Makhno
Green Belt
- Joined
- Nov 23, 2008
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By now, I think just about everyone involved in Jiu Jitsu, and probably MMA as a whole, has heard the heart breaking news concerning 3 Team Lloyd Irvin members and the revelation regarding Irvin's past. As tempers have simmered, and pitchforks been put away, several people have suggested that the Jiu Jitsu community find some way to respond to these tragedies in a positive, constructive manner, most notably Tom Callos and Ryan Hall.
After reading Hall's open letter today, myself and some of my teammates began discussing how the community could best achieve this, and we started to outline what I think is a pretty good idea. Before going any further, though, I want to stress than I'm just a random blue belt training at a school most of you have never heard of. I'm starting this thread just to see if there is interest in doing this and to hopefully encourage others to participate. I'm in no way trying to be a "leader" or anything in this endeavor, and fully believe that for it to work, much more influential voices than my own will be needed.
The idea is to hold coordinated events at gyms all across the country to raise money for charities that support rape victims or educate the public about the devastating effects of sexual assault. These events would be competitions--but more exhibition than actual tournament--with the proceeds from entry fees going to relevant charities. Not only would these competitions be geared toward combating rape culture, but also the "win-at-all-costs" attitude that Tom Callos, Ryan Hall, the Gracie brothers, and others have spoken out against in recent days. As such, no medals would be awarded and no results published. Instead, all competitors would receive a "proud to be a part of the 97%" gi patch. If we could coordinate this to take place on the same day, or same weekend, at gyms all across the country, and supply press releases to both local and national media, I believe we could further raise awareness of this very important issue.
I realize that this is a momentous undertaking, but given the overwhelming response by so many involved in the sport, I fully believe we could make it a reality with a lot of work and careful planning. Again, while I'm willing to do my part, I am only making this thread to hopefully get the wheels turning if there is enough interest. What do you guys think? Is this a good idea? Is it realistic? Please discuss.
After reading Hall's open letter today, myself and some of my teammates began discussing how the community could best achieve this, and we started to outline what I think is a pretty good idea. Before going any further, though, I want to stress than I'm just a random blue belt training at a school most of you have never heard of. I'm starting this thread just to see if there is interest in doing this and to hopefully encourage others to participate. I'm in no way trying to be a "leader" or anything in this endeavor, and fully believe that for it to work, much more influential voices than my own will be needed.
The idea is to hold coordinated events at gyms all across the country to raise money for charities that support rape victims or educate the public about the devastating effects of sexual assault. These events would be competitions--but more exhibition than actual tournament--with the proceeds from entry fees going to relevant charities. Not only would these competitions be geared toward combating rape culture, but also the "win-at-all-costs" attitude that Tom Callos, Ryan Hall, the Gracie brothers, and others have spoken out against in recent days. As such, no medals would be awarded and no results published. Instead, all competitors would receive a "proud to be a part of the 97%" gi patch. If we could coordinate this to take place on the same day, or same weekend, at gyms all across the country, and supply press releases to both local and national media, I believe we could further raise awareness of this very important issue.
I realize that this is a momentous undertaking, but given the overwhelming response by so many involved in the sport, I fully believe we could make it a reality with a lot of work and careful planning. Again, while I'm willing to do my part, I am only making this thread to hopefully get the wheels turning if there is enough interest. What do you guys think? Is this a good idea? Is it realistic? Please discuss.
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