Two teams – a word of thanks: squad senpai Gordon Ryan put on a superb show Sunday night, showcasing his strangulation skills. It was a fine reflection of his individual progress and his team work with other squad members in preparation for the event. Such stand out performances are great for the sport. They inspire young developing athletes and give them a strong technical role model to follow. It is easy to focus all the attention on the athlete and his support team. There was however, a second team at the event on Sunday night, a team that does not get the spotlight, but whose work is every bit as important as the stars onstage – the EBI production team. These dedicated men and women operate in the background and always do their best to create a smooth running and efficient operation. Believe me, it's not easy. There are so many intangibles at a live sports event that it always seems miraculous to me that they get it done as well as they do. Were it not for the great work done by these people in building the infrastructure for the show and running it under the pressure of live performance – NONE OF OUR HARD WORK, training INNOVATIONS, PHILOSOPHY AND SKILLS WOULD EVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AND WOULD REMAIN UNKNOWN IN A basement IN NYC. On behalf of the squad, to the entire ebi production staff, from team leaders Eddie Bravo and Victor Davila, all the way through the many hard working individuals carrying out crucial but thankless tasks that make it all happen – thank youThanks for a well run, innovative show that has let grappling athletes have an exciting and well run event that can allow them to showcase the art we all love and put so much time into.
