3rd Coast Grappling Announces Competition Exclusively For Kids

October 2, 2019

3rd Coast Grappling has been putting on some crazy-good shows, featuring matches between elite-level grapplers and local jiu-jitsu athletes alike. But there’s been one subset of competitors that’s been noticeably absent from their competitions… until now.

Promotor Ryan McGuire has revealed to the Jiu-Jitsu Times that early next year, 3CG: Kids will be kicking off to showcase the talent of local kids in jiu-jitsu. The event will be separate from the other 3CG competitions and will feature kids up until they get their adult blue belt.

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"3CG doesn't love the kids" "3CG ignores the biggest and fastest growing demographic in the sport" Well as provocative as those two things sound….they aren't true. January of next year we launch 3CG: Kids the next step in our growth as a business but also in our efforts to grow the sport. We will flip the script and do kids only cards with the same level of hype and production you'd expect from a 3CG event. The catch…it'll be at 3pm on a Sunday instead of 7pm on a Saturday. It'll feature all ages and belts up to adult blue belt. We want the best kids on our stages locally and internationally. Kids matches are some of the most exciting on the whole card and we can't wait to bring you an evening full of it….but in a responsible manner. 3CG: Kids I launches Sunday, January 19th 2020. Applications will be open soon.

A post shared by Third Coast Grappling (@thirdcoastgrappling) on Oct 2, 2019 at 8:02am PDT

The absence of young competitors in 3CG events up to this point hasn’t simply been an accidental oversight on McGuire’s part. “We felt bad excluding kids from our event, but know there’s a ton of talent out there and kids jonesing to compete,” he said. “We just want to showcase the kiddos, but weren’t comfy with them in a bar or where alcohol is served and people are getting tore up. Plus, alcohol commissions frown on kids in bars or music venues.”

Just because the competitors are small doesn’t mean that they’ll be getting a “miniature” version of the standard 3CG treatment. McGuire says that they’ll get the same star treatment that the promotion is known for, but with a more kid-friendly atmosphere and schedule. For example, the events will take place on Sunday afternoons from about 3 pm to 7 pm.

The first 3CG: Kids is scheduled to take place on the third Sunday in January. The Jiu-Jitsu Times will continue to provide updates for the event as more details become available.