If you need a dose of good feelings before you go back into the workweek, we’ve officially got you covered.
Marra Senki Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Panama City was one of too many local businesses wrecked by Hurricane Michael on October 10th, 2018. The storm pummeled the Florida Panhandle with 155mph winds, tearing roofs off houses and knocking out power in some areas for a month. Back in January, Panama City reported that it had picked up “20 years worth of debris” in just twelve weeks.
Marra Senki BJJ, a club known for its boxing and grappling, was a ruin from ceiling to mats:
Head coach Alberto Da Silva, black belt and Air Force veteran, did what warriors do when given way too much to shoulder and got to work. Though some had to leave the damaged area entirely, Da Silva stayed behind in Panama City:
After taking stock of the rubble the gym ultimately had to relocate in order to reopen, but students reported that Da Silva has spent the five months since Hurricane Michael smashed the area doing manual labor and using “blood, sweat, and tears” to get the doors back open.
Marra Senki officially opens its mats back up for classes on April 1, 2019, but celebrated perhaps a bigger milestone on March 30th: their first open mat as a team since before the storm that took their home.
If that doesn’t make you feel something you’re dead inside.
Congratulations to Professor Da Silva and the entire Marra Senki family.
