Attn. Gracie Barra Competitors,

First we would like to thank all of you for your continued support of the Gracie Barra Competition Network (GBCN).   The latest chapter in the Gracie Barra tournament series promises to be the best so far, and we wanted to share some of the changes that you will witness at our next event.    The So Cal Classic will take place on Saturday and Sunday October 17^th, and 18^th, 2009.  That’s right, two days!  Saturday will include the Kids tournament and a No-Gi tournament.   Sunday will be a Gi competition for all adult levels, including the absolute divisions for all belts.  We will post a more detailed schedule as the event date gets closer.

The KIDS tournament:  We will be offering an extended format kids tournament with wonderful photo opportunities and plenty of Jiu Jitsu action.  We will be dedicating more time and effort to the future stars of our sport and want all of our parents to know that this promises to be a very special event.  We will have a new bracketing plan that will ensure better matchups and enable the kids to fight with children the same size and level.  Also we will implement a podium and group picture format that promises some superior photo opportunities.  We felt that we needed to improve this portion of our tournament and we have addressed these issues.  We would like to assure all of our members that we have put a great deal of time and effort into making this the best tournament ever for your children.

No-Gi tournament: You asked for it and we listened.  We have added a no-gi tournament that will give our higher belts an opportunity to showcase their skills.  The No-gi worlds will be less two weeks after our tournament and this will give our members a stage to test themselves against their GB brothers.  This portion of the tournament will be offered to blue belt and above (sorry no white belts). This will be held on Saturday afternoon so you will still be able to coach all of your athletes in the Gi tournament on Sunday.

All Day GI action: We have dedicated a full day our gi competitors at this event.  A full day means plenty of time for you all to compete in your weight division and the absolute division. We will have more time for podium pictures, more time for fighting, and more time to watch your friends.  Our adult tournaments have been our specialty and this event will continue to prove that Gracie Barra is the industry leader in the advancement of Jiu Jitsu.

We will still have all the great food and specialty booths that you know and love, as well the quality staff, referees, and beautiful venue that make a Gracie Barra tournament so special.  In addition as a competitor you will all receive a t-shirt, sticker, and your chance to compete and win a medal.   We want you to know that we are working hard to build the best tournament series in the industry.  If you have any suggestions of what you would like to see in the future please feel free to email our staff at gbcompnet@graciebarra.com

We would also like to point out that there will be a discounted pricing for early registration to this event.  We would like to encourage you register early so that you will be insured a spot at our tournament.  There will be a $10 increase to all prices on the 5^th of October, and registration will close on the 12^th.  So don’t miss out and get your registration submitted early.

Thanks again for all the support, train hard and we’ll see you on the mats.

Sincerely,

GBCN STAFF