Despite the bitter cold the competitive fires still burned on Saturday the 9th. The Mike Bane Benefit tournament saw four and a half hours of non-stop action. This was the fourth AAU Jujitsu tournament hosted by the Bison's since the State tournament last summer and was a big step towards creating the competitive format for Jujitsu that we need here in Minnesota. While there are a lot of accolades and congratulations to give out I want to give the first out to the players from Combat Jujitsu (World of Self Defense). Combat Jujitsu had seven players in this tournament. A number rivaled only by the Bison's themselves. All of their players competed with great skill and spirit. This type of support enriches the entire sport.
We also want to give a Special Thank you to Rick Faye and the Kali group for their demonstration of Filipino martial Arts. They had sticks, swords, knifes and bodies flying everywhere - It was great.

The tournament started with our 8 man triple elimination lighting matches. In this event we divide the mat into 4 playing areas and all 8 competitors play simultaneously (2 men per square). The rounds are one minute long. The winner holds the square while the loser moves on. Once a player gets three losses they are eliminated. The last player without three losses wins. Victors in these tournaments play between 10 to 15 matches, against as many as 7 different opponents.

We then had the Reilly Rounds where I wrestled 11 people to raise money for Mike Bane's Family.

After I was thoroughly whipped We started our standard tournament. First was the point submission grappling and then the sparring. Matches were won with throws, chokes, crushes, armbars, leg locks and a wide variety of techniques that are the hall mark of Jujitsu; the most versatile fighting sport in the world.

Mike Bane Tournament Results

8-man Elimination, Lightweight

Winner Lowell Sanders

8-man Elimination, Heavyweight

Winner Lee Wilcox

The Competitors