secures a submission.
That is exactly what happened. Patrick reversed the position, caught Keel in a choke and won with 56 seconds remaining. The crowd roared and the tone was set for the day. She then submitted her next opponent in 1:33 to take gold.
A competitor is sent airborne during one of the day’s many matches at the Lake Arrowhead Jiu Jitsu Open. The tournament brought together grapplers from mountain communities and academies throughout Southern California.
It was one of many memorable moments as competitors ranging from preschoolers to veteran grapplers took the mats throughout the day. The tournament drew 115 athlete registrations, with gi and no-gi divisions separated by age, weight and experience level. Athletes came from Los Angeles, Murrieta, Temecula, San Bernardino and elsewhere to test themselves against a strong mountain contingent. Organizer Joey Hauss of Lake Arrowhead Jiu Jitsu said the turnout surpassed expectations and that the visiting academies brought “absolutely incredible grapplers.”
The mountain competitors gave them plenty of competition. Five-year-old Capri Melendez captured gi gold for Lake Arrowhead, while Fight Syndicate Big Bear’s 9-year-old Sona Shihabetdin earned no-gi gold and gi silver. Seven-year-old J. Arreola Jr. of Eleven Elevation won both gi and no-gi divisions, submitting all four of his opponents.
As the tournament moved into the adult divisions, brothers Roman and Dane Loya produced two of the day’s most compelling performances. Roman Loya, 20, won the adult blue-purple no-gi division before entering the Absolute, an open-weight division where competitors are no longer separated by size or belt level. He won that as well.
One of the day’s highlights came in Roman’s blue-purple match against eventual silver medalist Ryan Péan of The Guild MMA. It was plain to see from the start that both were high level wrestlers: the takedown attempts were crisp and technically perfect. The bout unfolded at a blistering pace, with high flying takedowns giving way to rapid scrambles as each grappler fought to stay one step ahead. Roman eventually took the five-minute match on points, but the action embodied the intensity visiting competitors brought up the mountain.
The former Rim of the World High School wrestler is now a collegiate wrestler and a two-time national catch wrestling champion. Hauss described Roman’s Absolute performances as dominant against tough opposition. His younger brother may have provided an even bigger surprise.
Five-year-old Capri Melendez of Lake Arrowhead Jiu Jitsu, in a bright pink gi, squares up during kids competition. Melendez went on to earn gold in her gi division and bronze in no-gi.
Dane Loya is only 15 but competed in the adult no-gi white-belt division. His three opponents were ages 38, 31 and 36. Dane submitted all three. The brothers even shared an unusual finishing technique during the tournament, each successfully using a submission colloquially known as the “Bas Rutten squeeze.”
“The sky is the limit for both of them,” Hauss said. “As much as it will upset Roman to hear me say this, I think Dane may end up being the better grappler.”
Other Lake Arrowhead competitors added to the mountain medal count. Miles Ornelas won gold in both gi and no-gi, while Eddie Serna captured no-gi gold with three submission victories coming in just 34, 15 and 22 seconds.
For all the medals and spectacular throws, however, Patrick’s early comeback perhaps best captured what the day was about. Jiu jitsu rewards control, technique and preparation, but it also demands the ability to stay composed when everything is going wrong.
“Sometimes you are going to lose, and that’s OK,” Hauss said. “Show up, work hard and learn from your performance.”
All in all, the second annual Lake Arrowhead Jiu Jitsu Open was a rousing success and more tournaments will follow. In fact, Hauss says we may see another event as early as this December.
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