On Saturday (April 15, 2023), the 2023 Budo Kids Open Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Tournament was hosted at the Collège Boréal, in Sudbury. The Woodroffe sisters made their debut at the Open, representing both Kilian Academy and Grey-Bruce County.
Twelve-year-old Melanie Woodroffe secured silver in the teen 14 to 15-year-old MiddleWeight division. The Timothy Christian School student faced an athlete three years her senior, in a best-out-of-three match-up to secure second place at the Open. “Due to the limited number of girls competing at some tournaments, brackets are combined to ensure that the athletes have the opportunity to compete. Despite the three years difference between Melanie and her opponent, Melanie showed immense heart to step up and face her opponent. Her debut was still a huge success in breaking the ice to compete further this year,” said Abrie Kilian, program director at Kilian Academy.
Photos by Abrie Kilian
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Ten-year-old sister, Kimberly Woodroffe also secured silver in the youth 10 to 11-year-old lightweight division. Also, a student at Timothy Christian School, Kimberly submitted her first opponent in an impressive 40 seconds by way of Americana (keylock). Kimberly lost by points in the closely contested finals to be awarded a silver medal. “Like her sister, Kimberly’s debut performance was impressive. Her aggression was on par with what is expected from a competitor and she stuck to our game plan,” added Kilian.
“What started initially as a casual activity for my daughters, developed into a regular weekly pursuit to learn and improve their jiu-jitsu,” said Hendrika van der Lip, mother of Melanie and Kimberly. “In less than a year, I have seen both Melanie and Kimberly grow in confidence and athleticism and wish to thank the crew at Kilian Academy for guiding them through this experience.”
On April 22nd and 23rd, the highly anticipated 2023 ADCC Canada Open will take place in Ottawa. Three of Kilian Academy’s Top athletes will be competing at this year’s ADCC against athletes from around the globe. “Nick Mole, Curran Dixon and Mike McGahan will be facing some of the best grapplers in the world. We are excited to see how our athletes will be performing,” added Kilian.
Following the ADCC Canada Open, the Ontario Open will be hosted on May 6th and 7th in Oshawa. According to head OJA official Tony Isaacs, the Ontario Open is the largest tournament in Canada. Kilian Academy will field a strong team to compete at the Ontario Open, hoping to bring back many medals to Grey-Bruce County.
