“This was a development competition for our club as most of our athletes have only had the chance to spar with their clubmates in an in-house tournament last year,” Shark Shed’s Paul Jefferson said.
“Our biggest handicap is our geographical location. Clubs from Bay of Plenty have better access to tournaments in Tauranga or Rotorua on a regular basis, while we have to travel to get experience.
“It was nice to have these clubs tautoko our event as it was the first of its kind for the region,” Jefferson said.
“My aim is to take a group of kids to one of the Tauranga competitions later in the year. The Tauranga competition runs like ours with a round robin format, so the kids get lots of matches and gain valuable experience.”
Competitions were not their main focus at Shark Shed, he said.
“Yes, we want kids to compete and put themselves out there, but I have seen the powerful growth some of my other students have made from doing jiu jitsu.
“Some turn up shy and afraid to step on the mats, and after a few weeks they have made some good friends, have built a little bit of confidence in themselves and have learnt to put themselves out of their comfort zones.
“Jiu jitsu is a tough sport. You do more losing than winning at the beginning. It’s that get-back-up-after-getting-knocked-down mentality and showing perseverance that is amazing for young kids.”
Shark Shed Jiu Jitsu is run out of the Wainui Tennis Club by Jefferson, who has a black belt.
“We have close to 60 kid members and a small number of adults that regularly train.
“The best thing about the competition at the weekend was the vibe the parents and kids brought.
“Every match was well contested throughout the age, weight and belt grades, and there was lots of positive support from the parents.
“It was standing room only.”
