TRENCH Tech Purebred Saipan’s kids-only team returned to Saipan with four medals after competing in the first-ever Påtgon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament at the UOG Fieldhouse on Guam Saturday.
Gray belt Jacqueline Iris Quitugua, 7, took gold in the Peewee Super Heavyweight Division. Justo Jeremiah Quitugua, 11, won silver medal in the Ultra Heavyweight Division while Gabriel Mitchell, 12, brought home silver and bronze in his Gi in the Super Heavyweight Division, and his NoGi match.
Unfortunately, of the eight competitors from the CNMI, three missed weight and were disqualified. Reiden Palacios Travilla was 0.8 pound over the weight limit while siblings Leihani’Lyn Faith and Brian Anthony Reyes were both over 2 lbs.
CNMI Coach Cuki Alvarez said the organizers were very strict and did not allow the three CNMI kids to compete.
“Needless to say they were all heart broken,” Alvarez said.
Strengths and weaknesses
The CNMI’s Kaiya Pangelinan, 8, lost her Junior Peewee Division match by arm-lock submission after dominating the first half and leading 8-0 in points. Her opponent — a boy — rallied and caught her with 30 seconds left in the match.
Another team CNMI member, Chris Hardt, 16, fought very hard and put up a great performance against higher belts but lost both his matches in the 164lb category. Hardt, a white belt, went up against green belts.
Alvarez said there were no other white belts to compete with.
“It was an overall great experience, especially for the kids,” he added. “We were able to see our strengths and weaknesses after seeing all the other kids from different teams compete. We now have a better understanding on what we need to work on and will definitely use this to our advantage in future tournaments.”
The Trench Tech Purebred Saipan kids, backs to the camera, attend the opening ceremony of the Påtgon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament at the UOG Fieldhouse on Guam Saturday.
Jacqueline Quitugua, center, wins the gold medal in the Peewee Super Heavyweight Division of the Påtgon Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Tournament at the UOG Fieldhouse on Guam Saturday.
