Before I studied Brazilian Jiujitsu, I guess you could call me a couch potato!
I had a very unhealthy lifestyle. Hospitality will do that to you!
Anyway, after seven monthstraining with the BJJ team at ROOTS I competed and won my first NSW competition. Two months later I fought and won at the Pan Pacific Championships in Melbourne.
By this stage, I was training six times a week, sometimes twice a day and any spare time I had I spent studying BJJ DVD’s.
Three months later I won again at a NSW comp, after this I received my blue belt. This meant that I was eligible to compete at the World Championships in Brazil.
Thanks to my mother sponsoring me (still paying that off), three others and myself went to train and compete in Rio. Believe it or not, all four of us won, we were 2003 World champions!
I returned the following year, thanks again to mum, and won the blue belt World Championships again.
I am now 36 and I am a purple belt. I have a few short-term goals and a long-term dream, or goal, if you will
The short term is to return to Brazil to train and compete in all three Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World championship competitions.
The long-term dream is to make a name for myself so that I can teach and attract more of the female community and children into this wonderful, self-empowering sport.
I consider Brazilian jiu-jitsu to be the ultimate self-defence as these skills are not dependant on a person’s size or strength.
Women and children can defend against and/or defeat heavier and stronger opponents or aggressors through the use of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.