20 JAX AIR NEWS, NAS JACKSONVILLE, Thursday, February 5, 2009 NAS Jax Sailors participate in World Cup event By Kaylee LaRocque '" NAS Jax Deputy PAO Team Quicksand, comprised of six Sailors from NAS Jax competed in the North American Grappling Association World Cup event Jan. 24 in Boca Raton, Fla. Team members entered several different weight categories in the Submission Grappling events which is a form of Brazilian jiu-jitsu, wrestling and other martial arts. Led by their instructor, MA2(AW) Phillip Staats of the NAS Jax Security Department, the team has only been together for about six months and prac- tices their skills three times a week before or after work. "Most of the people who were competing do this full-time. We were competing with some of the best people in the country. It was our first competition and for several of our team members to place is just out- standing. They've worked really hard to learn this sport," said Staats, who has been involved in the sport for about 10 years. Taking third place honors in their perspec- tive categories were AMAN William Mastorio (180-pound division) and AD3 Taylor Proctor (light heavyweight division) both of VP-30 and placing fourth in the Featherweight division was AT3 Greg Baker of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast. Other team members include: MA1 Nathan Ouellette of the Security Department, ET2 Michael Rodgers of Naval Hospital Jacksonville and ADAN Larry Sanchez of VP-30. "I wrestled for four years in high school and really enjoy it. My friend and I heard about this sport here and got in touch with MA2 Staats and started training with him. It's a great way to stay in shape," said Mastorio. "This was our first competition. The hardest part was cutting the weight to meet my category. I had to drop eight pounds. It was a lot of sweat and hard work but I plan to continue competing." "This is a new thing for all of us. We've never participated in this sport before. We just heard about it and MA2 Staat's expertise and his accomplishments in the sport. I've watched the Ultimate Fighting Championships for several years and always wanted to try it," added Proctor. "It was a great experience competing and I plan to keep going to tournaments and vary my weight classes." "I think the biggest thing that came from us participating in the competition was the reception we received. When people found out we were in the Navy, they were amazed because you usually don't see mili- tary members at these events. Dozens of people came up to us to find out what we do and how we train. It's a great billboard and recruiting tool for us to be at these events," stated Staats. According to Wikipedia, grappling refers Beth Wilson Special Contributor T"7 atie and her husband hope to start a family, but before they do, they X realize a few things need to be in place. Katie's doctor wants her to lose weight and their finances need improve- ment. Katie tried to lose weight before but this year things are different. It is differ- ent because she has a vision for her future with goals and objectives to achieve it. Katie has the keys to staying motivated; clear vision/purpose, set goals with built in incentives, and the support of her husband, family and friends as well as an online support system (www.sparkpeople.com). Liz was walking down a different path. Her poor eating, obesity and high blood pressure was affecting every aspect of her life. Her un-healthy ways stopped her from doing things she enjoyed. Her poor menus were affecting her husband's weight, as well as the weight and activity level of her children. Her personal mission statement helped her clarify what was important to her to be there for her children, her husband, and to be a role model of health and fitness. Being a private person, Liz elected a differ- ent approach. She established goals, armed herself with solid nutritional information and hired a personal trainer to keep her on track. Rena's personal mission statement led her to focus on equipping her teenagers for adulthood. Together, Rena and her hus- band established goals and objectives to support, equip hnd prepare their children for future success. Staying motivated to positively change our lives requires a vision and purpose for Photos by Kaylee LaRocque MA2(AW) Phillip Staats of the NAS Jax Security Department instructs AMAN William Mastorio on how to apply a choke hold on AD3 Taylor Proctor as AD3 Greg Baker looks on. Staats is an instructor in the sport of Submission Grappling and created a team from NAS Jax that partici- pates in tournaments throughout the state. to the gripping, handling and controlling of an opponent without the use of striking, typically through the application of various grappling holds, choke holds and counters to various hold attempts. "Jiu-Jitsu and grappling in general is pretty popular and a growing sport in the U.S. It's a martial art that originated in Japan actually through the use of judo. It's basically the art of being able to defend yourself when an attacker takes you to the ground especially if that person is bigger than you are. It teaches you how to avoid taking punishment," explained Staats. "The grappling part comes from being on the ground and in competition, there are a lot of ways to win. You can choke someone, arm bar them, or use ankle, wrist or bicep locks. In a competition, the opponent either submits verbally or physically by tapping out or the referee can intervene and end the match." "It is a legitimate sport and hopefully will be in the Olympics soon. It's one of the best sports there is because it promotes team unity, conditioning and respect for others," he continued. "There are many grappling tournaments all over the U.S. so we plan to compete in many more," added Staats. Of course, all this is done on their own budget. The team pays for all their own costs including hotels, gas, food, uniforms and gear. So how did the members come up with the name, Team Quicksand? "We tried to envision something that reflected our style which we call Battleship jiu jitsu to honor our naval service and our team achieving our goals. Keeping that vision before us helps us stay focused on the goal, even through the challenging times. Experts warn against making too many sweeping changes at once instead, slow consistent change affords the greatest suc- cess. If you have big goals, break them down into smaller goals with time lines for achievement. Communicating goals with those who can support you is important. Family, friends even online support groups can help you stay focused and on track to suc- cess. Www.goalsettingl.com is one of many online goal-setting forums where you can find others on a similar journey. Many find encouragement, support and insight through these forums. A life-coach can be valuable in helping you clarify your talents, values and goals. A quick internet search will provide a list of "life coaches" in your area, including those specializing in military spouses and families. Life coaches also provide support and motivation to reach your goals to live the life you want. Living the life we want requires effort. Taking the time to clarify what is impor- tant to us is an exercise we will never regret. The effort to become the person we want to be is always worth it. Join Beth this month on her 'internet talk show, Navy Homefront Talk (www. blogtalkradio.com/nht), as we explore goal setting, mission statements and living life with purpose. Guide dogs Service dogs AMERICA'S Therapy dogs VETlf ISC www.VetDogs.org S& VETDOGS 866-VETDOGS VETERAN'S K-9 CORPS (866-838-3647) 371 E. Main Street Pro.idd as a pub rvaic Smithtown, NY 11787 AD3 Taylor Proctor (left) and AMAN William Mastorio, both from VP-30, proudly display their third-place medals from the 2009 North American Grappling Association World Cup Grappling Championship held in Boca Raton, Fla., Jan. 24-25. patch with a photo of the battleship USS Pennsylvania," Staats said. "We wanted people to envision what it would be like to be swallowed by quicksand so when they fight one of us, that's kind of what goes on they get engulfed with arms and legs coming from all angles." Next up? Team Quicksand will com- pete in the North Florida Gi and No Gi Submission Qualifier III Tournament at University Christian High School in Jacksonville Feb. 21. For more informa- tion, go to www.flagrappling.com. "WE BRING THE MILITARY MARKET To You!" Military Publications reach PUB8A 81%/ of the military community Military Community Includes 92,103 Active- Duty, Reserves, Retirees and Contractors Working On Base - Active-Duty, Reserves, Civilians, Contractors As. <^ aor ews "*r.ito B Published by he oriodda imes-on 330 Call Advetisi g To ay 5 SPOUSE'S PERSPECTIVE Living the life you want