It’s never too late to be a beginner.
Betty Broadhurst didn’t start training Jiu-Jitsu until she was 54 years old, and this past weekend after winning double gold medals at IBJJF Masters Worlds, she received her black belt from professor Diêgo Bispo after 11 years of training.
She expressed her excitement in a post to Instagram,
“Nothing but happiness & jubilation under this “ugly cry”😭photo- after starting JiuJitsu at 54, almost 11 years later, a dream became reality- 🥇🥇& promoted to black belt on the podium by my Professor @diegobispo , at Masters Worlds. Thank you @tomdeblass & @gordonlovesjiujitsu for being part of my journey, & sharing my story to inspire others!”
Betty is the founder of RollForever, a company designed to support the longevity and health of competitors. An excerpt from their website describes the company,
“Betty’s goal with her Roll Forever program is essentially threefold. First and foremost, it is a movement meant to inspire and support local BJJ practitioners in North Carolina who wish to compete. In addition, Betty and Roll Forever work hard to bring world-class competitors to areas like hers where there might not be easy access to those athletes. This also goes a long way to supporting the growth of BJJ because not only does it support the athletes themselves with a good source of income, but it also expands the community and introduces world-class athletes to practitioners who may never have an opportunity to visit the BJJ hotbeds of southern California or New York City. The third mission of Roll Forever is to bring more competitions into areas they’ve never been before to give local athletes more opportunities to compete.
So if you’re currently training, kudos. If you’re not and are contemplating, do not hesitate. Get to your local academy and begin the journey. The best time to plant an oak tree is 20 years ago. The second best is today! Start now and roll forever.”
Tom Deblass, a long time friend and supporter of Broadhurst, recognized her achievement in his own post,
“I want to take a moment to congratulate a very special woman on her black belt.
I met @bjjbetty some years back at a seminar. She’s in her 60s and simply loves Jiu-Jitsu.
She has competed and come up short, yet never lost her love for this martial art. Well, this last weekend she took double Gold in her division.
She’s simply an amazing human.
