On May 22nd, fifty two girls Girls in Gis came together at Siam Star Muay Thai/MMA in Allen, Texas for Girls in Gis Texas Allen. Six of which had never trained before and were adventurous in taking their first step onto the mats that day. One of which was so moved by the experience she signed up on the spot. Welcome to an awesome community of strong women!
Professor Taissa Drummond and purple belt Victoria Maciel Caceres opened with introductions and a fun warmup. Shrimping and jogging laps kicked things off and they finished up with a quick game of leapfrog. Two guard passes and two reversals were taught post warmup. Professor Drummond started teaching with a quick guard pass then a flower sweep. Participants broke into groups and practiced. Laughs were heard throughout. Maciel Caceres finished up with a butterfly guard pass and spider guard sweep.
Host Instructor Professor Taissa Drummond began her BJJ journey 10 years ago as a child to help her become more disciplined. From the beginning she was perpetually challenged by the Art of Jiu-Jitsu. Drummond says, “you will never know enough, you are always learning.” Professor Drummond, like so many has had other obligations that stalled her training but she has returned full-time and couldn’t be happier. “Sometimes life drives you to another direction but to see the other girls progress makes me want to commit again and get back in the mats. I never wanted to quit. I was forced to when I went to college and after that I got pregnant. But since I got back to the mats 6 years ago I never stopped.”
Her biggest obstacle to training was finding the time to do it but now when she has free time, she is training. She says, “I love that it’s a living art. The fact that I’ll never be able to know all of it no matter how much I dedicate myself is a forever challenge and a forever motivation.” Drummond was a World Champion as a Brown Belt and is currently pursuing that same title as a black. Those are her short term aspirations, in the long run she just wants to remain on the mats training and continue to inspire others to do the same.
Host instructor Victoria Maciel Caceres has trained on and off for years. She quit for 4 years while transitioning from Brazil to the US but once she was settled she began to train again full time. Her husband (Professor Marcus Antelante) keeps her motivated in training, she shadows his movements and is inspired by his hard work as a practitioner. Her obstacles are much like those any athlete faces. She suffers nagging injuries that can plague a competitor for a season or throughout their career. One shoulder injury kept her off the mats for an entire year. Helping to host this event is just one more way in helping educate others about the sport she loves. Maciel Caceres says, “I love how Jiu-Jitsu unites so many people with different lifestyles but all with the same passion for the same sport and I love that it allows me to travel all over to do what I love. My personal goal is to be able to train for as long and my body allows me to and my athlete goal is to win worlds.”
Siam Star Muay Thai/MMA were thoughtful hosts to Girls in Gis. The events just keep getting better. The environment is comfortable and comforting. The hosts were very kind and attentive to those in attendance. Thank you for opening your doors and supporting these grass roots efforts that have become a massive coast to coast success for women in BJJ. We are always grateful that you come out to learn and grow with us. Thank you to GIG ambassador Kristine Felts for running a stellar event! See you next time around!
Photos: www.business.facebook.com/siamstarmma/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1084065811653293