Recently in Grapplers Quest Category

Grapplers Quest-9/26/09 Hanover Academy of MMA's Bob Bitner took second in masters advanced losing by one point.

Brad Herrick takes first, Mens Executive at Warrior Challenge Grappling tournament Oct 24 in Lancaster Pa.

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...

Got a voicemail from Bob Bitner, head trainer at Hanover Academy of MMA. He gave me the run-down on how his team did at the recent Grapplers Quest in Lancaster.

"All in all, I'm very,very, very pleased with our performance. The guys did great," he said. "For us, not being a full-time Jiu-Jitsu school, I couldn't have asked for a better performance than what the guys did."

- Jay Haas won 1st in the men's intermediate division.

- Bo Christie won 1st in the men's executive heavyweight division.

- Alex Giron, won 3rd in the teen novice division.

- Andy Smith won 4th in the men's novice division.

- And the man himself, Bob Bitner, won 2nd in the masters advanced division. It was actually Bob and Joe Martini from Philadelphia's Rocco MMA who were battling it out for first and second, Bob said. Bob called Joe "a very very strong man. He made me work. ... We went the distance, all five rounds," and in the last 20 seconds or so, Joe scored a point on Bob, making it 1-0. "I'm definitely looking forward to getting to that rematch," Bob said.

Rocco competitors excel at Grapplers Quest:
"A special congratulations goes out to Joe Martini with his impressive 1st place performance at the 2009 Northeast Grappling Championships. He was up against very tough opposition but was still able to pull out the victories needed to bring home the championship belt. He showed us all what hard work and determination can accomplish.

Additional congratulations go out to the other four competitors we had representing our school. Pat Macke took home a silver medal. Nick Mimoso, Shawn Quinn and Matt "The Polish Hammer" Kakareka all took home Bronze medals in their divisions. They all fought well and showed great improvements in their abilities. I am very proud of all of our guys that competed.

I would also like to send out a special thanks to those that came in support of our fighters. Their presence at the event helped motivate our fighters and was greatly appreciated by all of us."

New wrestling coach:
"I wanted to let everyone know that we have a new Wrestling coach that will be teaching classes on Saturday's from 10:00 - 11:30a.m. His name is Coach Hassan Jadidi and he was 1991 and 1992 National Champion of Iran. He has also been Drexel University's assistant wrestling coach for the past 10 years. He has a lifetime of experience in the sport of wrestling and is willing to share his knowledge with our school.

This Saturday he is bringing in some former world champion wrestlers to help bring our students to the next level. I highly recommend that everyone attend his class this Saturday if you have a desire to improve your take-downs and your take-down defense. Remember, every fight starts on the feet, so you can be the best Jiu Jitsu guy in the world but if you can't take your opponent down then you are in trouble. Hope to see you all this Saturday and every Saturday from this weekend on."

Thanks,
Adam Rocco
Roccomma.com
215-778-2517

I didn't notice this before, but the Grapplers Quest event that happened today at the Lancaster Convention Center had something interesting: a 5-0n-5 team tournament. I was checking Rated, a Web site that has national rankings for submission grappling, but couldn't the results for the 5-on-5, or the regular tournament.

I know Bob Bitner from Hanover Academy of MMA said he planned on having a few guys in the tournament, so we'll have to see how they did, and anyone else in York and aroudn the state.

EVENT: 2009 Grapplers Quest
Northeast Submission Fighting Championships
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu & Submission Grappling
Featuring $10,000 in Prizes
When: Saturday, September 26th, 2009

Box Office, At-The-Door Registrations, and Weigh-Ins Open at 8:00 AM
Tournament Starts at: 10:00 AM

Event Location:
Lancaster Convention Center
3 East Vine Street
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603

- 222 Divisions for Men, Women, and Children of All Ages and Skill Levels
- $3,000 5-on-5 Best Team in Northeast Challenge
- 63 Northeast Championship Belts on the line!

This Saturday, September 26th the gym will be close due to a grappling competition in Lancaster. A lot of our guys are going to compete in Grapplers Quest. If you are interested in competing or just coming along to support our team please contact me and I will give you the details. Thanks and we will see you on Monday.

Thanks,
Adam Rocco
Roccomma.com
215-778-2517

From the Grapplers Quest Web site: The new 90,000 square foot Lancaster County Convention Center, connected with the brand new Marriott Lancaster will play host to The 2009 Northeast Grappling Championships on Saturday, September 26th.

The venue is located at the Lancaster Convention Center, 3 East Vine Street,Lancaster, Pa.

DISCOUNT TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW, Save $5 and Experience the Greatest Grappling Show on Earth, Meet Your Favorite MMA Superstars, and Watch the World's Best Grapplers & Fighters,
CLICK HERE

COMPETITORS, Save up to $30 & Get a FREE T-Shirt, CLICK HERE

For Directions go to, LancasterConventionCenter.com

OFFICIAL Hotel
Lancaster Marriott® at Penn Square
25 South Queen Street
Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17602 USA
• Phone: 1-717-239-1600 CALL 717-239-1600 FOR DISCOUNT RATE OF $139 Per Night
MUST MENTION GRAPPLERS QUEST - Save $40+ per night or BOOK ONLINE at MarriottLancaster.com (MUST use group code GRAGRAA to Get Discount Online)

For more info. go to the official Web site.