North West jiu jitsu clubs launch regional championships

IronPython Jiu Jitsu from Tom Price came out fighting in the first round of the Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Northwest Championships held on February 23 in Karratha and is sitting at the top of the table.

The competition, which is in its first year, is set to have teams from Karratha, Tom Price, Newman and Broome challenge each other in a round robin tournament throughout 2019.

Renegade Karratha head instructor Camerin Coles said the coaches from each town created the championships because travelling to Perth or the east coast to compete was not something they could do regularly.

“In order to give all of our students the ability to learn to compete in a friendly environment we established the North West Champs,” Coles said.

“Our students will have the opportunity to compete five or six times during the year, which will help them when they want to compete at a State and national level.”

The plan is to have one competition in each town throughout the year. The club with the most points at the end of the year will be declared champions

Tom Price finished the first round on 36 points with two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.

Karratha was second on 30 points with two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

Newman’s sole competitor, Baisley Leger, came first in the heavyweight division, while Broome was unable to send any representatives.

Coles said the day allowed everyone to compete against different people and try new tactics.

“One of the issues with jiu jitsu in a small town is you tend to roll with the same people and they quickly understand the game you play,” he said.

“So rolling with new people allows you to trial things you can’t usually get away with.”

The next round of the championships is set to be hosted in Tom Price in May.