Fighting the tall odds stacked against them, Adrian Guggenhein (II BS Mgt), Luis Nazareno (IV BS Bio), Ricky Poblador (II AB Hum), along with Blue Judokas Enzo Castriciones (IV AB Lit Eng) and Gian Dee (III BS Mgt) played for Team Vamos Para Frente (VPF) in the 2008 Philippine Brazilian Jiu Jitsu International.
Team Vamos Para Frente, which literally means “moving forward” in Portuguese, lived up to their name as they proved they could compete in the highest level and stand their ground despite their inexperience, finishing at an impressive second place overall.
Founded by Ralph Go (AB MEco ’07) and Carlo Pena, along with Ateneo Judo program head Coach Ali Sulit, Team VPF is the freshest addition to Ateneo de Manila University’s martial arts cluster. This Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) team originated from Ateneo’s branch of Team New Breed, one of the country’s elite BJJ teams, and only liberated themselves from this faction in October 2008.
The event, which took place last December 6 at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay, saw Judokas Castriciones and Dee fail to follow up on their recent UAAP victory, being eliminated in the early rounds of their respective division.
Poblador though, who also fought in the featherweight division (64-70 kilos) along with Castriciones, ended his campaign in the semifinals against a tough opponent from Team Gracie Barra Cebu. In the end, he managed to secure a consolation bronze medal after winning against the host, Team Fabricio.
Poblador said that it was their first major outing as Team VPF, and sees a bright future for the team. “The tournament was very good for the whole team. Even though we sent a smaller contingent [compared to our previous tournaments], we still did pretty well.”
Meanwhile, Guggenheim topped the lightweight division (70-76 kilos) by beating Sabah Fadai of Gracie Barra Cebu in the final match, finishing with a remarkable arm bar. He avenged the loss of teammate Nazareno whom Fadai beat in the earlier rounds of the tournament.
“The competition was stiff. Even if we were ‘underdogs,’ we held our own and proved that we are a force on the mat. We definitely gave them a taste of what to expect from Team VPF in the upcoming events,” said Guggenheim.
Team VPF accumulated nine golds, three silvers, and a bronze, good enough for a runner-up finish in the overall standings of this prestigious competition. They tested their mettle against both local and international contingents from Hong Kong, Singapore, and Indonesia in the tournament.
These grapplers will next compete in the Nationals in March and a possible out-of-country appearance in Guam in February.
