GrapplePalooza 2012- The Elite Tournament

Barry.Oglesby

Hi all,

I'm currently in the process of organising the Elite Grapplepalooza tournament. This will take place in October (date TBC) and will once again consist of a daytime tournament involving white belt (or novice), blue belt (or intermediate), and Purple/Brown (or advanced) divisions. There will also be a teen category.

The evening tournament's terms and conditions will change slightly from last year.

• 16 man, straight elimination
• competitors must be resident in Ireland at least 1 year
• 14 invitees
• 2 qualifiers from the daytime event
• IBJJF nogi rules

As per last year, I am inviting sponsors who might be interested in getting involved in this high profile grappling event. If your company would like to be involved please contact me at baz.oglesby@gmail.com

As for the rest of you, well, get suggesting. The new residency rule opens up a lot of possibilities for many more competitors to get involved. I'll be consulting with some advisers from around the grappling community as to who gets invited but maybe the weight of popular opinion might sway me one way or the other!

Here's looking forward to another great day!

Barry

Chris89

Look forward to it, Barry.

Are you only eligible to qualify for the main event if you enter as a purple or brown belt in the daytime?

Cheers

Barry.Oglesby

Hey Chris,

Yes that's correct but there's nothing stopping anyone moving up a division.

Barry

SDTimeout

Seb Torres
Darragh O'C
Richard Gorey
Chris Bowe ( may have surpassed this level ! )
Jorge Santos
Joey Breslin
Tom King

Would be the guys I would like to see , but I would guess they are going to be there anyway.

Also would be cool if the 2 qualifiers could won by guys who aren't living in Ireland. Means they would have to compete during the day and then at night. I know it would be pretty taxing but it could mean a lot of top grapplers from the UK would come over to compete!

Jason McCabe

Andy Ryan
Graham Keys
John kavanaugh

Spideog Rua

Would be great to see the top four from last year seeded into this years competition.

1. Chris Bowe
2. Darragh O'Connail
3. Richard Gorey
4. Tom King

Invite:
-Fergal Quinlan
-Liam Beechinor
-Paddy Carmody
-Ciaran Toal

Pretty savage!!

What's the prize this year?

Here's an idea, how about some non-BJJ guys like sambo/wrestlers/judoka?

jitz

Ciaran Toal
Cesar Morcegao
Andrew Manning
Paddy Carmody
Arek Sternalski

Barry.Oglesby

Jason McCabe wrote: »

Andy Ryan
Graham Keys
John kavanaugh

Let's keep the list to active competitors please. These guys are great coaches and bringing them into the list like people did last year just became offensive after a while for everyone involved.

Great names mentioned so far guys. I think it's fair to say that there are a lot of names who will definitely be invited back!

One thing I forgot to mention in the first post was that there will be a different prize money structure. The pot is still €1000 but now it will be distributed €800 to the winner and €200 to the other finalist.

UL_heart_throb

+1 feargal quinlan if he's fit

Jason McCabe

Sorry I thought Andy and John had both competed over last couple of years

Not sure about Graham

No offense was intended just like to see how they would fair

Barry.Oglesby

Jason McCabe wrote: »

Sorry I thought Andy and John had both competed over last couple of years

Not sure about Graham

No offense was intended just like to see how they would fair

Andy has competed at Senior level and John has competed at superfights, but I don't think either would call himself and active competitor. I just felt last year some people were looking on at the debate and thinking "look they won't even compete" and others still then get to say "sure John, Andy, Graham etc. weren't even there". Not to mention that it's offensive to Chris, Darragh, Richy, Tom and so on.

So in short not good for the guys, not good for the competitors, and not good for the tournament. Oh you've upset everyone with this one Jason

pablohoney87

Brendan mcgarry?
think he qualified for the elite last year getting to the final but chose not to compete.
and won the absolute of the last grapplepalooza blue belt.

crosdad

that richie crosdale guy qualified last year and is currently the undisputed advanced division grapplepalloza champion. can he do it again?:D

pablohoney87

crosdad wrote: »

that richie crosdale guy qualified last year and is currently the undisputed advanced division grapplepalloza champion. can he do it again?:D

Sorry crosdad. I heard he died after Chris fields smashed him in envy one night. Apparently he was mouthin off to him about being ignorant to the bjj game or something

Shane Fitz

Chris89 wrote: »

Look forward to it, Barry.

Are you only eligible to qualify for the main event if you enter as a purple or brown belt in the daytime?

Cheers

Great way to flesh out the purple/brown division by making those higher lever blues who aspire to the elite event move up.


Arek Sternalski
Andre Ramos
Jorge Santos
Mark Curry

SDTimeout

crosdad wrote: »

that richie crosdale guy qualified last year and is currently the undisputed advanced division grapplepalloza champion. can he do it again?:D

Heard he got smashed in training after the Euros and has had a knee shaped bruise on his stomach ever since

da-bres

Darragh O'connaill,
Mark Curry,
Ciaran Toal,
Boweconstrictor,
Fergal Quinlan,
Liam Boi
Paddy Carmody
Tom King
Nerijus
Maciek
Arek strenalski
Kamil Rutkowski,
Seb torres
Jorge Santos
Andre Ramos,
tony souza,
Gera nabuco,
richy gorey
Karl Roche


Some names that I think deserve to be invited.. Some great grapplers in Ireland!!!!

danlen

UL_heart_throb wrote: »

+1 feargal quinlan if he's fit

ditto

crosdad

Some ideas barry, last year's event was unbelievable, the best and most exciting comp i've ever been at, even my dad had a great time watching the fights, the atmosphere was great and the prize money made everything alot more exciting. However i thought the turnout could of been alot better, especially considering how great the tournament was. Alot of people missed out:D. I think people who competed during the day just didn't have the incentive to pay another 20 euro after paying 25 euro to compete earlier. So maybe only charge a small amount for people that competed during the day.


Think surprsingly alot of people who i talked to in the gym didnt even know the event was taking place so maybe make a fb event page too

Hanley

crosdad wrote: »

Think surprsingly alot of people who i talked to in the gym didnt even know the event was taking place so maybe make a fb event page too

Yeah +1 to this. I know I was pretty disappointed in the numbers last year considering the talent and work that went into it.

Not sure whether people are just cheap/lazy, or whether they didn't know about it, but it was an awesome event that definitely justified more attention than it got.

Colm.Mahon

Gera nabuco

Chris89

Its only fair that the entrants are picked on merit rather than an internet recommendation!

Blue belts shouldnt be invited in my opinion, doesnt say much for the state of the sport if were automatically including a blue belt in the countrys elite 16.
That is not to say a blue belt couldnt do well, look at richie gorey, but you know what i mean.

Im more than happy to compete in the day with the hopes of qualifying, I would imagine a number of the lads mentioned in this thread would be the same.

I am a blue belt myself, in case that was lost in translation!

Would be cool to see some of the polish contingent on the mats, I know there are some serious lads out in SBG

Hanley

Chris89 wrote: »

Its only fair that the entrants are picked on merit rather than an internet recommendation!

Blue belts shouldnt be invited in my opinion, doesnt say much for the state of the sport if were automatically including a blue belt in the countrys elite 16.
That is not to say a blue belt couldnt do well, look at richie gorey, but you know what i mean.

Im more than happy to compete in the day with the hopes of qualifying, I would imagine a number of the lads mentioned in this thread would be the same.

I am a blue belt myself, in case that was lost in translation!

Would be cool to see some of the polish contingent on the mats, I know there are some serious lads out in SBG

What about non BJJ guys then? Technically they're "white belts" right?

And since it's the hunt for best "grappler" and not "best BJJ player" then someone with the potential to win the whole thing (eg Richie Gorey getting to the semis last year) should be invited regardless of rank?

Chris89

Hanley wrote: »

What about non BJJ guys then? Technically they're "white belts" right?

And since it's the hunt for best "grappler" and not "best BJJ player" then someone with the potential to win the whole thing (eg Richie Gorey getting to the semis last year) should be invited regardless of rank?

Yeah Richie is a Judo black belt as far as I am aware, If youre accomplished in some other discipline then of course you have the potential to win it.

Just my 2c anyway.

Barry.Oglesby

crosdad wrote: »

Some ideas barry, last year's event was unbelievable, the best and most exciting comp i've ever been at, even my dad had a great time watching the fights, the atmosphere was great and the prize money made everything alot more exciting. However i thought the turnout could of been alot better, especially considering how great the tournament was. Alot of people missed out:D. I think people who competed during the day just didn't have the incentive to pay another 20 euro after paying 25 euro to compete earlier. So maybe only charge a small amount for people that competed during the day.


Think surprsingly alot of people who i talked to in the gym didnt even know the event was taking place so maybe make a fb event page too

hey Richie,

Thanks for the suggestions. Firstly with regard to price, there is a lot of money involved in setting up the event even before any prize money is included. It is a massively expensive endeavour and I was lucky enough to have Tatami on board last year to help offset the expense, but there's no guarantee of any sponsorship in this economic climate even when you've pre-arranged deals with sponsors. In the last year between my MMA show and Grapplepalooza, I have been let down on promised sponsorship by 4 separate companies. At last year's elite event I was looking into discounting tickets for competitors, but a week out a supplement company who had promised to sponsor the event pulled and it the numbers simply didn't match up to discount the tickets. This isn't a tale of woe by the way. I knew there'd be a chance I'd end up paying the prize money out of my own pocket from the outset, I'm just explaining how things work. If you add up PA systems, lighting, mats, insurance, venue hire, refs, table staff, IT stuff... well it adds up.

All that being said, I would really like to discount people who have competed during the day. As someone who likes to compete I know how expensive days like Grapplepalooza can be. However for that to happen I'd need my sponsors to stick to their word (I'm always tempted to name and shame!), for the grappling community to come out in force to compete during the day, and to be guaranteed non-competing team mates and family will come out that night. Since in this environment I literally can't guarantee any one of those things will happen, I have to keep tickets as they are. However with 4 months to go, I'll keep working on a method of discounting people as it's something I'd like to be able to do.

As regards promoting the event, I'll definitely be going a little harder and heavier this time both on the web and with posters etc. so hopefully we can all spread the word more.

Richie Gorey was selected last year due to both his judo and jiu jitsu pedigree by the way. He was a blue belt but had a tremendous grappling pedigree generally and I think that showed on the night.

Anyway, on with the names. Some great ones coming up so far!

cowzerp

I'm not sure if my eyes are deceiving me but not 1 mention of Wayne Fagan, he definitely should be invited, Not sure if he is Training/Competing but Liam o' Toole is a great BJJ player too.

Barry.Oglesby

cowzerp wrote: »

I'm not sure if my eyes are deceiving me but not 1 mention of Wayne Fagan, he definitely should be invited, Not sure if he is Training/Competing but Liam o' Toole is a great BJJ player too.

You just mentioned him!

Liam_B

I'm just explaining how things work. If you add up PA systems, lighting, mats, insurance, venue hire, refs, table staff, IT stuff... well it adds up.

Yep I'd imagine a lot of work...
It would be great if a lot more members of the community could find the time to help out at these Events. You could tell at the last Open & GrapplePalooza how well things went with all the different Teams helping out.

The community can help out in spreading the love in doing advertising themselves a lot more too. blasting it out on your clubs profile pages/ posters at your club/ in particular to people outside of the community. No doubt it will be another Great Hit.

Just a thought...

SDTimeout

I'd have no problem paying 50 euro for the tournament if it got me into the night event free. Not sure if that's a big enough jump in reg price to make it happen. Maybe a fee for people who wish to get into the night event and compete during the day and one for people who just wish to compete.

cowzerp

SDTimeout wrote: »

I'd have no problem paying 50 euro for the tournament if it got me into the night event free. Not sure if that's a big enough jump in reg price to make it happen. Maybe a fee for people who wish to get into the night event and compete during the day and one for people who just wish to compete.

My way of looking at it is this-if ya added 5-10 euro onto the price of competing you might get a good few to go that would not go otherwise, then ya gain the money for competing and the extra that you would not have got otherwise in many cases so a good few 5-10 euro's that ya would not have got, with these people going their is more chance the mates will go too and pay the spectator rate that again might not have gone otherwise.

The people who want to go spectate that did not compete can pay the full rate and would be the bulk of the money raised.

The more people in attendance the more chance of getting sponsorship too.

Gorey_R

I think what people really want to see is Richard Gorey v Wayne Fagan 2- the superfight!

No time limit, no points. Submission only!

It's what 'the people' are screaming out for Barry.

Tom BJJ

Last year's event was brilliant and i've no doubt that this years will be even better.

All of the videos from last year's event are on BJJ.ie if anyone wants to re-watch them. http://www.bjj.ie/2011/10/

I really really hope that Chris Bowe defends his title because the level of competition in Ireland has soared, and i think the title of Ireland's Best Grappler will be even harder to win this year.

Darragh O'Connail could easily go one better and win the title this year. He's been a tear internationally, winning Silver in both his weight class and absolute divisions in America recently. Added to that he's training with grapplers of the ilk of Justin Rader and Rafael Lovato.

I'd love to see Fergal Quinlan enter, but don't know if he competes sans Gi. His recent match against Pedro Bessa in the WPJJ qualifiers was really close. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VxTrsrOKVM

Ciaran Toal would be a great addition to the competition. I watched some of his matches at the 2012 Irish Open. Here he is beating Piotr Stawski in 2008 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZiT4Rc_tbY&feature=relmfu

Joey Breslin would be a another great addition to the competition. His high tempo and technical game could give most grapplers trouble. He trains and competes at every opportunity and that dediaction has seen him win more than regularly in competition. Here he is beating a black belt. http://vimeo.com/33610097

On top of that, i'd like to see Tom King, Richard Gorey, Andre Ramos, Jorge Santos and Karl Roche.

p to the e

Although I'm sure you'd love more people at to attend the elites, I really liked the intimate atmosphere of last years comp. The hushed knowledgeable crowd mixed with the sombre lighting made it unlike any comp I'd ever seen.
As for participants, I'm sure Tom King would love to attempt to avenge his loss to Richard Gorey. Would like to see Mark Curry enter this year instead of refereeing although you may run out of possible refs. A few wrestling and/or sambo competitors could make throw the proverbial cat amongst the pigeons.

Jason McCabe

Think the issue is that grappling is much more a sport that is funded by competitors than by people looking to spectate

Whereas an Mma fight night is the opposite

It's a big risk Barry and fair play to you for doing it again.

Niall0

Gorey_R wrote: »

I think what people really want to see is Richard Gorey v Wayne Fagan 2- the superfight!

No time limit, no points. Submission only!

It's what 'the people' are screaming out for Barry.

A couple of superfights to go with the tournament would be nice. Maybe some of the top grapplers would be more comfortable with a single match and a few competitive matches might complement the tournament nicely.

Barry.Oglesby

The 16 man isn't competitive enough? We need superfights to make it more competitive? This is a most unusual one I have to say.

I've looked into getting 2 international level competitors over to do a superfight in the past and it's just too expensive. If they're domestically based then they should probably be in the tournament!

Loads of good suggestions so far guys. Please keep them coming.

crosdad

Maybe get some of the coaches/older guys over here who wont be in the tournament to have a superfight.............. Also, this year....... enterence music

Niall0

Barry.Oglesby wrote: »

The 16 man isn't competitive enough? We need superfights to make it more competitive? This is a most unusual one I have to say.

Sorry that didnt come across right. I did not mean to make the tournament more competitive. I just thought maybe some of the previously mentioned bjj players who cant commit to doing the 16 man tournament due to coaching duties and the like might be able to do a single match during the elite event.

Im sure the tournament will be very competitive and im looking forward to it. Events like this are helping to grow the sport in the country and thats awesome.

Dermighty

Chris89 wrote: »

That is not to say a blue belt couldnt do well, look at richie gorey, but you know what i mean.

All luck and tanora mixed with magic beans right before the fight.

wayno

Gorey_R wrote: »

I think what people really want to see is Richard Gorey v Wayne Fagan 2- the superfight!

No time limit, no points. Submission only!

It's what 'the people' are screaming out for Barry.

YEAH SOUNDS GREAT... NO POINTS JUST SUBMISSION!! ID BE WELL UP FOR THAT....:)

Gorey_R

wayno wrote: »

YEAH SOUNDS GREAT... NO POINTS JUST SUBMISSION!! ID BE WELL UP FOR THAT....:)

It's already gone grudge! I'll just be upset if this doesn't happen!!

UL_heart_throb

above match must be in a fire pit

Dermighty

A lot can be learned from Conan!

Barry.Oglesby

Probably best to put it in some sort of "cage" where they can both strike each other .

manga_10

Just wondering if theres any developments on the daytime tournament or the whole thing in general.

Thanks

singlesnights

Barry,

Is the whitebelt tounament suitable for absolute beginners? I have only had 4 BJJ classes so far but think it would be a good training goal to see how good I can get between now and the competition.

My basic aim would be to not get subbed because I currently have little to nothing in terms of offence!

Cheers,

Paul

manga_10

ye mite as well man give it a shot. Even if ya lose ul learn a lot about urself plus it'll bring ur game on even quicker

Mellor

singlesnights wrote: »

Barry,

Is the whitebelt tounament suitable for absolute beginners? I have only had 4 BJJ classes so far but think it would be a good training goal to see how good I can get between now and the competition.

My basic aim would be to not get subbed because I currently have little to nothing in terms of offence!

Cheers,

Paul

It's at least 2 months away, that's loads of time.
You'll be fine. There's be a good few with >3 months experience

DamoUp

Any more developments?

Tom.D.BJJ

Hi,

I spoke briefly with Barry about this last night, and he will be releasing all of the details soon. For now I can tell you that it will be on Nov 10 and 11, with the elite event happening on the night of the 10th. It sounds like it's going to blow last years event out of the water

I'll do my best to answer any questions you have. Anything I cant answer, I'll ask Barry about.

I'll check back as often as I can.
Tom

Chris89

Tom.D.BJJ wrote: »

Hi,

I spoke briefly with Barry about this last night, and he will be releasing all of the details soon. For now I can tell you that it will be on Nov 10 and 11, with the elite event happening on the night of the 10th. It sounds like it's going to blow last years event out of the water

I'll do my best to answer any questions you have. Anything I cant answer, I'll ask Barry about.

I'll check back as often as I can.
Tom

The elite event should be in the gi this year (justsaying)