Here is this week’s news: Â

1. Team SBG Goes 5-1 at the Rumble at the Roseland
2. Ninja Night See the Return of the UCC
3. Holiday Schedule
4. Food Drive Report
5. Bad Weather / Gym Closure Procedure
 Â

1. Team SBG Goes 5-1 at the Rumble at the Roseland  Â

Team SBG took 6 athletes to the Rumble at the Roseland 18 on Saturday night - 5 were victorious. It was a very positive night for those who competed and helped the team perform.Â

James Davis, out of the Portland gym, was the first on the fight card. He was all business and dictated the entire match from bell to tap. James came in with a few strikes, body locked his opponent, mounted him, maintained position, and finished his opponent with an americana armlock. It was textbook. Great Job James! ! !Â

Second up was Andy Lukesh. What can be said except Andy always comes to compete and let his best game shine. Saturday night was no exception. His opponent was Bobby Wilson, a familiar face for the Sub-League events last year. All props to Bobby, he gave Andy a handful in the first 90 seconds - though he was clearly in control. It was extremely exciting to watch - great clinch, great work off the fence, strong standing-up moves from both athletes, but Andy just had too much for Bobby to contend with. At the 2 minute mark, Andy was working a knee ride position, striking when appropriate, and finally settled into a beautiful armbar. It was a great match. Super Job Andy! ! !Â

The next match of the evening was Aaron Thomas, the brother of Adam Thomas who is a frequent face on the Beaverton gym’s matt. Aaron lives and trains in Bend, but for this occasion we agreed to support him and sponsor him as a part of the SBG Team. Aaron is know for his physical attributes, as he dominated last years Sub-League Championships in is weight divisions. Aaron faced a tough competitor from Team Quest. It was a physical, heavy hitting match. Unfortunately, a little into the second round, Aaron found himself out of gas and couldn’t match his opponent. No shame, it was a good effort.Â

Daryl Cutler’s match was a good win. Daryl came out looking to work his hands and move his opponent around. Daryl quickly took his opponent to the fence, arm dragged him, jump to his back, and held on as his cemented in his rear naked choke. Nicely Done! ! !Â

Omar Santiago, from the Portland Gym, had a very aggressive, action packed match - though it was pretty short. Omar completely dictated the tempo and was in control the entire time. He worked from one submission attempt to another. It was impressive to watch. Ultimately, Omar tapped his opponent out with a very tight armbar. Great Job Omar! ! !Â

The final SBG match of the night was Armand Debruge. Armand has been training very hard over the last 3 months in preparation for this match. He has come a long ways in his standup and clinch games … it has been inspiring watch someone work so hard and make such significant gains. To say that Armand looked ready to go as he came out into the ring is an understatement - he was possessed. Armand was mentally and physically more focused than I’ve ever seen him. As his match began, he pushed the tempo, moving his opponent around the ring … actively pursuing him and setting him up. On the first exchange with Armand throwing a hand combination, his opponent went to move off - and somehow dislocated his shoulder. It was a freak accident … and a travesty. The fight was over before it really began. Many say that they saw relief in Armand’s opponent’s eyes … I think he knew he was in way over his head and it was going to be a one-sided night. Even though Armand didn’t get to finish the match the way he would have liked, it was a great night for him. In speaking to the crowd, he commented on how this had been one of the best experiences of his life — go through the preparation process and facing the challenges that come with getting ready for an MMA match. Congrats Armand!Â

Pictures from multiple sources can be seen at on the gallery. Thanks to Craig Rowland for sending his pictures to me (they are fantastic!). We will be adding the FCFF pictures, and pictures from the team photographer as well. Go to: http://www.impactjj.com/gallery/albums.php and select Rumble at the Roseland 18.Â

2. Ninja Night See the Return of the UCCÂ

The Ultimate Cubs’ Challenge (UCC) returned to Ninja Night on Friday. The two teams (The Jiu-Jitsu Vipers vs. the Team Power Rangers) battled through a series of challenges. There was a great game of Guard Soccer, followed by Monty Python, and then a high-voltage series of Dodgeball.Â

With over 25 SBG cubs in attendance, it was a fun time for all. The traditional pizza feed, pillow fight, movie in the back room, wall ball battles, and lots of laughter and fun were had by all.Â

Huge thanks to Coach Woody, Debbie Poe, and Tracy Chapman for helping out. It was a FUN time for all.Â

Pictures can be seen at:Â http://www.impactjj.com/gallery/albums.php and select Ninja Night UCC2 - Dec 05.Â

3. Holiday ScheduleÂ

The gym will be open Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week (weather permitting). We WILL be closed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for remodeling.

The following week we will be closed for Winter Holiday. The gym will resume it’s full schedule on Monday, January 2, 2006.

4. Food Drive ReportÂ

The finally tally is in … and there was a HUGE flurry of cans on the last day. Our goals was 157 cans - to better last year’s effort. And we made it!!! We brought in 162 cans … phew, that was close.

Good Job to Kat Fowler, Meagan Carver, and Jack Chapman. Also, special thanks to an anonymous donor who contributed two flats of baby food - that was absolutely terrific! The Oregon Food Bank will really appreciate it … and so will the needy families.

I’ll be sure to get the Food Drive on people’s radar earlier next year … so that we can really up our contribution to the community. GREAT JOB GUYS! ! !