Bascome Targets More Medal Glory In Jui-Jitsu
[Written by Stephen Wright]
Lonnie Bascome will look to add to his medal collection when he competes at the Pan IBJJF Jui-Jitsu Championship in Kissimmee, Orlando, later this month.
Bascome has won back-to-back gold medals in his past two major competitions, the IBJJF No Gi World Championship in Anaheim, California, in December and the previous Pan IBJJF Jui-Jitsu Championship, also in Kissimmee, Orlando, 12 months ago.
The 38-year-old, who competes in the Men’s Purple Lightweight Division, will be among a 15-strong squad of athletes from Open Mat Bermuda heading to the championship, which runs from March 22 to 26.
It will be the biggest squad the Mills Creek Road gym has sent to the annual tournament.
“We’ve done all of the hard work over the past six to eight weeks, and we’ll see where that puts us,” Bascome told Bernews. “The overall goal is to have fun and represent Bermuda well.”
Bascome, a former PHC Zebras footballer, only took up jui-jitsu – a Japanese martial art – in 2019. He attributes his meteoric rise in the sport to Open Mat head coach Chris Regan, a former European champion, and the organisation’s founder Aaron Dyer.
“Chris has been an inspiration to us all,” Bascome said. “He sets the pace and has brought so much knowledge to the group. With Chris and Aaron joining forces, Open Mat Bermuda is the premier place for Brazilian Jui-Jitsu on the island.
“I’d never done martial arts until I started at Open Mat. I’d always been active in sports, and when it came to finding something else outside of football, I wanted to do something a little more one-on-one.
“PHC are top of the table. They’re doing pretty well without me! I go to all the games; I will always be a Zebra.”
Dyer, who founded Open Mat Bermuda in 2012, expects the travelling contingent to return with several medals from Orlando.
“We have several guys, including our double champ Jason McAlpine, capable of winning medals,” Dyer said. “We’ve got a pretty strong line-up.
“Preparations have gone well, and this feels like a new chapter because it’s the biggest team we’ve taken to the championship.”
Dyer believes the future is bright for jui-jitsu on the island, pointing to the success of their academy athletes at the recent Grappling Industries Toronto Gi and No Gi Round-Robin Tournament in January.
The team returned home with one gold, three silver and two bronze medals.
“I certainly didn’t expect Open Mat to grow in quite the way it has over the past ten years,” Dyer added.
“When we first started, we had about four or five guys on the mat! Now we have 33 members and 32 kids in our academy.”
For more details, follow @openmatbermuda on Instagram or OpenMat Bermuda on Facebook.
