A SMALL team of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competitors from Frome has returned from the National Masters BJJ Championships with 24 medals and three team trophies after an outstanding performance against some of the country's larger teams.

Gracie Barra Frome took just 14 competitors to the Elite BJJ Events National Masters BJJ Championships at Aldersley Sports Centre in Wolverhampton. Between them, the Frome team entered 30 divisions across Gi and No-Gi competition, including weight and open-weight Absolute categories.

Despite the relatively small squad, Gracie Barra Frome finished 1st in the No-Gi team standings, 3rd in the Gi team standings and 2nd overall across the competition, missing the overall team title by just six points. The result was particularly significant for the Frome academy, which competed against substantially larger teams at an event featuring 125 separate academies.

Among the standout performances was Rich Oakley, who entered his first-ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu competition and came away with a remarkable two gold medals, winning both his Gi and No-Gi weight divisions. Blue belt Alexander Smith also enjoyed an exceptional day, collecting three gold medals and one bronze across his divisions.

His victories included winning the open-weight No-Gi Absolute division, where competitors are not separated by weight. Simon Travers secured two gold medals, including victory in the open-weight Gi Absolute division, while Daniel Kious also collected two gold medals and a silver.

David Clay, competing in the Master 6 category, collected four medals across Gi and No-Gi. Clay also deliberately moved up a weight category for his two main divisions, meaning he was giving away weight to his opponents. Because of David “advanced age” he is known as 'Uncle Dave’ by the team.

For several members of the squad, simply stepping onto the competition mats represented a significant personal milestone. Peter Aybar, Rich Oakley, Jon Garner-Richardson and Benjamin Aluwihare were all competing for the first time, with Aluwihare also securing a silver medal on his competitive debut.

The National Masters Championships was particularly well suited to the Frome academy, where a large proportion of the adult membership is aged over 30. The club fielded competitors across the full Masters spectrum, from Master 1 through to Master 6.

For owner and head instructor Callum Swift, known to his students as Coach Cal, however, the achievement belonged to more than just the 14 competitors who stepped onto the mats.

"One of the things I really believe in as a coach is that everyone in the academy shares in their teammates' victories," said Coach Cal.

"Even if someone doesn't compete themselves, they're training with these guys every week and helping them prepare.

“ People were coaching, recording matches, carrying bags, helping teammates warm up and making sure everyone was ready when they were called.

"That's why I like the whole academy to share in the team trophies. Those trophies represent everyone who contributed to getting the team there, and hopefully there will be plenty more trophies and medals for everyone to share in the future."

The result represents an important return to consistent team success for Gracie Barra Frome. The academy previously won the team title at the British BJJ Open in 2022 and has continued to achieve strong results at local competitions, but has experienced a slight drop in its overall competition performance in recent years. Swift believes the latest result demonstrates the emergence of a confident new competition team.