#11 Chicago Open
Chicago Open
April 27, 2024
I finally had a match! Someone from one weight bracket below me came up to medium heavy (163 lbs) so there were two of us in the bracket. There were also two other Master 4 Purple belts competing in a different weight bracket, so I was hoping we’d have a full open class bracket.
I flew out the day before and ate normally, since I’ve been coming in 4lbs under the max weight lately. I stayed with my friend Laura in Chicago. We met at a Caio Terra BJJ camp in Rio and have been at a couple other camps together since. I was able to see friends I’d met at other Caio Terra BJJ camps in Rio. Cappy & Travis are both black belts from Cleveland and it was exciting to have friends to watch compete.
Laura’s Carlson Gracie Jr team had several people competing, so we got to the tournament early around 9:30 am. My bracket ended up not going until about 6pm. It was a long wait and hard to know when to eat, how much to eat, and how much water to have. I was about 3 lbs underweight when I arrived. The venue was not well air conditioned so as the day went on it got hotter and hotter and I was sweating just sitting in the stands. For lunch I grabbed some fruit and coffee. I ate a little at a time and weighed myself regularly, always staying about 3 lbs under. Finally it was time to go!
No nerves, just focused on having fun. We stood up for a little while with my opponent. I’m trying to work on a more sustainable pull guard/open guard game, so I got a pull and briefly got into del a riva, but she passed pretty quickly…still lots to work on with my open guard.
She got to side control, pulled on my arm for a bit and eventually took my back. She was attempting a choke when she extended my bad shoulder. I had to use my hand that was defending the choke to protect my hurt arm. From there it took some time but she eventually got the choke. My bad shoulder took a little extra damage this match.
I grabbed my silver medal and immediately signed up for open class. My opponent from my bracket also signed up. We were hoping the other two master 4 purple belts would also sign up, but they didn’t so it was just the two of us again. Luckily the wait wasn’t long.
She started with some snapdowns that had me pull quickly since I didn’t feel like I was going to be on my feet long. She managed to pull my gi completely over my head and the ref stopped us and we reset on our feet. More standup and I pulled ok this time. She ended in my half guard and I quickly put her into lockdown with strong frames across her throat and arm, making the position fairly comfortable for me. She eventually was able to remove my lockdown and pass. She quickly was able to set up an armbar and I didn’t have much defense. She pulled the armbar and I tapped as soon as I could. I immediately felt some muscles in my upper back and neck get pulled but just strains that kept me from turning my head for a few days. So another silver medal.
Huge thanks to Laura for coaching me!
Key Takeaways
My guard pulling and open guard still feel significantly worse in competition than it does when I’m training.
My armbar defense was non-existent, when normally it’s not terrible. Not sure if it was the heat or the super long day, but my brain just felt slow the second match.
People my age willing to compete are probably doing it because they are actually athletic and good at BJJ. I’m neither of these things and it’s starting to make this quest feel silly. I don’t feel like I’m getting better. I’m getting medals for showing up, and I’m happy the other person at least gets to practice their BJJ, but I feel bad when I’m the only person they get to compete against.
My BJJ feels very passive. I’m not very aggressive and not really even particularly defensive. I feel like I just let things happen. Maybe I need to change the way I’m training at home.
This is hard.
Current goals
Win a bracket
Score a takedown
Places I visited
Liar’s Club - This trip was a little different and I wasn’t actually in Chicago that long, so I didn’t do much. I did catch my partner’s band, ‘Me, Grimlock!’ while they were on a Midwest tour, at the Liar’s Club. I loved the venue. Sound was good, the overall vibes were cool, and I hit the replay on the KISS pinball machine.
Restaurants I visited
Giordano’s – Decided to try some traditional Chicago style pizza. The super deep dish pies. I have been in Chicago before and didn’t love the pizza but figured I’d give it another try. Still not my favorite. Very filling, tons of cheese, I think I just like a thinner crust. They had a thin crust option so I would consider going back and trying that.
Athena Greek Restaurant – After pizza my sweet tooth was raging so Laura suggested we walk around the block into greektown. We quickly found this restaurant and ducked in for dessert. I immediately knew what I wanted. Baklava Cheesecake. It was amazing! Nutty dense, honey soaked bottom, cheesecake center, and flakey phyllo pastry on top. So, so good. I would go back just for that cheesecake.
Doghaus – Chicago dogs and more! Open late, this was the perfect spot after being out late watching bands. I got the impossible haus. A breakfast burrito with 3 sunny side up eggs, impossible sausage, tater tots, american cheese, caramelized onions, and spicy mayo. Very good, but way too big for me. I couldn’t finish it, but it was a pleasant surprise to find a vegetarian friendly option.
Upcoming tournaments:
May 18: Baton Rouge Open
July 20: Virginia Open
July 25: Orlando Open
Aug 29: Master Worlds
