Recently in George McGinnis Category

I tell ya, man, it's great to see martial artists in York County and the surrounding area getting together, training and learning from each other. My co-worker Tom Joyce, whose taken a great deal of martial arts over the years, always recalls the squabbling he used to witness and hear about between schools and martial arts masters. It makes you wonder why petty differences couldn't be put aside for the greater good.

George "Phoenix" McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion has been at the vanguard of the MMA cross-pollination in York County and beyond, and a recent facebook post by him illustrates this:

"Had a good work out last night. Hit up Blackman's MMA (in Harrisburg) for some mat time with their fighters and then bounced on over to Jay's (Haas' academy in Lewisberry) to work in with their wrestling team. The beauty behind association and comraderie is that everyone generally wins. Hell, just last night I noticed 2 - 3 wrestling techniques at Jay's that I am going to start drilling as early as today to incorporate into my own game..."

As a source of inspiration, I also asked George about how he got his nickname:

"It was decided upon by a couple of friends a good ways back due to my uncanny ability to bounce back from any bad situation. Example: I would be in a match where I was down numerous points and unlikely to recover, and then out of no where I would spark enough energy or motion to escape / reverse the position and or submit my opponent from an unlikely angle."

"An example of how it applies to me off the mat is again my ability to bounce back from a bad situation, or what I often refer to as 'rock bottom'. I have hit rock bottom a handful of times in my life. I have made mistakes that have cost me dearly. I have said and done things that I was certain I would never be able to redeem, but like the Phoenix, its old physical form perishes in the ashes of its self-made pyre and a new emerges stronger and healthier then ever. To me, the Phoenix represents redemption, a fresh start and perhaps a new lease on life..."

George McGinnis, owner of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, presents a new series, called Technique of the Week. George is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Tatu Taborda in Scranton. Here's George's description of the video:

This is our first "Technique of the week" video. Here you will see Coach Brad Souders and myself demonstrating what we call "Leg Lasso" and we show in detail how to transition into an 'Omoplata'. I have played with similar positions like this before, but this particular variation was shown to us by Renaldo (De La Riva black belt). Note: Some people don't really push for the "Leg Lasso" position much due to their fear of either losing the position or being leg locked. If you control your opponents sleeves and maintain space, it would honestly be extremely difficult for them to leg lock you once you have fully committed to the position...

Students, family and friends:

This has been in the works for some time, but due to our schedule and several others events, this particular event was put on hold. I would now like to bring it back to light and out in the open for those both previously involved and potentially involved with the project in the near future.

What's going on? Well, it has always been a goal of mine to set some sort of record. Why not do it within the realm of what I truly love? Martial Arts. Due to confidential reasons, I cannot (at this time) go into dramatic detail about the event, but what I can tell you is as follows...

Where: Location: West Manchester Mall (pending) - adjacent to Elicker's Kenpo Karate
When: A Saturday to be later determined (12:00pm - 2:00pm) 1/2 hour Uke registration, 1 hour record attempt, 1/2 hour awards and appreciation
Who: Coach George McGinnis, Team YMMAA and dozens of other schools and participants
What: Coach George McGinnis to set the first Judo based world record in the history of 'Guinness Books'
How: One Tori (person performing throwing techniques), countless Uke's (person receiving the technique), 1 hour time limit, mats, sponsors, media, crowd, friends and family and good old fashioned camaraderie as it was meant to be.

This event is going to be awesome. Its purpose is to obviously not only bring some advertising to our academy, but much more importantly, it is an opportunity to give back to the community and our instructors. Martial Arts has saved my life and I wish to share its beauty and culture. Judo is highly effective and functional yet so many people dismiss it from their training and arsenal. This will also give us (schools and club owners) a chance to work together and expose our students to an atmosphere that isn't primarily based on competition.

WHO'S IN???!!!

I will need to know the following...

(A) Would you like to attend and or participate in the event?
(B) Would you like to be listed as an Uke (oh yes, you will be thrown), or as a helper (event support / assistant)? If you are a YMMAA member, don't even think about option 2 of (B), ha ha...
(C) School owners - Can you attend the event and bring students to participate?
(D) This is a great sponsorship opportunity as well. If you are a business owner or know someone who is, this is a cheap and easy way to get involved with the MMA community while supporting an event that will not only make the books but will have a decent amount of media.

(E) There will be prizes at the event. One -->lucky<-- participant will receive a high end Gi (company pending) during a raffle towards the end of the event. Each Uke participant will receive a (ticket) upon completing their registration form. A number will be called, if its yours, you win!

More details to come soon. Please contact me with feed back, questions, concerns, interests, suggestions, etc. Thanks for your time...

Sincerely: Coach George McGinnis
York Mixed Martial Arts Academy
Contact # (717) 650 - 0500
www.YMMAA.com

George McGinnis, owner and head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, sent me this email on his impressions of Friday's event in Harrisburg:

"I would like to congratulate Coach Blackman and all those involved in a successful evening. There is no doubt that his personal involvement in the entertainment business is what assisted him in running an impressive show. Steve Blackman took the appropriate amount of time to converse with the trainers and was extremely composed during the event which was a refreshing change of pace. I was impressed with the easy to find location, the venue itself, as well as the talent pool in both the amateur and pro divisions. I do believe that we will be looking to work with Mr. Blackman in the future"...

YMMAA owner/purple belt George McGinnis and Nate Grove.

Nate Grove of Red Lion receives his yellow belt last night (Oct 21 09) at the York Mixed Martial Arts Academy.

Nate was the first official youth program student to tutor under Coach McGinnis more than a year ago. At ten years old, this young man is off to a great start in a sport that has been sweeping American soil by storm since its introduction years ago.

McGinnis said, "I think its safe to bet that majority of us in our 30's and above in some way wishes that we would have known about or been involved with BJJ / Judo in our younger days. However, that's the beauty behind BJJ. Not only is it clearly dominating and highly effective, but because of its leverage based applications and design, pioneers like Professor Helio Gracie were able to participate in BJJ and its growth well into his 90's. That's insane!"

Other youth students like Tyler and Robby good have been training at the YMMAA and are sure to shine along with Nate in the future.

Congrats, Nate, on your yellow belt. We'll be following you here on MMA Explosion!

George, in the middle, with the gray T-shirt, surrounded by his friends/trainees.

From George McGinnis:
I was the only one from our particular school that attended the event. I was also the only one who traveled to the event as well so there is unfortunately no photo's or footage of the event or my matches at this time. However, one of my opponents taped a couple of my matches and mentioned that he would send me the footage to me as early as he could. I honestly don't expect to see it...

Purple Belt 165lb and under (1st place)

Purple Belt 'Absolute - open weight class' (2nd place)

No Gi 170lb. Advanced (1st place)

No Gi Advanced 'Absolute - open weight class' (3rd place)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Events coming up that I will likely be attending / competing:

CPWC Grappling Challenge - Lancaster Oct 24th 09

New Jersey BJJ Federation - November 14th 09

PABJJ (Team Tatu - Super Fights) - Nov 21 09

As always we would like to thank our sponors...

Sheetz
Miles Muffler
Red Lion Chiropractic
Flying Feet
Ricke Bros Auto Sales / Royal Motors
Imagineered Signs, Inc.

Sincerely Yours: George McGinnis
York Mixed Martial Arts Academy
Contact # (717) 650 - 0500
www.YMMAA.com

From George McGinnis, owner of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion:
Here is a video from my two matches at Grapplers Quest a few weeks back. I was a hair rusty and it shows but I have vastly improved over the past couple of weeks and am now back into tournament mode. Match 1 is against a Team Balance brown belt. I opted to go up in weight and experience because I got bumped out of the No Gi advanced first round and couldn't fight for third because I was first on the card which always seems to happen to me. Second match (No Gi) is against a Maxercise brown belt. Needless to say, it was a tall order for the day. It was a good experience either way and I am actually not as disappointed with the Gi match as I am with my No Gi performance that day. I will be competing next in Lancaster on the 24th of October just a day after my bro Brett is slated to take on Justin Krebs for the 170lb title...

Last week I posted details of George McGinnis' great run at the UGC recently in Mcungie, Pa. Now you can take a look. Here's George's comments from the Youtube entry: "This is a compiled video of 6 out of my 7 matches this weekend. Missed match number to because they added the match last minute. I decided to hit the tournament to tune up for several other events that I have lined up over the next couple of months. Finished the day with 2 No Gi Gold Medals and 2 Absolute Championship belts... "
Make sure to hit George up at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy.

Here's George McGinnis's U.G.C. results from "Best of the Best" held this past weekend in Macungie, Pa:

Match 1: No Gi Intermediate / Advanced Mixed (win via. points) - Gold
Match 2: No Gi Intermediate / Advanced Mixed (win via. rear naked choke) - Gold
Match 3: No Gi Absolute 200lb. and under (win via. triangle to inverted arm bar)
Match 4: No Gi Absolute 200lb. and over (win via. points)
Match 5: No Gi Absolute 200lb. and over [finals] - (win via. triangle) - Championship Belt
Match 6: No Gi Absolute 200lb. and under [semi finals] - (win via. triangle)
Match 7: No Gi Absolute 200lb. and under [finals] - (win via. triangle / descending arm bar) - Championship Belt

"Yeah, its safe to say that the triangle is working for me. I think between my recent diet adjustments and conditioning programs, that my performance is steadily increasing. Its a small sacrifice to pay when considering the results. The U.G.C president (Robson Pereira) has approached me and offered me a super fight at one of the up coming events. I'd like to take a moment to thank all of our sponsors..."

- Sheetz, Miles Muffler, Flying Feet, Rickie Brothers Auto Sales, Imagineered Signs -

George is owner/head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion.

Video was sent to me by Brad Souders. George McGinnis then sent his comments to me:
"My boy Genki is at it again. I received an email from Coach Brad Souders that listed a link to one of Genki Sudo's music video's in which he wrote, performed in and produced. One thing I love about the guy is that he doesn't allow himself to be bound by the laws of any one style in regards to MMA or personality. We could all learn a lot from him not just on the mat and MMA, but how he chooses to live in general. I can really appreciate the fact that he isn't afraid to express himself creatively and through his passion for music. You would honestly be surprised how many fighters have a hidden knack for music. Some quick names that come to mind is Oscar Del La Hoya (Boxing World Champion), Kaensak (Muay Thai World Champion), Genki Sudo MMA legend and pioner and I do believe during my travels that GSP has expressed an interest in the music industry as well. Who woulda knew right?..."

Sincerely Yours: George McGinnis
York Mixed Martial Arts Academy
www.YMMAA.com

Brett Myers trains the Muay Thai clinch with Hanover Academy of MMA's Jay Haas.

Talked with George McGinnis, owner and head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, tonight about several topics. We'll start with his brother Brett Myers' training. Brett is gearing up for a 170-pound title fight against Justin Krebs at Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge III on Oct. 23 in Lancaster. The title was vacated by Justin Scott, who won it at CPWC I in April and defended it at CPWC II in July (against Krebs). Scott will make his debut as a pro at CPWC III.

Anyway, about Brett, George said, "Training's going good, Brett's healthy. We've stepped up a few things (his diet and conditioning) Brett's looking strong."

"No matter where this fight goes, I'm pretty confident that's Brett's capable of handling the situation," George said. "We wish Justin Krebs a healthy camp and good luck."

George said he has continued to work with Hanover Academy of MMA head trainer Bob Bitner on striking, both for himself and Brett. George has also logged time at Jay Haas' new school in Lewisberry.

It's George's hope that Brett wins the title, defends it several times, and then moves on from there. "We're looking at the future for Brett; we're not just concerned about what's going on right now."

George also said that he competed in the recent Grapplers Quest tournament in Lancaster. George, a purple belt under Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda, entered the no-gi advanced division, which meant he was going up against purple, brown or black belts. taking on a member of Maxercise, one of Philadelphia's best academies, George lost by rear-naked choke, he said. Putting on his gi, George took another high-level opponent, a brown belt, who was at least a weight class above him. George was able to hold off any submission attempts by the Team Balance member, but lost on points.

Here's an email I received from George McGinnis, head trainer at York Mixed martial Arts Academy:
This article was sent to me by one of our top students (Tom Fleming) yesterday. I personally read the article twice because I thought it was that informative. Though most of us have been instructing for some time and have likely developed our own style of teaching, this article could still benefit you (as well as the students) in more ways then one.

It reminds us of the three most common styles of learning and reception (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic). Though I feel that our facility commonly accommodates for all three types of learning behaviors, I decided to adjust last nights class out of curiosity. To be completely honest, last night was probably one of the most responsive classes that I have ever tought. Students were asking twice the amount of questions, getting more involved, changing their angles of view and complying to the outline. I am also receiving emails and text messages about how great of a class we had. Give it a read. You could too be missing one or two angles of curriculum that could benefit one or more students.

By George McGinnis

Hi. My name is George McGinnis. I wanted to set aside some time today to discuss how to decode various MMA programs and the vital importance in selecting a legitimate Martial Arts / MMA academy that will be handling your educational and competitive needs. First things first. The key word in that sentence was your needs. Countless schools out there (Nationwide) are so concerned with promoting themselves, that they often allow students to attend advanced training before they are ready, or their fighters to take a fight long before they actually have the arsenal to do so. How does this affect you? It's simple. In the world of MMA, first impressions are critical. When a fighter steps through that gate for the first time, they (in my opinion) have to leave a lasting impression with the promoter, fighters, other surrounding teams, as well as the crowd. You have to let people know (win or lose) that you've got game and come from a school that clearly has worked diligently with you and has your best interests in mind. Listed below are some key things that you should be looking for and considering before settling in with any one mixed martial art academy.

A longtime BJJ paractitioner, Brad used to live here in York and roll with George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion. Brad's now down in West Virginia, I believe.

Just received the latest email from York Mixed martial Arts Academy in Red Lion. And here we go:

Hello everyone. This is Coach George bringing you more exciting news about the academy.

1: Brett "Night Crawler" Myers is on good pace and is currently prepping for his title bout in October. To mix things up a bit we have added on (Aaron Hubbard) as Brett's dietary advisor and strengthening coach. Muay Thai instructor Bob Bitner will be working with Brett to focus on different stand up tactics and I will continue to push Brett's ground game. Tickets are now available. Both general admission and v.i.p are on hand, please contact us to purchase your tickets for the Oct 26th event. Don't miss out!

Dear students, family and friends:
Brett Myers: Brett recently took on M.A.C.E academy fighter (Mike Blackwell) at CPWC II and earned the first round win via arm bar @ 1:45.00 of the first round. The fight started with Blackwell throwing a kick to the calf, Brett would soon after answer with a right cross that put Blackwell on his back. Brett closed the distance, passed the open guard and went to work. Near the end of the first round, Blackwell mistakingly stood up in Brett's closed guard which sealed the deal...

George McGinnis, purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and owner of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, put on a great MMA seminar at Elicker Kenpo Karate Academy in West Manchester Township in February. And tomorrow - Friday - he's going to do it again.

The seminar will be from 6-8 p.m. at the academy, located inside the West Manchester Mall. From Elicker's Web site: "Lesson includes grappling, ground techniques, and locks and more. Cost is $20 if registered and paid by July 1st OTHERWISE $25 registration after July 1st."

Hanover Academy of MMA's Jay Haas

On the subject of the MMA academies in the area cross-training and helping each other grow, I talked with George McGinnis from York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion a couple weeks ago on the subject.

As I had reported before, Jay Haas, from Hanover Academy of MMA, had been training at YMMAA. George gave me an update, saying Jay had been there for the last month or so, stopping by about once a week.

George said his role was to "Help him focus on his already established ground game. ... We're simply helping Jay fine-tune."

A purple belt in BJJ, George said that he had been training stand-up with Hanover trainer Bob Bitner. "Bob is an outstanding coach. I'm really enjoying working with him." George said of Haas, "Jay has good, clean, pure muay Thai."

It looks as though the extra groundfighting training paid off. Although Jay lost his pro debut at CPWC by kneebar, he won against Doug Sonier at WKU Warrior Challenge last month by armbar.

"Thsi kid being only 18, it's disturbing what he's capable of," George said. "Jay is easily one of the coolest kids I've worked with - he's humble, he's modest, he just has a great attitude."

Jay is scheduled to fight on the upcoming Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge II on July 18 - as is George's brother, Brett Myers.

Tom and I give our UFC 100 predictions and talk about the upcoming Central Pennsylvania Warrior Challenge II. The Technique of the Week is brought to you courtesy of george McGinnis at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion.

Brett Myers sprawling on a shoot attempt from brother and trainer George McGinnis.

Brett "Night Crawler" Myers, of the York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion is set to fight at the next Warrior Challenge scheduled to take place next Friday, June 26, in the Poconos. Myers was originally to fight at the Central Warrior Challenge debut in April, but did not due to his trainer (George McGinnis) pulling him from the card due to ongoing scheduling conflicts.

Myers (1 - 0 - 0 ) is an accomplished and well-respected ground fighter in the York County/Central PA area, and is looking to showcase his skills next Friday while also having plans to compete in a few local events. Myers won his amateur debut in Virginia in September 2008 with a triangle-armbar combination.

According to McGinnis, "I hated to have to pull Brett from the first event seeing as how it was literally in our own back yard, but with it being Mr. (Mark) Jovich's first event, and the athletic commission seeming to make him jump through pyro hoop's, it just made the most sense for us to just take a sideline approach and let some of the dust settle from all the 'MMA in PA' madness."

Ted's Take: Well, I'm glad it was able to be worked out for Brett to get on the Poconos event and I hope we see him again at more local shows ... Hey George, if Brett pulls off another quick sub, would it be too much to ask to get him in the Wisehaven show on July 18? Whattayathink?

Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep fightwear, went down to take a look at some of his guys as they trained at George McGinnis' York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion on Wednesday night. Featured are lightweight pros Biff Walizer from LionHeart Fighters, and featherweight pro Jay Haas from Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, in addition to Casey Bush, who makes his amateur debut in Virginia later this month. Nice work, guys.

Here's an email I just received from George McGinnis, owner/head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy. He compiled a list of the major BJJ tournaments going on in the area, so check it out:

George: I am pleased to announce that the summer is looking to be packed with events, and a few of them are even local! That's right gents. This means that, even though some of you are fairly resourceful and masters of evasive proto call, you'll have to cook up some pretty extravagant stories and excuses to avoid competing this year. [Louie Voice] "Ya gonna do somethin wit dat B.J.J or what?"

Ultimate Grapplers Challenge (BJJ): June 13t 09. Site address - www.ugc-challenge.com/
Small tournament, but great for first timers, or those who are looking for decent comp in the advanced divisions...

A.D.C.C (BJJ): June 13th - 14th. Site address - www.adccusa.com
Some of the best in the world compete in this event *yikes*. There's even a pro division for you high end studs...

Coach Phoenix (Seminar): June 26th 09. Location - Elicker Kenpo
I heard this guy sucks, but hey, its only $20 a head for two plus hours...

Tatu's PABJJ Federation (BJJ): June 27th 09. Site address - http://tatubjj.com
Yes, I / we will be present...

Lancaster Family Martial Arts Center (BJJ): July 25th 09. Site address - http://www.lfmac.com/index.php
This is twenty minutes away, $50 bucks & double elimination. Excuses are futile...

Keystone Games (Judo): July 26th 09. Location - York Fair Grounds
I'll be competing as a brown belt. No pressure, lmao...

Kumite Classic (BJJ): August 21st, 22nd & 23rd. Site address - http://kumiteclassic.homestead.com/JiuJitsu.html
I think a handful of us will be at this one...

Tatu's PABJJ Federation (BJJ): August 29th 09. Site address - http://tatubjj.com/news.html
I'll be sleeping at, I mean COMPETING at this one (ha ha)...

Grapplers Quest (Grappling): September 26th 09. Site address - http://www.grapplers.com/ One of the biggest grappling venues in the country, and its only going to be half hour away!

Here's the event poster for Stompin' Grounds:

York County prospective fighter Casey Bush, whose training video is on the player on the right of this blog, received word recently that he'll be fighting on an upcoming Barbarian Fight Club event in Virginia.

"I'm not really nervous," Casey told me Saturday night. "I just think I'm ready ... I'm just ready to do it."

Casey trains at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion and also with Biff Walizer when he trains the Red Lion varsity wrestling team.

Casey said he looked to fighting under Virginia's amateur rules, which are nearly identical to the unifed rules of MMA for pros.

It may be too late to get to this event, but it's interesting to see what's going on after York Mixed Martial Arts Academy's George McGinnis did his thing there. Sounds to me like they're filming some sort of fight scene and need a big crowd.

It was a great night of fights at Hooter's of York last night. The place was packed and many of the MMA academies in the York area were represented.

Tom and I were there, doing some filming, so hopefully that video should be up later today.

Fresh from a training session with "Tatu" Taborda - and working as an extra in "Warrior" George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, stopped by.

James Olewiler, who owns MACE in Red Lion, was there with one of his top students, Jimmy Chappell.

York County pro Biff Walizer and aspiring fighter Casey Bush were there, along with Tap or Sleep owner Jerod Phillips.

I also met Sibora Chan, a guy I had heard a lot about, but had never met. He runs Sibora Chan's American Kenpo Karate Studio.

Tom and I also ran into Red, who had helped us do a wrap-up show a while back, so we had to do it again.

One of the sets of "Warrior" in Pittsburgh.

Here's the fourth installment of George McGinnis' blog on his experiences as an extra on the movie set of "Warrior," an MMA movie being filmed in Pittsburgh. He called this one "Home Sweet Home."

Well I made it in. I got home Thursday morning around 1:00 - 1:30 a.m.

I was so anxious to get home, that I unfortunately forgot to get into touch with key people that have potential business opportunities for me in the future. At this point, I no longer feel the need to force opportunity. Due to my patience, hard work and persistence, things for me lately have been more or less falling from the sky. I will however stay focused and chase down the things that are important to me. There has been random yet potentially promising opportunities presenting themselves for me since my arrival to the set...

George doin' some grappling.

Here's day 3 of George McGinnis' (owner/heads trainer of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion) blog of his experiences as an extra on the MMA movie "Warrior," being filmed in Pittsburgh:

Naturally I was running late. Should you find me on time, its most likely due to my not having a choice in the matter (i.e. - my own funeral).

I did get up on time and was on pace, but I again underestimated the ridiculous Pittsburgh traffic, and what should have only taken fifteen minutes (York time), ended up taking me damn near an hour. I was just fifteen or so miles away! *Arghhh* Anyway... I got to the parking lot and made the bus. We ended up working so late the night before (9:pm +) that they ended up calling us all later that night to tell us that we wouldn't need to be on the set till 8:30am. "How generous" I thought. Clearly I was being sarcastic...

Pic from the set of "Warrior"

Here's the second installment of George McGinnis' adventures as an extra in the major motion MMA picture, "Warrior," be ing filmed right now in Pittsburgh:

Ok. Well today started off a little better. I managed to get 4 - 5 solid hours of sleep, which to be honest is a blessing seeing as how I don't typically get that good of sleep from home. I guess my being up for 30 some hours straight contributed to the much needed rest.

So I grabbed my things and made way for the bus parking lot a.k.a. Extras Parking. Traffic ended up being a bit worse then I anticipated which put me slightly behind schedule, but I managed to make it to the parking lot in time to make the bus. No worries. if I would have missed it, my trusty navigation device would have worked it out : )

I / we arrived at the set and check in. This requires us to fill out a form that simulates a time slip and we head to wardrobe from there to get our training outfits approve for the days agenda / shots. From there we make way to the holding area and await further instruction.

I have noticed that a good bit of the fighters are "standoffish." To be quite honest, I personally suspect this to be in their personality for multiple reasons. (A) They fight, so automatically many of us (i.e. - them) feel they are special or above the average Joe. (B) They have had a handful of fights so others around them (in their opinion) don't have the experience or skills that they do, so us "small timers" who don't fight regularly don't perhaps qualify to be among their presence and or a part of the fighter cast. The funny thing to all this, half of the fools that suggest they are this and that stood side lines while many other fighters did their thing front and center of the main actor cam.

George with a triangle on brother Brett Myers.

Eric Hibler, left, owner of Eric Hibler's Pittsburgh Fight Club, talks with stunt double Jace Jeanes, center, and actor Tom Hardy before a take on the set of "Warrior." Photo from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

George McGinnis, owner and head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, is an extra in the new MMA movie Warrior, being filmed in PIttsburgh. Here's an email he sent out about his first day on set:

Ok, last week I received an email from Lissa Brennan who represents a "talent search" company who's job at that present time was to locate fighters for an up coming film (to be called "Warrior") and is being produced by Lionsgate Entertainment. Well, needless to say, after weighing many pros and cons in my mind, I had pretty much decided against it. That was until my parents, family, friends, etc had egged me on to take the challenge and potential life-changing experience. Well, here is a quick run down on how everything looks as I sit here tonight.

A: I am an Extra among the cast, not a high priority star.
B: I will most likely only be here for a few days. At the point I get to show them some of my stuff, I may be asked to stay on.
C: The money sucks, but to be honest, I am here for all of YOU, not myself. This is an opportunity for the school to receive a good bit of extra publicity and may also open doors to new opportunities with high end people in the process.

George (right) demonstrates a kick at a seminar he did in February at Elicker Kenpo Karate Academy in West Manchester Twp.

George McGinnis, owner and head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, is at a New Jersey Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation tournament today, competing in the gi and no-gi divisions, at either intermediate or advanced levels. George said he planned his weight to be about 163.

George has been on a furious pace of training (in York and at Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda's place in Scranton) and competing, with his last tournament being the Ultimate Grappling Challenge.

And if that's not enough, on Friday, George was at the Dallastown Elementary school for a "career day" presentation. George spoke to about 20-25 kids and put on a demonstration as a way to introduce them to BJJ.

George McGinnis on the left, and three other guys at UGC.

Here's an email I received from George McGinnis, head trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy - about how he did at Ultimate Grapplers Challenge this past weekend in Broadheadsville, Pa., at the Champions Sportsplex:

"I competed in the Advanced No Gi - 160 - 169.9 (Solo Match) - Submission loss, second place.

I competed in the Mixed Intermediate / advanced No Gi to place third.

I competed in the Intermediate Gi division to place second.

This is the first time that I competed at 170lb and under in nearly 3 years. The cut was tough but proved successful. Between a solid training regimen, didn't adjustments and good ol' fashioned dedication, I will look to descend lighter and lighter until we have reached a bench mark for me to remain at."

Congrats, George, great job and thanks for representing York.

Royler Gracie

George McGinnis, head trainer at York MIxed Martial Arts Academy, talked to me earlier this week about a seminar - led by Royler Gracie and business partner David Adiv - that he attended at Lancaster Family Martial Arts Center recently.

"He teaches with a great energy ... and a sense of humor," George said of Royler.

George, who has attended seminars at Lancaster Family - and a tournament last year - said the event was well-attended, especially by higher-level belts. There were about 4-5 black belts, several brown belts and one other purple belt besides Geroge, he said.

I then asked George if he was able to speak with Royler about the death of his father, Helio Gracie.

"No, I chose not to speak with him directly," George said. "I didn't think I could've brought it up with Royler without getting choked up."

Royler spoke about his father to the group, lining them up and thanking them for embracing the martial way of life. It is people like you that keep my father's memory alive, he said to the group.

Royler added that he didn't see his father's death as an end, or that he's now "gone." Helio used to say that when someone died, it was more like they had "changed area codes," and Royler has adopted that philosophy, George said.

"It was very moving," George said.

Brad Souders, close friend of George McGinnis, who runs York Mixed martial Arts Academy, shows how to do a kneebar from an oma plata. The location is Extreme Sportsplex in Martinsburg, WV.

The UGC Challenge, grappling tournament, promoted by Robson Pereira of Pereira BJJ is coming soon. George McGinnis, a BJJ purple belt and head trainer at York MIxed Martial Arts Academy, emailed me today, saying he and several of his students will be there. Best of luck to all the competitors from MMA Explosion!

Here's an email from George McGinnis, lead instructor at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy:

This past weekend Team Tatu, Team Souders and Team Phoenix visited the Scranton area to compete at the P.A.B.J.J. The event was founded by Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda just a few short years ago. The Tatu-affiliated teams compete constantly in this tournament as a show of respect to represent the very instructor that affiliates them and legitimizes their ranks. The following people competed and or placed in the event this past weekend. Congratulations to the following teams and it members:

Team championship title for this particular event was awarded to none other than Team Tatu and its affiliations.

Purple Belt Division(s):

Paul McDonogh (Team Tatu) - 1st place
Joe Apache (Team Tatu) - 1st place
Brad Souders (Team Tatu / Souders) - 3rd place
George McGinnis (Team Tatu / Phoenix) - 3rd place

Blue Belt Division(s):

Bobby Knotts (Team Tatu / Souders) - 1st place
Brett Myers (Team Tatu / Phoenix) - 3rd place

White Belt Division(s):

(Team Tatu / Mattis) - 1st place
Steve Johnson (Team Tatu / Phoenix) - 2nd place
(Team Tatu / Mattis) - 3rd place
Charles Parker (Team Tatu / Phoenix) - 3rd place

Sincerely Yours: George McGinnis
York Mixed Martial Arts Academy
www.YMMAA.com

Just spoke with George McGinnis, owner of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, who told me that this past weekend, two of his students received promotions at a ceremony in Allentown.

George, a BJJ purple belt, said he and several of his students attended a seminar led by Scranton-based BJJ black belt Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda, of whom George is an affiliate. Tatu promoted Wayne Shaeffer to blue belt and Brett Myers to blue belt, second stripe.

Another of George's students, Tom Fleming, also has his blue belt, and three more white belts will most likely get promoted to blue belt in about six months' time, George said.

The group at Elicker's Kenpo Karate, 2/14/09.

George McGinnis, head instructor at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, conducted an MMA seminar at Elicker Kenpo Karate Academy in the West Manchetser Mall this past Saturday.

George did a great job at showing techniques from many of the components of the MMA game, including throws, submissions, kicks and elbows. He kept the mood light, sprinkling in some humor, but remained professional in imparting information about judo, muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Donna Elicker, the academy's owner, has established a great studio in the mall - it's even equipped with a child-care area. Donna said George's seminar would hopefully be the beginning of a partnership of sorts between the two schools.

There's defnitely a lot that can be learned from studying a relatively new hybrid sport like MMA, while respecting a more traditional style like Kenpo. Lyoto Machida - who grew up in a Shotokan karate household, but has also studied sumo and is a BJJ black belt - has shown that quite clearly.

George (in gray T-shirt), with his students from YMMAA.

The class practices knees.

George with the triangle choke.

Donna Elicker helps the younger members of the group.

The group practices lowkicks.

Grappling for position before going to the ground.

Who wants to roll with a purple belt?

George catches a high kick.

I was sent a link to this video by George McGinnis who owns York Mixed Martial Arts Academy. The video - which shows an amazing array of moves, one after the next - was done by Phil and Ricardo Migliarese, who run Balance Studios in Philadelphia.

Here's something George wrote:
"I found myself discussing Master Helio at my Seminar this past weekend. During which I became emotional and was forced to change subjects and carry on my roll. Many could ask how or why I find myself randomly morning for a person I have never met or spent time with. The honest truth is, I never needed to. I had the pleasure of training with his family (Renzo, Royler) and his obvious talent and passion lived vicariously through them. I always find it necessary and morally correct to pay respect when and where it is due and to appreciate the linage of the arts that we train in regardless of the style it may be. With history comes knowledge and with knowledge in fact comes the history of the individuals who are inevitably responsible for it all. Master Helio was one of those people. You have and will continue to be greatly missed Professor Helio. Thanks for contributing your life towards one of the most effective arts in the history of man kind." - George 'Phoenix' McGinnis

At the start of my shift today, I went to see George McGinnis' BJJ seminar at Elicker Kenpo Karate Academy, located at the West Manchester Mall.

George, who owns York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, said it was the first seminar he had done by himself, but it sure didn't seem like it. George was a pro all the way -- his instructions were clear and concise and he kept the mood light, cracking jokes all the while.

I got there about half-way through the seminar, so I missed the gi jiu-jitsu and judo, but was able to see some of the muay Thai instruction and some no-gi grappling.

At the end, George sat down on a mat and invited anyone who wanted to roll with him. He had a few takers, some from his school and some from Elicker's. Pretty much everybody tapped out to George, also known as "Phoenix." His brother Brett "Night Crawler" Myers, who has some crazy fast and long legs, gave George a good roll.

Elicker's owner, Donna Elicker, has a great studio there and said she hopes to have more cross-promotional events with George in the future.

Stay tuned, I'll have some photos up in the next few days.

George McGinnis, owner and head instructor at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, is holding a free seminar in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fundamentals on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Time: 12:00 - 3:00 PM
Location: Elicker's Kenpo Karate Academy
1800 Loucks Rd. Suite 812
West Manchester Mall (Next to Macy's entrance)
York, Pa. 17408
Phone numbers: 717-767-2087 or 717-683-5708

A list of George's accomplishments:
2 x PABJJ Federation Blue Belt Silver Medalist
Keystone Games Judo Bronze Medalist 2008
USA Wrestling Advanced Gold Medalist
Red Rose Rumble (Gi - Blue Belt Division) Silver Medalist
Garden State Championships Intermediate No Gi Silver Medalist
US Grappling Gi Division Gold Medalist
US Grappling No Gi Silver Medalist
PABJJ Federation Blue Belt Bronze Medalist finish
I.S.W.A No Gi Bronze Medalist
Battle at the Valley Gi Champion
Battle at the Valley No Gi 'absolute' 4th place finalist
2 x Keystone Games Silver Medalist
A.J.A Nationals Champion
Kumite Classic Gi Division runner up
Landisville Karate Invitational Champion
York City (Shotokan Open) Champion
3 x North American Grapplers Association Veteran
Grapplers Quest Veteran

George McGinnis, owner and head instructor at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, is holding a free seminar in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fundamentals on Saturday, Feb. 14.

Time: 12:00 - 3:00 PM
Location: Elicker's Kenpo Karate Academy
1800 Loucks Rd. Suite 812
West Manchester Mall (Next to Macy's entrance)
York, Pa. 17408
Phone numbers: 717-767-2087 or 717-683-5708

A list of George's accomplishments:
2 x PABJJ Federation Blue Belt Silver Medalist
Keystone Games Judo Bronze Medalist 2008
USA Wrestling Advanced Gold Medalist
Red Rose Rumble (Gi - Blue Belt Division) Silver Medalist
Garden State Championships Intermediate No Gi Silver Medalist
US Grappling Gi Division Gold Medalist
US Grappling No Gi Silver Medalist
PABJJ Federation Blue Belt Bronze Medalist finish
I.S.W.A No Gi Bronze Medalist
Battle at the Valley Gi Champion
Battle at the Valley No Gi 'absolute' 4th place finalist
2 x Keystone Games Silver Medalist
A.J.A Nationals Champion
Kumite Classic Gi Division runner up
Landisville Karate Invitational Champion
York City (Shotokan Open) Champion
3 x North American Grapplers Association Veteran
Grapplers Quest Veteran

George McGinnis, owner of York Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, recently attended a seminar at the academy of his instructor, Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda, in Scranton. There, Tatu received a stripe to add to his black belt from instructor Paulo Guimaraes, a black belt who hails from Australia.

So, the lineage would go like this Rickson Gracie -- Jorge Pereira -- Paulo Guimaraes -- Rogerio Taborda -- George McGinnis.

Now that's amazing.

Brad Souders received a stripe to his purple belt, George received his purple belt, and George's brother, Brett Myers, received his blue belt.

Congrats to all you guys from MMA Explosion.

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George McGinnis from York Mixed Martial Arts Academy stops by to talk about Fedor, Biff Walizer, and his own school in Red Lion.

George McGinnis, owner and trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, had his first amateur fight last weekend at Valley Fight League in Winchester, Va. McGinnis clashed with Dave Monteith of Greencastle, Pa., training out of Tactical Combat, in a weight class VFL called "super middleweight."

McGinnis, who took the fight on only several days' notice, weighed in at 171, while Monteith hit the scale at 175, George said.

McGinnis was cornered by good friend Brad Souders and his brother Brett Myers. He added that a muay Thai coach from Eric Grove's school in Altoona helped him warm-up before the fight.

The fight began with an exchange of kicks and strikes. McGinnis, whose strength is his BJJ, wanted to set up a take-down with several strikes, he said. McGinnis then threw a high kick which grazed Monteith's eyebrow.
"Good height, just not deep enough to do any damage," McGinnis said.

Monteith rushed McGinnis, clinching him against the cage. There, they traded knees, and McGinnis looked for a hip throw to get Monteith to the ground. Not sensing an opening, McGinnis pulled guard.

"I had a pretty good feeling if I could get the fight to the floor, it'd be over pretty quick," he said.

But instead of the fighters immediately going to the floor, Monteith held on to McGinnis.

"He took the liberty of running my head down the fence. My head hit every link ... like a cheese grater," McGinnis said.

Monteith then power-bombed McGinnis on his shoulders and neck.

"He ended up flashing me for a second," McGinnis said, but added that he quickly came to.

Now on the floor, McGinnis cinched an armbar in about 8-10 seconds, he said.

"He picked me up and slammed me again, but I break-falled some of it," McGinnia said. "From there, I went ahead and clamped deeper," on the armbar.

Monteith tried to muster a third slam, but McGinnis torqued his hips and heard several pops, forcing Monteith to tap at 1:34 in the first round.

"I think it's pretty safe to say I hypered it," McGinnis said.

George, congrats on your first win. May it be the first of many.

See photos of the fight here and here. The site that took the photos is called We Shoot Shows.

George McGinnis, owner and head trainer at York Mixed martial Arts Academy, had his first amateur fight last weekend. Here's part of an email he sent me and others:

The decaf version of the story is that I took a fight on a couple days notice which resulted in me winning my MMA debut via arm bar around two minutes (give or take) of the first round. I would like to personally thank all my family and friends for traveling to support the event and my debut. You guys are awesome and made the experience all the more relieving. Thanks to Brad and our team for helping me prep and to my brother Brett for always having my back. My life simply wouldn't be the same without you bro. Much love - Coach George

Binky Jones, Jerod Phillips and Biff Walizer

My MMA story - titled "Living and Fighting - That Competitive Edge" will be out this Sunday, Nov. 9, in The York Daily Record/Sunday News and online. The main story is about local fighter Biff Walizer, his battle with a gambling addiction and his quest to gain redemption. There's also a sidebar on Jerod Phillips, owner of Tap or Sleep fightwear. Other York MMA luminaries, like Mark Jovich, Bob Bitner and George McGinnis will be in one of the stories online. There will also be a video of Biff and Jerod. Click here on Sunday to log on to the Web site.

Rick Swann (L.) and George McGinnis

from George McGinnis, of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy:
This past Sunday, family, friends and teammates said goodbye to Rick Swann, who recently lost his life to cancer. His visitation and memorial service was held Sunday at the Heffner Funeral Chapel in York.

Many people from across the coast traveled to support Rick's family. Danny Ives (Lloyd Irvin black belt) was present at the service among other training partners and students. After brief discussion between Ives, McGinnis and fellow team mates prior to Rick's passing, it was easily agreed that Swann's long over due promotion to Purple should be appropriately awarded before or after Rick's passing. Swann was informed of his promotion during his conscious time at the hospital and smiled in appreciation. Due to unfortunate timing, the promotion wasn't awarded until the memorial service, but was done so in good fashion.

McGinnis, Ives and teammates placed Swann's Purple belt with him before the viewing concluded and accompanied the moment with a show of respect by all present team members bowing to Swann. Swann's family thanks all of whom were present before and after Rick's passing in support through this difficult time of mourning.

Coach McGinnis said, "This was and continues to be one of the most difficult times for us as a team and for me from personally. I had the ongoing pleasure of speaking with Rick frequently and took advantage of getting to know him while I could. The promotion was a 'tear jerker'. It was unquestionably overdue. Anyone who knew Rick and spent time with him and witnessed his knowledge would agree to the fact that he had a natural talent and passion to teach. Us losing Rick has multiple consequences. We not only lost a great friend, but we'll never have the opportunity to grow from his obvious experience and work ethic. We can only hope that Rick lives on vicariously through his son. He will be greatly missed."

So I went over to Hooter's of York last night after work for a little UFC 90 action. There, I met James Olewiler, owner and head trainer at M.A.C.E., which stands for Martial Arts with a Combat Emphasis, located at 133 W. Broadway in Red Lion.

With Olewiler's place, George McGinnis' York Mixed Martial Arts Academy, and at least one traditional karate studio, little Red Lion is becoming quite the hotbed of martial arts in York County.

Anyway, Olewiler, through his friend Frank, who owns an Asian restuarant on the square in York City (Next to Marcello's), connected with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Daniel Beleza, and succeeded in bringing Beleza to M.A.C.E.

Although I hadn't heard Beleza's name before, his reputation preceded him. For months, I'd been hearing rumors that a BJJ black belt was coming to this area. When I didn't hear anything more, I throught they were just that, rumors. Turns out Beleza is for real:

Now that's gotta be one of the sickest flying triangles I've ever seen.

I spoke with Beleza, and he's a very friendly guy, totally passionate about BJJ, competing and teaching. Olewiler said he and Frank also plan to bring on board a muay Thai fighter to round out their MMA program, and then hope to put together an MMA fight team.

I also met Jason Lauer, who just opened up a crossfit gym at 1451 Spahn Ave., York. Crossfit is an excellent physical training regimen for fighters, those who want to train like fighters, or just those who want to get in shape, real shape - a true fusion of strength and stamina.

Years ago, Crossfit helped BJ Penn hone his cardio, putting him through a meat-grinder of a workout that he then labeled "Fight Gone Bad." The workout was three five-minute rounds with a 1-minute rest in between, the length of a professional MMA non-title fight.

I plan to get over to M.A.C.E. and Crossfit at some point in the future, hopefully with a vdeo camera to get some footage to post here. Great meeting everybody at Hooters and remember to keep it tuned here for all the latest on MMA, in York and beyond. Later.

This email was sent to me by George McGinnis on Tuesday -
Family, Friends, Students, Other:
This email is to inform you of the unfortunate passing of friend and training colleague Rick Swann (aka - The Lloyd Irvin Blue Belt). Rick died today at the York Hospital around 2:30 PM. Rick's cancer progression was severe and inevitable. Rick was hospitalized two weeks ago due to difficulty of breathing and other complications that are accustomed with his illness.

Rick's family was informed upon his arrival two weeks ago that the situation was critical and that Rick had limited time and resources. His only means of survival was a breathing tube that supported about 90% of Rick's oxygen flow. His family had the difficult task of approving the removal of the tube today due to its 10-14 day protocol to avoid further infections. He died moments later. Funeral arrangements are being made and those who are interested in attending will be informed of the time(s) & date.

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Back with a vengeance, Tom and I had a special guest this week, George McGinnis, owner and trainer at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy. The three of us break down the Kimbo fight and subsequent fall-out, as well as how York fighters did at Gladiator Fight Club. George added some great (and much-needed) insight into the fight game, rather than just a couple schmoes like Tom and me talking.

George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy sent me this hilarious video.

Here's what George had to say about it: "It's a sarcastic yet prime example of some of the clowns you'll find around the way (i.e. - Hooters, fight fans at events and the guys at our jobs on lunch break who watch U.F.C pay per views and know the name of maybe two techniques and got it all figured out) LMAO!"

Here's an email I received from George McGinnis of York Mixed Martial Arts Academy (with minimal edits) on the debut of his brother, welterweight fighter Brett Myers, at this weekend's Gladiator Fight Club in Virginia:

Brett "Night Crawler" Myers of the York Mixed Martial Arts Academy was scheduled this past weekend (September 27th 08) to make his amateur MMA debut at the Gladiator Fight Club in Winchester VA's Sportsplex.

Myers and his opponent (Bryan Lane of Fairfax - Yamasaki Academy) weighed in at the appropriate weight and were placed on the fourth slot of the fight card. Myers, a submission fighter and MMA apprentice under his brother George McGinnis, would take on the Fairfax fighter who is also an amateur with a wrestling background and MMA training and was currently listed at 0 - 1 - 0.

Here's some insight on the fight from McGinnis: "Well it started out as planned. Brett looked to exchange and his opponent worked in for the clinch. Brett looked for the guillotine but didn't lace it in time and his opponent got the big take down which put him in side control."

"Brett kept cool and shrimped his way to half guard and eventually to full. His opponent was limited on BJJ training and couldn't effectavly break Brett's guard. From there his opponent stood up with Brett's guard intact and slammed Brett in an attempt to open the guard. Brett transitioned his hips for an arm bar look but his opponent was steadily trying to inflict damage from the top."

"Brett set up a triangle off his opponent's fury and laced it deep. Brett's opponent showed great heart and didn't quit and attempted to stack pass out of the triangle but Brett soon after transitioned to the "arm bar switch" and finished the fight moments later. Man, I couldn't be prouder! I would also like to say that it was an honor to face off with the Fairfax crew as they are and continue to be classy sportsmen."

Brett will shortly break from fight preparation for several weeks and is said to look into scheduling a fight at the same venue in the near future. Myers and his camp are currently considering a division change that would put Myers at the stats of 6'1" 155lb.

Tomorrow night in Virginia, an event at Gladiator Fight Club is stacked with fighters from York.

Brett Myers, who trains with his brother George McGinnis at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy in Red Lion, fights in his amateur welterweight debut against Bryan Lane of Mario Yamasaki's MMA academy.

Ryan Krauss, who trains witjh Russian MMA (I believe that's Steve Bentz's school), takes on Adrian Cann of Steve Blackman Fighting Systems in Harrisburg in the welterweight division.

Lou Armezzani, who trained with McGinnis before his recent move to LionHeart Fighters in State College. squares off with Bruce Drago, of Drago MMA in a middleweight battle.

Jay Haas, of Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, will fight Pat Odonel of TNT Destruction in a bantamweight bout.

Chrissy Adler, also of Hanover Academy of Mixed Martial Arts, takes on Elliott Martin of Dirty South Heavy Hitters in the nighht's sole heavyweight bout.

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This week, Tom Joyce and I talk about Affliction partnering with EliteXC, Cro Cop's groin shot woes, St-Pierre's thoughts on Patrick Cote's chances against Anderson Silva, and an MMA card in Va. this weekend that is stacked with local talent.

Here's an email I received from George McGinnis, head instructor at York Mixed Martial Arts Academy:

As always, the York Mixed Martial Arts Academy was present at yet another Pennsylvania State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation tournament hosted by Rogerio "Tatu" Taborda. The event was held this weekend (Aug 16th, 2008) in Scranton at its normal Spectrum location. Many schools, teams and affiliations were present such as: Team Tatu, Alliance, Renzo, RGDA, Tatu/York Mixed Martial Arts Academy. Here are some final results reported by George McGinnis.

Wayne Schaffer: 1st Place - Mens / Seniors Light Weight - White Belt Division
Tom Fleming: 2nd Place - Mens / Adult Heavy Weight - White Belt Division
George McGinnis: 2nd Place - Mens / Middle Weight - Blue Belt Division
Brad Souders: 3rd Place - Mens / Middle Weight - Purple Belt Division
Steve Johnson: 3rd Place - Mens / Adult Super Heavy - White Belt Division

Over All Team Standings:

1st Place: Team Tatu
2nd Place: Team Renzo
3rd Place: Team Alliance