Among the Mendanha, jiu-jitsu is a family affair. The four members of the Quebecois family of Brazilian origin are followers of this martial art and achieved an extraordinary feat at the beginning of September, when the two generations won medals in the same international competition.
Both parents, Rodrigo and Fernanda, along with their daughter Gabriela, won five medals at the Pan American Championships which were presented from September 1-5. Their son André, him? He would have liked to add a medal to the prize list, but was too young to participate in the competition.
“To compete together is surreal,” said Fernanda, who won a gold medal in her weight class and a bronze medal in all weight.
As the family trained together for this event, the sense of pride is shared by all members. Gabriela also underlines the advantage of having a common goal.
“I like it, having my family with me, because everyone is on the same page,” said the 15-year-old, who, like her mother, won two medals. It’s not like someone is going to eat junk food; we are all in the same mind, with the same goal and we can all lean on. “
For his part, Rodrigo had stopped competing for a few years, while he was concentrating on his Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu school in Brossard. With the pandemic, however, he set himself the goal of inspiring his students by returning to the competition mats. He achieved his goal by winning a bronze medal.
From Brazil to Quebec
It was during a student exchange in Chicago that Rodrigo discovered his love of combat sports with wrestling. His return to Brazil coincided with the opening of a Gracie Barra jiu-jitsu school, like the one he runs today with Fernanda. He signed up, and since then the passion has never ceased.
Jiu-jitsu, however, retained the status of leisure in the family, while Fernanda and Rodrigo ran an advertising agency for 13 years in Brazil.
“We weren’t quite happy,” Fernanda emphasizes. Especially Rodrigo; he really wanted to make a living from jiu-jitsu. When we heard about Georges St-Pierre, who was a black belt in jiu-jitsu, and the opportunities in Quebec, we mentioned the idea of going through the immigration process. ”
So they came to the province to get to know a little more and met Bruno Fernandes, the one who helped Georges St-Pierre to graduate from a black belt. The trainer encouraged the Mendanha to settle here to help establish this little-known martial art in Quebec.
This is how the family moved to the province. After working for a while in a gymnasium in Montreal with Bruno Fernandes, they opened their own Gracie Barra center in Brossard.
Fernanda, Gabriela and Rodrigo with their Pan Am Games medals (Photo: Courtesy)
Children equally passionate
Even though jiu-jitsu is a passion for parents, Rodrigo and Fernanda wanted to avoid pushing their children towards discipline.
“My main fear, as a trainer and father at the same time, was that my children would say to me: ‘daddy, I did it because you pushed me too much”, admits Rodrigo, who however insisted that his children play a competitive sport, regardless of which one.
But since the family had little knowledge of those around them when they arrived in Quebec, and since jiu-jitsu is practiced mainly in the evenings and on weekends, the parents brought Gabriela and André with them to the gym all the time.
“They came with us, but didn’t do jiu-jitsu,” says Fernanda. Because for us, it was serious, it was not child’s play. But there, they saw other children doing it and having fun, so it gave them the desire to do it too. So they were wise, on the mat, because they didn’t want to lose the right to do jiu-jitsu! ”
The two young people thus began to practice the martial art and developed a talent for the sport, even if they have a very different style. They are now enrolled in sports studies in judo, and practice jiu-jitsu outside of high school.
“For sure my whole life is going to be on jiu-jitsu,” said Gabriela, who will be competing in the World Championships in December. My goal is to be a top athlete and eventually to open my own gym. ”
Banned in Quebec
Despite the growing popularity of the sport, jiu-jitsu competitions have been completely banned in Quebec since 2017. Training is permitted, but athletes must leave the province for tournaments. For the Mendanha, who came to Quebec largely for jiu-jitsu, it is an irritant, but they console themselves by watching the enthusiasm for the sport.
“When we arrived here, the organization had a school; today we have eight, and I’m just talking about the Gracie Barra banner, Fernanda points out. Eight schools in a province where sport is criminalized, I think it’s impressive! ”
The trips are thus numerous for the family, which finds all the same that the play is worth it.
“One evening, training is at the Olympic Park; the next day, it’s elsewhere in Montreal; afterwards, it’s in Brossard, says Fernanda. But if we have logistical problems, that’s a good problem. I prefer that to the other problems parents of teenagers have! ”
“When you do something with so much love, you end up finding a way to continue,” Rodrigo assures us.
Jiu-Jitsu or “the sweet arte”
In Portuguese, jiu-jitsu is called “the suave arte”, either soft art or tender art. The essence of this Soft art is the controlled submission of the other person.
“There are no kicks, no punches,” says Fernanda. The goal is to control the other person into a position that they cannot get out of, into which they cannot move. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but when you let go of the person, their physical integrity is preserved. ”
The Mendanha stress that injuries are much less common than in other sports, despite grips such as arm locks or strangulations.
“For us, our school is a family, a place where people should trust others and put their pride aside,” says Rodrigo. We promote values that are important for everyday life. ”
–
