Oaks Park High School host Brazilian Jujitsu Competition against Clarendon Academy

Oaks Park High School pupils face the camera after competing in a Brazilian Jujitsu competition at the school recently (pic: Oaks Park High School). (Image: Archant)

The first ever official Brazilian Jujitsu Competition at Oaks Park High School was held last week with Clarendon Academy the competitors.

It was a spectacular event which took place in the main hall and was packed with students and teachers.

The atmosphere was electric and there was an American style feeling as if two college football teams were competing against each other to represent their schools.

Students fought hard and showed courage, discipline, patience and honour, but most importantly camaraderie and great sportsmanship between the two teams.

Oaks Park BJJ won 12 medals out of 15 that day, taking gold in 4 out of 5 divisions and a spokesperson for the school said: “All credit and utmost respect goes to all the students who stepped on the mats and were willing to give it their all and fight.

“Win, lose or draw, these students gained respect from each other and the audience. Many of the competitors were emotional as this was their chance to show their skills learned throughout the years of training.

“These students have gone through relentless real life sparring to condition their bodies and minds, learning to persevere and never give up.

“They have had to learn to be humble, accept and understand what they see as failure is actually something that makes them improve and become more successful.

“Most times students walk away from the mats with bruised elbows, noses, lips and necks. However they always come back for more. In the past two years I have seen them grow into resilient lions, and the results are reflected in the competition.”

Oaks Park High School are the first school in the whole of the United Kingdom to host a Brazilian Jujitsu Competition.

A spokesperson continued: “No one can take this distinction away from Oaks Park. It all started from what was thought an impossible idea by some and grew into a club where a team was born.

“This team is built upon fountains of integrity, honour, respect. Students have learned to control anger and support each other. They see themselves as brothers and carry each other in their hardship on the mats and competitions. Their dedication and commitment extends outside the school.

“Fightzone London is a full time fight club in many disciplines that support these students to train for free to help improve their skills. These students are willing to travel and train there to become future champions.

“We should all be proud of their success in the competition. They will be recorded in the history of UK schools to be the first to have competed between another school in Brazilian Jujitsu.

“We as a school should also be proud to be recorded in history as a school whom facilitated the first ever Brazilian Jujitsu competition and supported the growth of the sport in schools.

“Alongside Ben Brumby, who has his own club from Clarendon Academy, we hope to reach out to more schools. Hopefully we see more schools involved in Brazilian Jujitsu in the next few years. A special thanks goes out to Keith Green from the Oaks Park PE department in a joint effort to make this competition happen and run smoothly.”

Major companies Tatami Fightwear and Valour Fightwear provided the Oaks Park High School pupils with free goodies such as t-shirts patches and key rings for the gold medallist winners.

Lawrence Dutton and BJJ 247 Ltd a high quality and professional competition organiser supported the competition by providing medals and all the support was hugely appreciated by Oaks Park High School.