This past August, Tap Cancer Out had an incredible time at the IBJJF’s Jiu Jitsu Con in Las Vegas! As one of the largest gatherings of the jiu-jitsu community, Jiu Jitsu Con provided us with the perfect opportunity to connect with athletes, coaches, and fans from around the world.
Our booth was designed to be a welcoming space where visitors could stop by, meet our team, and learn more about Tap Cancer Out’s mission. We were especially excited to share details about our upcoming Global Grappling Day event, and the response was phenomenal. We spoke with grapplers and supporters from across the globe—including Germany, Australia, Canada, and beyond—who expressed interest in participating in this year’s worldwide movement to make a difference through jiu-jitsu.
One of the highlights of our time was our seminar with the legend, Marcelo Garcia. He taught a full-capacity crowd his patented sweeps and north-south choke and spent time shaking hands with participants. It was a dream come true to work with such an amazing human. Afterwards, Marcelo stopped over at our booth for a Meet & Greet. The line stretched around the booth and beyond as Marcelo took the time to chat with every person. That gave us some time to learn more about why people love Marcelo—be sure to check out that video below.!
The next day, we were honored by yet another legend, World Champion Bernardo Faria. Bernardo is a huge supporter of Tap Cancer Out and was gracious enough to also spend time with fans at our booth for another Meet & Greet. We cannot thank him enough—it was such a huge honor for us!
Throughout the event, we partnered with our next-door booth neighbors, Kekoa Collective and artist Jasper Wong, to create live art. The painting was a silhouette of Marcelo but included symbolism of those going through the cancer journey. Jasper also allowed visitors to write names or thoughts on the art, as a way to further bring it to life. This powerful artwork will be featured on our Global Grappling Day shirts—which you can earn when you raise $400! You can also learn more about Jasper’s process here.
If you missed us at Jiu Jitsu Con, you can still join the movement! Learn more about Global Grappling Day and how you can get involved at www.globalgrapplingday.com.
We were so happy to meet so many new people from across the globe, and we can’t wait to come back again next year!