Thanksgiving Schedule
We can’t believe it’s already time to talk about our Thanksgiving schedule! Join us for our Annual Turkey Roll (BJJ open mat) on Thanksgiving morning at 10am in Beacon. On Friday morning at 10am, roll yourself back to EGA for another open mat to make room for leftovers! Saturday, November 25th, we will be CLOSED. Then on Sunday, November 26th, we’ll be open and back to our regularly scheduled open mat at 10am. There will be NO CLASSES during the extended Thanksgiving weekend.
New Rash Sets!
It’s time to freshen up your gear with a new rashguard set! These clean, classic rashguards and shorts, available in all sizes, come in either white or black. They will be $50 per piece. Reach out to Coach Matt either in person or at [email protected] to put your name and size on the pre-order list. We’re hoping to have these in house by the end of November/early December.
Student Spotlight
7 year old Zoe K. began training this summer and is already excelling! Showing up multiple times a week, she is a dedicated hard worker. Zoe came to EGA with a background in gymnastics and soccer, and still finds time to enjoy it all. Zoe says her favorite part about coming to class is learning new moves and that her favorite submission is the Rear Naked Choke! Not everything has been easy, but with some work “cracking the egg” (passing her opponent’s guard) is becoming a bit easier. Zoe would like everyone to know that you should, “Work as hard as you can even if something seems hard.” Thanks for the advice, Zoe! That’s something students of all ages should keep in mind. Thank you for being an incredible example!
Though he’s not new to martial arts having studied Jeet Kune Do for 1.5 years, Alo K. just began jiu jitsu earlier this year. Already a white belt with black stripe, 8 year old Alo is doing an incredible job! He says that his favorite part about coming to class is to learn different techniques to protect himself, and that his favorite position from which to work is Spider Guard! Wrestling and physically moving other kids around was a bit tricky at first, but with some training outside of EGA, and regularly coming to class with that focus, that is becoming easier. When he’s not at EGA Alo keeps very active with sailing, skiing, rock climbing, camping, and playing chess! Alo wants others that train BJJ to know, “Like our coaches tell us, don’t cheat yourself! BJJ takes hard work and it’s worth it!” Keep up the encouragement and hard work, Alo! We’re proud of you!
Mike Brancato “I found my love of jiu jitsu in 2010 while training at the Renzo Gracie Academy in NYC. I trained there for 6 years achieving the rank of purple belt. In 2016 I moved to Fishkill and trained at various gyms in the area on and off until 2022. In 2022, I decided that I wanted to begin training full time again. I heard about EGA, took an intro class with Coach Mike and the rest is history. Now, a year and half later, my jiu jitsu game has drastically improved, I’ve made great friends and found a second home at EGA. I am truly proud to be a member of the EGA Tribe. When I’m not at EGA or engulfed in jiu jitsu videos, I enjoy spending time with my wife and child, watching wrestling and Rugby (which hold a special place in my heart since I am a former athlete in both), collecting retro toys, video games and pop culture paraphernalia. For anyone who practices jiu jitsu at any level, my advice is to be consistent, be humble, be welcoming of new faces and always be open to learning.”
Meet Coach Dave
Dave Echevarria began his jiu jitsu journey in January of 2017 thanks to a relentless friend. Having never grappled a day in his life, this long distance runner and cyclist was quickly hooked by the end of his first class. Dave later found his way to EGA in 2019 as a blue belt after frequenting our open mats and falling in love with the vibe of the gym and coaching style of Coach Mike.
A few years, many hours on the mats, many competitions, and a couple belts later, Dave can found coaching our Tuesday/Thursday evening gi classes in Beacon! When asked his favorite part about coaching, Dave said, “It’s hard to pick just one thing. But if I had to sum it up it would be sharing the mats with people that have the same enthusiasm for this thing we do, giving them a little bit of my take on this thing that is so multifaceted and hoping I can help them get what it is they need from jiu jitsu.” If you roll with Coach Dave or attend any of his classes, you know that he loves working guard, particularly Lasso guard, and manipulating sequences to get him to the back. If you were to check out black belt Nicholas Meregali, you’d see by whom Dave’s style of jiu jitsu is inspired.
When not training, coaching, or working, Dave can be found enjoying time with his wife and son hiking, camping, or building Lego. Again, you can catch Coach Dave on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:45pm in Beacon!
General Housekeeping
Don’t forget to save our SCHEDULES to your bookmarks for easy access! Whenever we update the schedule (new classes/new times), that link will be updated. As we head into the winter months, any closures due to weather can be found on Instagram, Facebook, or your email. We generally follow the Beacon City School District for our kids class cancellations, but always check socials and email just in case!
Are you missing a water bottle? Check the counter the next time you’re in the gym! Our collection of homeless water bottles is growing. These will be tossed soon, so take a look!
Thank you, parents, for helping us out by abiding by our drop off/pick up policy. This is truly to keep both your kids and our coaches in a safe learning environment. Adult students, if you’re arriving while a kids class is in session, we ask that you please keep the noise level to a minimum as you understand how distracting conversations off the mats can be! Thank you!!
Happy Birthday!!
