The Art Of Giving Thanks


Although we do not celebrate Thanksgiving here in Brazil, November is definitely turning out to be a month to give back and be grateful. We have had an amazing opportunity to work with international sponsors in order to provide more services to the students at Terere Kids Project.

We would like to thank all of the people that have been supporting the kids here in the Cantagalo Favela. 


Deus Fight Co




DeuS fight company is a religious, based fitness brand that out of California that puts their faith into action by supporting social projects in the favelas of Brazil. Find out more about the work they have been doing in the communities here in Brazil through their Favela Kids Project.

DeuS Fight currently provides on-going financial assistance from the sales of their products by giving 10% to social projects. This support not only provides our students here at Terere Kids Project with the equipment, food, and supplies they need to keep their programs going, but it also allows them to participate in local competitions here in Rio.


I Ain´t No Saint Tattoo studios is run by Iaint (pronounced Ian) a Jiu Jitsu practitioner who recently spent some time training with Terere in the Cantagalo community. Since his visit to Brazil, Aint has made several generous donations to help kids compete in the FJJD Ranking Competitions here in Rio and well as to start up our new kimono closet initiative that will allow us to keep a set of kimonos to lend out to new students here at the academy!


When he is not on the mats or generously donating to our kids here it Terere Kids Project, you can find Iaint tattooing in Abbots Langly just 20 minutes outside of London. Check out his website or Facebook page to find more information on how to get some of the best tattoos in the London Area.

You can also follow him on:
- Twitter @IAintNoSaintTat - Instagram @IAintNoSaintTattooStudio - Pinterest I Aint No Saint


Academy Fernando Terere recently had the pleasure of hosting Budo Jack and the Budocrew here in Rio while they filmed 9 technique DVDs and a new episode of Rolled Up. What started off as an amazing business endeavour ended up as a strong friendship with Mestre Terere! Even after completing their work here in Rio Budo videos continues to support the Terere Kids Project through charity events like this one!




BJJ Hacks
Last, but most definitely not least, we have to give a big shout out to Hywel Teague better known as HT  from BJJ Hacks. BJJ Hacks is a video company that tracks down and films some of the biggest names in Jiu Jitsu. Unlike normal technique videos, BJJ Hack´s objective is to inspire Jiu Jiteiros to "hack out" their own style of Jiu Jitsu by using the ideas, philosophies and favorite techniques passed on by the best athletes in the game.

HT came through the academy to film a 3 part mini documentary on Terere. He has since then offered his advice, his friendship, and his cameras to help support the kids from the project!

You can find the rest of the 3 part documentary series under 
the video section of the site!



Terere Kids Project

It's been a busy month at the FT academy. The social project has been steadily growing (we even took on a new name "Terere Kids Project") and the incoming donations have allowed more students to compete than ever before.

The kids meeting with professor Birrinho at 7:30 AM to leave for the SJJSAF South American tournament

FT Team heading to the Metro

In the month of September FT team competing in 3 different competitions thanks to donations sent to TerereKidsProject. The breakdown of sponsorship out to be the following:

CBJJO Mundials with R164 (2 1/2 kids)
FJJD Rio Minheirinho R720 (13 kids)
SJJSAF Sulamericano R550 (11 kids)

Along with receiving donations to cover competition fees, the project is developing in other areas as well. We have recently been able to reinstate the snack program which allows us to provide after training refreshments 5 days a week to the kids in the project.

Snacks bought with money sent from France

We are also currently raising money to purchase loaner kimonos here for the kids in the community. The idea behind the drive is to maintain a small supply of kimonos at the academy for kids who want to try out new classes, or those who don't have the means to keep and clean their own kimonos. The disconted cost of a new Cascagrossa kimono for the project is only R100!!! We have already started to receive donations to help buy the first load of kimonos! In addition to buying new gear for our smaller fighters, we have been receiving a large quantity of used kimonos and training gear from guests and gringos that have stopped by to visit the academy. So we'd like to take some time now to tell you how much we appreciate the support here in the community!

Clothes donated to the project from DeusFightCo

Money donated for kimonos will help supply the academy with armor for our smallest fighters!



Tournaments

FJJD Rio Ranking 
Thanks to donations we were able to register a total of 15 athletes for the tournament. Every athlete that requested sponsorship due to financial issues was able to fight. 5 months ago the project was only able to sponsor 1-2 athletes for competitions like this one. 
The Ft team along with another social projects, and some gringos visiting from Connection Rio at the FJJD Rio 5th ranking competition.

Professor Nogueira with sponsoring athlete Vinicius at his first competition.

Despite the fact that Vinicius is new to jiu jitsu, he has progressed a lot in the short time that he has been training with us. He has even developed his own unique style due to the fact that he is deaf and mute

Sulamericano
Professor Fabricio aka Birrinho 2nd place 

Berrinho is runs the academy when Mestre Terere is giving seminars. He is also in charge of the kid's class. On top of competing Berrinho attends competition to coach the kids from the project from the sidelines. 


Sponsored athlete Daniele at the Sulamericano competition after receiving her medal she stayed on the sidelines to help coach fellow teammates. 


Video of Thuany Paulla who submitted her opponent to get the gold medal at the SJJSAF Sul Americano tournament


Thanks for supporting Terere Kids Project
Soon we will have more athlete profiles up and running.
OSS





September Sponsors

The FT team is currently seeking sponsorship for competitions listed below:

Due to insufficient funds the social project has had to suspend the snack program that was once in place. In addition to covering competition cost, the academy is looking for a sponsor that might proportion a monthly donation to reinstate the snack program.


Estimated monthly value
Brazilian Real
R 350
US Dollar
$ 155
Bristish Pound
£ 94
Euro
 120




CBJJO Sul Americano

Brazilian Real
R 85
US Dollar
$ 38
Bristish Pound
£ 22
Euro
 28

SPONSORSHIP RECEIVED
Athletes: Daniele Da Silva and Moicano


FJJD Rio Mineirinho

Brazilian Real
R 70
US Dollar
$ 30
Bristish Pound
£ 18
Euro
 22

Date: September 21st 
Deadline: September 12th
Athletes: we would like to provide sponsorship to anyone interested in fighting. 


SJJSAF Sul Americano

Date: October  
Deadline: September 10th 

Brazilian Real
R 50
US Dollar
$ 22
Bristish Pound
£ 13
Euro
 16

Make a donation today!!

Terere on Top

Rio Open
Competition season has started in Brazil with some of the most important IBJJF tournaments already down for the count and several more around the corner. Renan Gabriel, an FT athlete and Cantagalo resident, represented the FT academy in the purple belt division at Rio Open.                                                                       Competing at high level tournaments like Rio open and the demanding training that it requires to prepare often presents a serious problem for athletes from the Cantagalo community. In addition to evening training session, Renan also has a full time job and is studying busy at a local university. This year has marked mainly highlights in Renan´s life; not only did he recently receive his purple belt from Mestre Terere, his wife and he were also blessed with their first son (who we expect to see here on the mats soon). 

One of Renans fights from Rio Open

Sao Paulo Open
With only a little over a month left here in Brazil Mos, our resident gringo, hopped in the car and headed to Sao Paulo and Mestre Terere for a road trip to Sao Paulo. Mos competed Saturday and Sunday, tackling two tough divisions in both Gi and NoGi. Saturday Gi division did not bring the desired results, but in the true cascagrossa* spirit, Mos stepped back onto the mats determined to bring some medal back to Rio with him.


And he did....
He stepped off the mats victorious with two fights and two finishes and a elated Terere cheering him on.

*Casscagrossa: literally translated means hard shell. It is a term commonly used in the BJJ community to for someone that is persistent, who never gives in, who is resistent, and who is hard to be defeated. 

FJJDRIO Brasileiros

As we go down the list of competitions, we also go down in size. The FT kids team from the Fernando Terere social project compited the weekend of the August 16th in the 4th ranking competition for FJJD Rio. The project received sponsorship for 12 athletes who in turn brought home 10 medals. This wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the donations sent from supporters of the academy that covered the competition. If interested in sponsoring an athlete from FT academy and lending a hand to help the kids of the Cantagalo community please contact the academy or donate via PayPal.




Meet some
Athletes from the Cantagalo Community
There are not many females that train at Academy Fernando Terere, but sponsored athlete Daniele Silva doesn't let that stop her from getting in some serious training. While most girls spend their time gossiping on the street and doing their hair and nails, Daniele is working on berimbolos and balloon sweeps. As a female in a male dominated sport, Daniele often has trouble finding girls in her division, but this time around that was not the case. Daniele won her first fight in the FJJD Rio Brasileiros via Armbar. Unfortunately, she faced the same girl in the finals and lost a tough fight on points.

Daniele on the podium this at FJJD Rio
Brasileiros


Vinicius is one of the new athletes on the FT team, but we are happy to have him here at the academy. Vinicuis is both deaf and mute, but he does not let that come in between him and his love for Jiu Jitsu. Although he is only 15, Vinicuis trains 2-3 times a day attending both children's and adult classes which has allowed him to develop quite a BJJ game. His unique style of Jiu Jitsu proved to be very effective on the mats in his first tournament as a white belt!


Stay tuned to Tererebjj to get updates on the rest of the FT team.
We are currently gearing up to compete in the 5th ranking competition, where awards for individual rankings will be distributed. In addition FJJD Rio, some of our older athletes are also raising money to compete in SJJSAF South American Open a new international federation recently established this year.


Kids relaxing with professor Nogueira after 6pm training





Purple Belts and Patrocinio


Mestre Terere has been busy running the academy while also preparing the team for the upcoming competitions. Things have been hectic at the academy since athletes from Terere´s will be competing in IBJJF Rio Open at the end of July and the FJJD Rio 4th ranking competition in August. Many of the kids from the social project have been putting in extra hours on the mats with Mestre Terere to prepare for the upcoming competitions. 


Terere still manages to find time to fit in private lessons with "gringos" that are here visiting for the World Cup. 


Congratulations to Andrew Morris, AKA, Moz who received his purple belt this month. Moz is our resident "gringo" who abandoned his job and his (very understanding) girlfriend in England  to come to Brazil and train with his hero here in Brazil. Over the last 11 months Moz has made his presence known on the mats, attending both morning and evening sessions 5 days a week rain or shine. When he isn't traning Jiu Jitsu at the academy he is probably drilling techniques at home or watching WWE videos.While most tourists leave Brazil with souvenirs from Copacabana, Moz will be leaving with a suitcase full of medals. Since joining the FT team Mos has been actively competing and has racked up a number of medals here in Brazil as a blue belt including: IBJJF Gold medal No-Gi Brazilian Nationals, IBJJF bronze medal Brazilian Nationals , FJJ Gold medal Rio State championships, CBLP Gold Medal South American Championships, FJJD Rio gold medal 5th Etapa 2013, Alfa Barra silver medal, Alfa Barra No-Gi bronze medal.


Before giving him his purple belt Mestre Terere commended Moz for having an amazing spirit and bringing positive energy to the academy every time he steps through the door. Although he is now a resident of the Cantagalo community, for the first six months, Moz put himself at the mercy of Brazilian bus drivers in order to make the hour long journey (4 hours on a bad day) to Ipanema from his hostel in Barra da Tijuca. Nothing has deterred him from his training here in Brazil. He has overcome rain, bus drivers, mosquitos, heat, and language barriers, but still manages to make it through the doors with a smile on his face. He has definitely earned his right to a new belt and the beating that ensued. 


Again we would like to take the time to say thank you to our supporters from all over the world. We continue to recieve donations via Paypal that go towards funding competition and transportation fees for our students. In addition to actively competing, athletes like Pablo Dos Santos and Moicano have been taking the initiative to write their BJJ Resumes and start sending their information out in order to obtain patrocinio, or sponsorship from local companies. You can go to their athlete pages to check out part of their resumes! 



FT Team Takes on Another Tournament

Terere Voltou (Terere is Back!)               
Although it's only a couple weeks into the month of June a lot of exciting things have been happening at the academy. Major competitions are coming up this summer and the kids from the FT team are not letting the World Cup cut into their time on the mats. 


Fernando Terere returned to Rio from his trip to Sao Paulo just in time to see the FT team go out to Tijuca to compete in FJJD Rio's 4th ranking competition. Although the FJJD Rio competitions are small compared to tournaments run by international federations like IBJJF, the federation plays an important roll in introducing young kids from the community to the competition world. This past weekend, 14 kids from the FT team participated in the tournament, 5 of whom received sponsorship to cover the costs. 

All of their hard work and time on the mats paid off. The kids won 4 Gold medals, 3 Silver, and 2 bronze medals. In addition to the those won by the adults, the FT team was proud to bring home a total of 12 medals.

Athletes under 9 years of age participated in a kids festival where they warmed up on the mats together before taking part in had 3-4 short rolls, at the end of which, everyone was presented with a medal. 



At age 9 The kids start participating in a traditional 4 minute long BJJ match with a referee to determine points. Sponsored athlete, Daniele Da Silva, went out on the mats and represented for the females of the FT team, winning a gold medal after beating a tough opponent on points. 

Daniele Da Silva in blue 

Good friends and sponsored athletes, Gabriel Bacelar and Jhonathan Marqueshad to face each other in the same category. After two matches they were each able to secure a medal for themselves, Jhonathan taking home gold and Gabriel with the bronze. 


Jhonathan and Gabriel with Professor Nogueira

Competitor Pablo Dos Santos, brought home his second medal in two weeks. This saturday at the ranking competition he won a silver medal. However, the weekend before, he fought his way to the the top of the podium at the FJJ Estadual Competition held on the Ilha da Governador. In addition to competing, Pablo has been organizing his BJJ curriculum and sending it out to potential sponors to help finance competitions and provide training gear. 




A Special Thanks
Over the past two years Academia Fernando Terere has been growing and establishing its presence in the competition scene here in Brasil, but we wouldn't be able to do it without the help and support of the community. We would like to give a special thanks to two of our friends from England that have reached out to us recently. 



 First, we would like to thank I Ain't No Saint Tattoo Studio, in Hertfordshire, England for donating funds to pay for competition fees. Since coming to train with Terere last year, Iain, the owner of I Ain't No Saint Studios, has contributed to the social project by donating kimonos and sending money to help pay for competition fees. 

If your ever looking to get a tattoo in Enland area contact I Ain't No Saint!

Contact: 
Phone: 44 1923 262130
Facebook








Got Tatame?

We would also like to say thank you to Scott Purnell, a good friend of Terere's, who also helps to contribute to the social project on his trips to Brazil. Instead of filling his suitcase with shorts, t-shirts, and sandals like the typical tourist, Scott packed kimonos and rashguard to donate to the kids. The majority of the student who competete from the FT team rely on used kimonos belts to train and compete in. 




Contribute
If your interesting in contributing to Academia Fernando Terere please contact Sue Fuentes or Nico Ball or click on the link below.



Competition Season

Competition Training: Carioca BJJ


Carioca BJJ, which is located Itaguai, was started by Mauro Tani after receiving his black belt in 2000. Despite being located so far away the gym has made its presence known at FT Jiu Jitsu through, Fernando Silva, who often comes by the academy to train with Terere. Silva is a native of Minas Gerais who came to Rio in search of work as a 19 year old. He was introduced to Jiu Jitsu here in Rio by Mestre Mauro Tani who took him under his wing. Silva almost abandoned Jiu Jistu as a white belt because he thought he wasn’t talented enough, but Tani’s words of encouragement inspired him to persevere in the sport. Silva began competing once he received his blue belt and continues to remain active in the competitions here in Brazil. His hard work has paid off, with only 6 months as a brown belt has already brought home 15 medals.




Silva has known Terere since 2012 when they met in Copa America, a local Jiu Jitsu tournament. Mestre Mauro and Silva invited Terere to give a seminar at Carioca BJJ and they have remained friends ever since. They began to train together on daily basis and now Silva represents both Carioca BJJ and FT Jiu Jitsu in competitions.



On Saturday 5 students from Academia made a trip to Itaguai with professor Noguera to prepare for the tournament that is coming up on June 14th.  After a couple hours of intense rolling they ended the day with a Churrasco, or Brazilian style BBQ. Although Itaguai is about 2 hours from Ipanema it was definitely worth the trip to get in a few extra hours on the mat and spend a Saturday night with teammates. 




Competition Season

The FT team is currently looking for sponsors to pay for competition fees for upcoming tournaments. Unfortunately, kids under 16 years of age will not be able to participate in IBJJF Rio Open, which was a big letdown for many of our students. However, there are still many smaller competitions in June and July that the FT team will participate in. 

Upcoming Tournaments
Event
Date
Cost
June 7th
N/A
June 14th
R70
July 5th-6th
R120
IBJJF- Rio Open
July 31st
R120

Contact us if you're interested in sponsoring one of the athletes 
listed on the right. 

Big Night for FT in England:
Phoenix Fight Night

Phoenix MMA is the first BJJ club in Europe to be affiliated with the legand Fernando Terere. The owner of the gym, Jimmy Johnstone,  is a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and currently fights MMA at a professional level.

After spending 3 weeks in Phoenix MMA Jimmy Johnston went home to host a very successful event in South Hampton, England. The event had over 20 fights and included boxing, K1, and MMA styles. Overall, the night was a huge success and they will be happy to host another similar event June 7th with match matching and other arrangements already underway.





Good Food, Gold Medals, and Gringos





The FT team is gearing up and getting ready to compete in the 2nd Arnold Classic tournament on the 26th of April. The Arnold Classic multisport show features all sorts of competitions including bodybuilding, capoeira, and even arm wrestling. For the past two years they have hosted a Jiu Jitsu tournament inside of th Rio Convention Center which attracts athletes from all over the state of Rio de Janeiro. This year the FT team is proud to represent with over twelve athletes, both children and adults that will be participating in the event.


Visit from the UK
Visitors from Phoenix MMA in Bournemouth England 

Over the past week we have also had the pleasure to host athletes from Phoenix MMA, our England associate run by brown belt and outstanding athlete Jimmy Johnson. Jimmy arrived with 8 athletes that came to enjoy the Jiu Jitsu lifestyle here in Rio de Janeiro. During their stay they plan taking advantage of their time in Brazil by visiting several BJJ gyms and scheduling several private lessons with top black and brown belts here in Rio.

In between training sessions they also visited the normal tourist attractions likes Pão de Açúcar (sugarloaf mountain) and Cristo Redentor (Christ the Redeemer). On Saturday, they even had the pleasure of attending a churrasco (BBQ) in the Cantagalo community where Terere grew up. After the BBQ they visited Terere's house and received a warm welcome from the parents of the 6X World Champion.



Copa Helio Gracie



Over the weekend of April 5-6th, four athletes from the FT team made their way to the Governor's Island in Rio de Janeiro to take part in Copa Helio Gracie. The long bus ride to reach the island was well worth the results.

Diego Fuentes, the only juvenile representing the FT team, had one fight as an orange belt. He was able to secure an armbar just as the time ran out leaving him with a victory via points.


Two purple belts from the team also went to compete on Saturday, one bringing home the gold in the Masters division after two fights. The second, Renan Gabriel bought home silver in his first competition after receiving his purple last month.



The last competitor from the FT team, Nico Ball, competed on Sunday. She had three fights, winning all of them by submission in order to bring home another gold medal. After only 8 months training Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (7 months here in Brazil) she is now the proud owner of 6 gold medals and 2 silver medals.





Upcoming Events
In the upcoming months the FT team will be sending 2 athletes to Sao Paulo to compete in IBJJF Brazilian Nationals that will take place May 1-4. We wish them the best of luck as they compete against the top athletes here in Brazil.

The next IBJJF tournament will be July 31st through August 4th. We are currently compiling a team of both adult and youth competitors to enter into the tournament. Many of the kids are excited about the opportunity to compete in an IBJJF for the first time and are starting to fundraise in order to cover the costs of the tournament. Those interested in sponsoring an athlete can contact our secretary Sue via email.

Rio Circuit 2nd Ranking Tournament

\
Moicano, Molezza, Navega, Gabriel, and Coach Nogueira


This past weekend students from Academia FernandoTerere competed in FDJJ Rio tournament in Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro. The Rio Circuit, also known as Minherinho, is one of the primary tournaments for the competitors from the Cantogalo community. The tournament consists of 5 different events, throughout which  points will be given to to the winners. In September, the federation will award trophies and other prizes for the athletes with the highest rankings.

This week, 11 students competed in the tournament, 3 of which recieved sponsorship in order to cover the fees of the competition. The hard work that the team put in paid off well. They brought home 3 gold medals and 3 silver medals. We are proud of everyone who competed regardless of the results. We would also like to thank everyone that came out to support the team!

Jhonathan, aka Moicano, won his only fight on points 2-0 bringing home his 4th gold medal.


Caue, one of the youngest athletes on the team, fought the hardest winning all three of his fights on points bringing home another gold medal to the Cantagalo community. 

Nico Ball, our resident American, won her only fight via choke in the first minute bringing home her 4th gold medal here in Brazil. 



Pablo, aka Navega, won his first fight on advantages and lost his second fight leaving him in second place. 


Gabriel, aka Moleza, won his first fight on points (9-0), but lost his second fight in the semi-finals on points. 


Gabriel won his first fight on points (6-0) and lost his second fight in the last minute to a well timed crucifix.
"Existem derrotas, mas não existe o sofrimento. Um verdadeiro guerreiro sabe que ao perder uma batalha está melhorando sua arte de manejar a espada. Saberá lutar com mais habilidade no próximo combate"

There are defeats, but there is no suffering. A real warrior knows that when a battle is lost that that they are improving on the art of the sword. They will know how to fight with more skill in the next fight"
-Pulled from Gabriel's facebook


Congratulations to Daniele Pereira who was promoted to yellow belt by Master Terere upon his return from competing in the 2014 IBJJF Europeans.