Real World Mixed Martial Arts team renzo gracie

First off, I would like to congratulate 3 of our students here for receiving their well deserved belt promotions this past week. Angry Mike, and Ryan McCarthy were promoted to blue belts, and Kevin Weinberg was promoted to a yellow belt. They definitely all earned it, and hopefully we can get a few more up there real soon!

As of July 29th, you can pre-order the new Real World t-shirt design for only $20, instead of the normal price of $25.

PRE-ORDER ENDS THIS MONDAY AUGUST 3RD!!

So if you are interested in buying one, give your money to either George, Alex, or Eric so you can reserve yours today and save $5.

Just give us the $20, your preffered size shirt, and you will be wearing the new gear in no time!

Rashguards, grappling shorts, and more to come in the next month or so! The shirts will be in very soon, so hopefully they will be enough to hold you over until the new gear comes in.

For those of you who don't know him, Dan Copeland is a student here at Real World who has been battling a brain tumor for the past year or so. An article recently published, written by David Andriesen, briefly describes Dan's journey throughout the entire process. Check it out:

Dan Copeland raised a few eyebrows when he arrived at the hospital for life-saving brain surgery wearing his gi and the blue belt he had earned in Brazilian jiu jitsu.

“The doctor thought I was crazy,” Copeland said. “But I told him, ‘I’m not here for a funeral.’”

No. Copeland was there to fight.

Three years of training had given the 39-year-old father of two the mental toughness he would need to battle a brain tumor. And if not for the sport, that battle might have been over before it began.

It all started with a forearm to the head.

In October 2008, Copeland was caught by a stray blow from a fellow student at Real World Martial Arts in Denville, N.J., during a forum on takedowns. Copeland thought nothing of it – after all, he’d been hit in the head many times during training. It comes with the territory.

But for the next week, Copeland had a headache that he couldn’t shake, one that finally sent him to a doctor.

“I was just looking for a vicodin,” he said. “Then suddenly we’re talking about a craniotomy? It was unreal.”

The diagnosis was a relatively minor subdural hematoma, a head trauma in which blood collects in the outer lining of the brain. Doctors decided to keep an eye on the hematoma through periodic MRI exams, and over time it appeared to be getting smaller. Copeland would be back to normal in no time.

Or so he thought until three months later, when, while watching one of his sons play a computer game, he was struck by a seizure that left him unconscious for 10 minutes. His doctor did another MRI and scheduled a follow-up appointment four days later. But after one look at the film from the test, Copeland and his wife, Pam, were summoned to the doctor the next day.

They figured the news wouldn’t be good, and it wasn’t. The test showed a glioblastoma multiforme, an extremely aggressive and often deadly tumor that is rarely seen in someone so young.

Surgery was immediately scheduled to attempt to remove the tumor, which was about the size of two golf balls. The seriousness of the situation hit home when Pam, whom Dan had met in college when they were 19, asked the doctor what would happen if the surgeon went in and found something worse than they thought.

The doctor’s answer: “There isn’t anything worse.”

But in a strange way, Copeland was lucky. Lucky for that blow to the head three months earlier.

“If I hadn’t gotten hit in the head in October, they never would have been tracking me,” Copeland said. “And when I had the seizure, I probably would have blown it off. Knowing me, it probably would have been three months before I actually went to a doctor, and by then I would have been in deep (trouble). But as it happened I had a neurosurgeon, I had a hospital, and I was ready to go.”

The tumor was likely already forming when Copeland had his tests in October. The head injury either caused a hematoma or caused bleeding from the tumor site – either way, the blood obscured the tumor itself in the MRI exams.

Copeland exchanged his gi for a hospital gown, and surgeons cut open his skull and removed the tumor. His sons, 5-year-old Mason and 4-year-old Carter, thought it was funny that dad had staples in his head. “The doctor ran out of tape,” dad explained.

The months since the operation have involved chemotherapy, radiation and countless visits to doctors. So far, all the tests have been positive. Copeland’s prognosis is helped by his young age, his fitness and the relatively early discovery of the tumor – glioblastomas often don’t produce symptoms until they are large enough to make survival impossible.

“I have no intention of giving up,” he said. “If this thing wants to beat me, it’s got a major fight on its hands.”

George Sernak, Copeland’s jiu jitsu teacher, has no doubt Copeland is up to the fight, thanks in part to the fitness and toughness he has learned in training.

“These are benefits everybody receives in their training, but you never know where it’s going to benefit you,” Sernak said.

Even in the best-case scenario, it’s going to be a while before Copeland returns to practicing full-on jiu jitsu. But he still attends class a couple of times a week.

“Those guys have been so behind me,” he said. “It’s been great to have the class, where people aren’t asking me what’s going on all the time. We’re all just there to train.”

And when there is snow to be shoveled or heavy lifting to be done around the Copeland household, his jiu jitsu friends are there.

“The school is like a big family,” Sernak said. “If someone needs something, we’re there. We love seeing Dan and his family. He’s just such a great guy with a joy for living, and he’s been such an inspiration to all of us.”

The (5) 10 minute videos are up on youtube from the Renzo Gracie Academy's Promotion Ceremony are up, from when George got his black belt. It has speeches by Renzo himself, John Danaher, and a few other new black belts. Check them out, they are well worth the look.

Renzo Gracie Academy 2009 Promotion Night Part I
Renzo Gracie Academy 2009 Promotion Night Part II
Renzo Gracie Academy 2009 Promotion Night Part III
Renzo Gracie Academy 2009 Promotion Night Part IV
Renzo Gracie Academy 2009 Promotion Night Part V

Also guys, don't forget that on Monday Tio Chico is having a 2nd seminar here from 6-8pm. So that means no classes that day!

As of June 30th, 2009, our very own George Sernack received his long awaited and well deserved black belt from the legendary Renzo Gracie! Congratulations from everyone here at Real World, we are all very proud of you. Here are a few pictures from the promotion ceremony in NYC:

George and Renzo

Witnesses!

There's a new black belt in the family

Congrats again George! He has finally reached what we've all been dreaming about since day 1. If you put in the time and effort, after years of dedication, this can be possible for any of you. Keep up the intensity, and let's get some more black belts around here!

The 2009 Grapplers Quest U.S. Nationals were held this past weekend at Mennen Arena in Morristown, NJ. Fortunately, we had a few guys go down and represent out school. Hopefully next time we can get an even bigger group to compete! Here were the results:

Mike Main - 2nd Place Blue Belt Featerweight

Eric Fleming - 2nd Place Blue Belt Lightweight

Ryan McCarthy - 3rd Place White Belt Gi Divison

Pat Sullivan - 1st Place Intermediate No-Gi Featherweight

Evan Vacchiano - 2nd Place White Belt Gi, 3rd Place White Belt Absolute

Mike Yates - 1st Place White Belt, and 1st Place White Belt Absolute

Congratulations to everyone who placed! Keep up the good work!

Real World Martial Arts will be closed this upcoming Saturday for the 4th of July. After you are all done celebrating out country's independence, we will see you on the mat! Have fun!