On Oct, 29, UPMA brought 9 athletes to compete at the SJJIF World Special Needs tournament with great success. It was truly touching to see the impact this one of a kind event had not only on our athletes, but on everyone in attendance that day. This is the first time that the SJJIF has included a special needs division. They also had deaf and para categories. Everyone at UPMA from the coaches to the athletes and parents was ecstatic about the experience and the performance of our fighters. The atmosphere was loud and exciting, but no one was overwhelmed. Every student did a great job of listening to their coaches and following directions. Perhaps the most amazing part of the tournament was how many spectators were truly touched to see our athletes out there. There were a lot of teary eyed people at the Long Beach Convention Center that day. Since then, there have been many people reaching out to us as well, some even wanting to start similar programs. Our hope here at UPMA is that this will be the first step in bringing Jiu Jitsu to everyone. Countless people have witnessed what our amazing students are capable of and will hopefully use this to bring more opportunities to the special needs community. We can not thank the SJJIF enough for all that they have done. Please watch the compilation video shot by one of our volunteers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y71KjANyG_g&feature=youtu.be