Abu Dhabi: Al Ain’s Al Nahel School girls were on a roll on the second day of the Abu Dhabi Jiu-Jitsu World Festival for girls at the IPIC Arena on Tuesday.
And an elated Al Nahel School’s Brazilian coach Anna Carolina Luis was seen clicking selfies with her wards. The laurels were heartwarming but Luis was still mulling over the success her school could have achieved, had she got all her pupils here.
“I had six girls here and all won medals — four gold and two bronze. I had over 60 girls training under me at the school but could only manage to get six girls here,” said Luis, further expressing her disappointment by shaking her head.
The Brazilian had conducted parents meetings to convince them to allow their children to take part in the competition but most were reluctant, revealed Luis.
“The parents are okay with the girls training at the school but don’t want to let them participate here. I tried to convince them because some of them who have not made it here are also very good. We could have swelled the medals tally. But unfortunately the parents didn’t want to send them,” revealed Luis, adding she can’t blame the parents as well, as it is new for them.
“It is a new change for them and the mentality is changing slowly but surely it is changing. Many girls are joining because they want to play the sport,” said Luis, also adding that some of them want to stay healthy and there is a feeling now that Jiu-Jitsu can help them to do so.
“Some girls are training in school so that they can be fit and are conscious about health which is also a good sign. There is focus on diet and wanting to lead a good healthy life. So if they don’t want to compete also it is a good positive move for the girls,” Luis, whose junior girls were also among the medals, winning four bronze and a silver from the five entries on Tuesday, said.
Flavia Peirmatei, another Brazilian instructor, from the Fatima bint Mubarak School Abu Dhabi, was also reaping the rewards of the hard work she and her youngsters had put in.
Among the 13 girls she had entered in the tournament, most managed to make it to the podium.
“It has been an amazing journey so far and to see your work come good at a tournament is simply unbelievable. I can’t express how it feels when you see your students do well. We have won three golds already and I’m sure we will have many more by the end of the day,” said Peirmatei, adding that she now has 400 girl students currently practicing Jiu-Jitsu in her school.
The two-day event for the boys starts Wednesday at the same venue.
