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Legacy Recon Report
Showdown in D-Town
Durham, NC April 15, 2006
Taking place inside Githens Middle School in Durham, NC, the Showdown in D-Town was an event jam packed with not only action, but fans and competitors as well. I arrived at the venue at around 9:30 a.m. (with my pregnant wife in tow) to find a FULL parking lot and a seemingly endless maze of turns and corners while navigating the campus to find an empty parking space. We made our way to the entrance only to be told that no one else was allowed inside as the place was filled to capacity with athletes and spectators. With a few quick words and fingers crossed, we were able to get in and I found myself standing in amazement at all of the people who were at this event. Information from one of the venue workers let me know that the fire marshall had temporarily closed the building to new entrants. I was amazed to see that people were still lined up outside waiting for an opportunity to get in.
I walked from the lobby to the gym and secured a decent spot on the bleachers so that I'd have a central location from where I could take some pics and get a general overview of all the action. The set up was nice as they had the kickboxing ring directly in the middle of the gym with two matted grappling areas flanking either side. Hordes of people were already seated on the bleachers and the chairs surrounding the ring. Over to the left of where I was sitting, several amateur videographers had their cameras and were perched high atop the bleachers and getting what I imagined would be a spectacular shot of the activities below. In the lobby area, Lamont Tyler of Team ROC VA was giving the spill about rules, infractions, and the general rundown about the grappling competition scheduled to begin soon. I listened to a bit of the speech as I made my way around and checked out the place talking with friends and generally getting a feel for the event. Everyone seemed excited to get things going and were ready to compete.
I was excited myself, because this was one of the best turnouts I had ever seen for any event in NC. I guess a lot of it had to do with the fact that this event combined kickboxing & grappling in seperate formats. It was good to see this happening as everyone got a chance to see how others prepared and the spectators got a special look at how the athletes compete in different disciplines. People who weren't familiar with grappling had a chance to see some awesome competition techniques. And those who were not too familiar with kickboxing had a chance to see how much skill it takes to step into the ring with a prepared striker. It was interesting to see the kickboxers warming up beside the grapplers as both went to work in order to get the most out of their warmup session. You could tell that all the athletes were itching for competition as they warmed up. The grapplers did the usual light rolling on the mats along with some last minute technique instruction from coaches. The kickboxers made the striking pads pop as they practiced their kicks and punching combinations one after the other.
The crowd began to get a bit restless as time went on and no action had started. It is common for the events to begin a bit later than advertised in most cases. There have been very few events I've been to where this hasn't happened. Evidently, people in the crowd weren't prepared for it as I overheard several fans complaining about the holdup. I took it in stride as I knew that it wouldn't (or shouldn't) be too much longer for the event to begin. The first call went out for the youth kickboxers to get fitted for gloves and the event was seemingly underway. But close to an hour passed before the first fight began. It was a good one that pitted two tough little guys against each other. I had never seen youth kickboxing before, so it was a treat for me. I was impressed with the tenacity and heart that the competitors showed against one another. The start of the kickboxing seemed to pacify the crowd as the excitement in the stands grew. Choruses of excited fans cheered as International Rules kickboxing matches went on display along with Muay Thai style matches. I noticed that the grappling competition had not yet started and was curious to find out why. Several grapplers complained that it was a SNAFU for the grappling event. It seemed that the officials were understaffed and there was a problem with the timekeepers equipment...there were no stop watches available. What seemed like a small detail actually held up the grappling competition for quite a while. In my opinion, it was a definite oversight but one of the things that happen from time to time. Having worked on many sides of the grappling event area, I can tell you that the wrong things are bound to happen when you least expect them. Fortunately, the stopwatch issue was resolved and several volunteers stepped up to help get the grappling divisions going in full swing. Things were beginning to turn around in a good way.
As both competitions were now underway, fans were treated to exciting kickboxing and grappling matches all at the same time. It was a lot to take in at once. The great thing was that once a lull in the action happened, all you had to do was divert your attention to another area of the floor and you'd be witnessing something just as good. With 2-3 grappling matches plus a kickboxing match going on all at once, there is no way that anyone could call this a dull event. There was literally so much action going on that it was hard to cover everything at once. Jason Culbreth, Luiz Palhares, Lamont Tyler, Guy Pendergrass, and several others took hold of the grappling competition and had it running like clockwork. Athletes from Superior Jiu Jitsu, Team ROC, Luiz Palhares/New Bern BJJ, East Coast Submissions Academy, Joe Jurst Jiu Jitsu, Team One and many, many others grappled their butts off to earn cheers from excited team members and fans.
In the end, the event produced several belt winners in the kickboxing and numerous trophy holders and medal winners for the grapplers. At an overview, I'd recommend a larger venue for the next event. For the promoter, there was money to be made but several people left without even getting in. Also, I'd look into getting a better grasp on the grappling events. The people who ended up working the mats were definitely qualified but understaffed in the beginning. Having a larger staff would definitely have helped out. All in all, I had a great time and I'm excited about attending the next "Showdown" event. I think it is a great format and despite a few "bugs" to be worked out the event could prove to be one of the best in the region. But, you don't have to take my word for it. Keep your eyes peeled for the advertisements and see for yourself!
Until next time, God bless and train smart!
Copyright © 2006 Legacy Enterprises / www.fightinglegacy.com
All Rights Reserved.
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