On November 1st, 2019, we hosted our first class, which was attended by exactly a hundred people, a lot of whom went on to become our first students. Over the next few months, we expanded our classes, even doing two runs of a Beginner Course prototype program that morphed into the Fundamentals class. We were steadily growing, despite still figuring out how to operate a physical jiu-jitsu institution. But then, Tom Hanks got some kind of novel virus and the NBA stopped playing.
Fast forward a few months, and some novel grey hairs later, we continued with the mission of teaching jiu-jitsu. Slowly it became more and more socially acceptable to gather people for vigorous exercises that keep their body and mind healthier than ever. When people spent a lot of time at home, interest in jiu-jitsu grew even more.
However, we realized that the way most jiu-jitsu academies welcome beginners is patently broken. We started the 5-Week Beginner Course, which is currently teaching cohorts 47 and 48. Some of the people from the first cohorts are now blue belts and participating in the intermediate or even no-gi programs.
Over the last 4 years, Legion has grown to several hundred members. Some have never even met each other. It is possible for someone who comes to 7.30pm Fundamentals every day to have an interaction in their day-to-day life with someone who comes to 6am Rise and Sunshine class every day and not even know.
This is why communication is becoming more and more important. This new newsletter is an attempt at improving it and keeping you in the loop with your favorite community. The hope is that this monthly newsletter is something you look forward to and enjoy reading. This is why we'll only include important happenings and generally keep it more concise than this 300-word intro. Now, let's get into some news.
Legion's First World Champion is Now a Black Belt
On the 23rd of May coach Paige got promoted to black belt after an absolutely incredible competition career in the colored belts. She won multiple World Championships both in the gi and no-gi and secured an alternate spot for the ADCC World Championship. She has recently recovered from two knee surgeries and is just about ready to strike fear into the hearts of her opponents again.
Sloan was the person who tied her black belt around her waist, which is fitting as Paige pointed out, since he was the person who got her the white belt as well. Paige is currently focused on organizing the Black Belt Beach Babes camp, which is now finally appropriately named. It will be happening from June 15th to June 16th.
Note: There will be no classes on Saturday the 15th and no open mat on Sunday the 16th. The camp is open for women-only and if you qualify, we really recommend you sign up while you still can.
Gi Fundamentals Class Gets a New Curriculum After Weeks of Deliberation
The Gi Fundamentals class is the biggest program we have at Legion based on the number of students. It enjoys a consistent stream of brave Beginner Course graduates. It has always had fantastic instructors. However, in the spirit of constant improvement, it was time to give the program what it deserves and what we excel at: structure.
That's why we had a special event on May 14th, with the unveiling of the new curriculum which features 5 x 5 week cycles. The unveiling event was presented by Andris, Austin and Miha. It even had PowerPoint slides. Talk about professionalism! If you happened to miss the event, there is a video recording available and the curriculum is available in the Legion app as well! The No-Gi Fundamentals curriculum will be getting a similar makeover soon.
Next week is Week 3 of Cycle 1, the start of Attacks from the Mount position!
Roll in the Morning, Roll the Dice in the Evening
On June 1st we are hosting the second-ever board game night, hosted by coach Andris. Most of you know Andris because of the instruction and care he provides you on the mats. Or because of the trauma caused to you by his various 'platas'. Off the mats, Andris is an expert in at least one other field: board games. He has a collection of 50+ board games of all kinds.
He's bringing a carefully crafted selection on Saturday at 6pm. This means you can train at 10am and/or 12pm and come back at 6pm with a s/o or friend in tow. The event is free and a lot of fun.
Food will be potluck style. You can cook your delicacy and bring it along or pick up some of your favorite pizza. This event is for adults only, kids will get their own board game night in the near future.
The Elephant in the Men's Room
The new men's shower room IS big enough to fit an elephant (sideways). "Will the elephant shower me with water from its trunk?" You may ask. That won't be necessary... The update that most everyone is interested in, is that the construction is in the final stages. At the time of this writing, which is close to publishing, the floor tile has been laid and grouted. The walls are now ready to be tiled as well. After that, the ceiling needs to be quickly patched up and the actual showers attached. The partitions will come in last. The finish line is in sight. Thank you for your patience during this project.
We hope you enjoyed this first edition of this newsletter, it will be going out monthly at the end of each month and it will surely evolve. For this edition, the mission was just to get started with delivering important updates from the past month and events to look forward to in the next!