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When a team of Jersey martial arts athletes learned that their trip to a prestigious international competition might be threatened by bad weather, they decided that they weren’t going to let the potential of a cancelled ferry give their plans the chop.
Instead, the Brazilian Power Team (BPT) MMA troupe belted up and took a RIB to France with Jersey Seafaris when the bad weather loomed last month.
And they were rewarded for their fighting efforts.
On their chilly journey in which the team were completely exposed to the elements, they spotted a pod of dolphins.
Pictured: The full team - Ash, William, Tom, Michael, Charles, Aaron, Eddie, Andrew, Vladimiro, Aiden, Brandon and Aiden.
After reaching their destination – the North American Grappling Association (NAGA) championships – the lads enjoyed further success.
Eight of the team scored a series of first, second and third place wins. Team professor Andrew Toporis, meanwhile, took away a Champion belt at the event held across 17, 18 and 19 November.
Head Coach Vladimiro Afonso commented: “The team have been training so hard, we were not going to let bad weather stop us from getting to NAGA. So, we asked our friends at Jersey Seafaris, and took a RIB! It was very cold - but we saw dolphins! An amazing experience.
Pictured: Andrew Toporis with his champion belt.
“Then the competition - it was a very high standard this year. There were people from all over the world who had flown into France to compete at the event. We had a large squad this time - and for many of the new faces it was their first time competing, so I’m very pleased with the result of so many medals.”
The BPT's next challenge will be entering the ring this Saturday for Fort Regent's 'Rumble on the Rock' charity event. Profits from the event will go towards Healing Waves, a surfing therapy charity for those with disabilities.
Andrew Toporis - Champion
Aaron Mazurke - 1st place
Eduardo Afonso - double 3rd place
Charles Tromans - 2nd and 3rd place
Michael Cañas - 2nd place
Willian Moir - 2nd place
Thomas Vautier - 2nd place
Ashton de Carteret - 3rd place
Vladimiro Afonso (Injured)
Aidan Ward
Aidan Johnson
Brandon Le Long
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