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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (April 17, 2019)
LOCAL WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A7 Morizi Jiu-Jitsu teaches Hermiston to play “human chess” By JADE MCDOWELL NEWS EDITOR S mall towns can sometimes attract big talent, and Brian Morizi fi ts the bill. Morizi studied Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu under Clark Gracie, grandson of the discipline’s creator, and was the fi rst person to receive a black belt from him. His long list of titles include NoGi World Champion for the International Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu Federation, three-time Amer- ican National Champion, fi ve-time American National NoGi Cham- pion and three-time medalist at the World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Abu Dhabi. He opened Morizi Jiu-Jitsu in Hermiston two weeks ago at 80872 N. Highway 395 and already has so many students he is looking at expanding his current offering of four kids classes and four adult classes per week. “He’s one of the most technical fi ghters in the world,” said Allison Robins, a purple belt who gradu- ated from top-ranked Gracie South Bay Academy. She acts as Morizi’s sparring partner during demonstra- tions and helps work with students. She called Hermiston “extremely lucky” to have him. Robins convinced Morizi to open shop in Hermiston when she decided to move back there to be closer to family. On Wednesday night as the children’s class drew to a close, 10 children were busy grappling in pairs on a large gray mat ringed by shoes and water bottles. The stu- dents — four girls and six boys in loose uniforms known as gis — were practicing how to get out from under an attacker pinning them to the mat. “Get that knee up,” Morizi told students as he circled the mat cor- recting students’ technique. “Hold that leg.” Afterward he told them that as some of them began entering com- petitions, the important thing was that they improved. “I don’t care if you won or lost, I care if you tried your best, if you’re getting better,” he said. During the adult class that fol- lowed, 21 men and women ran through drills for falling and roll- ing before pairing off and practic- Staff photo by E.J. Harris Instructor Brain Morizi, center, watches as students practice escape techniques they learned in class on Thursday at Morizi Jiu-Jitsu in Hermiston. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Staff photo by E.J. Harris Students Jada Longoria, 12, of Umatilla, and Zane Vogt, 13, of Hermiston, practice a hip escape technique Thursday at Morizi Jiu-Jitsu in Hermiston. Students watch as instructors Brian Morizi and Allison Robins demonstrate a bridge escape on Thursday at Morizi Jiu-Jitzu in Hermiston. ing specifi c moves. The students tended to gravitate toward part- ners roughly their same size and weight, but one of the strengths of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu — some- times described as “human chess” — is that it teaches adherents to use larger and stronger opponents’ weight against them. For that reason Morizi said it’s a great self-defense discipline, par- ticularly for women and children. There isn’t punching or kicking involved. The focus is on leverage and technique, not brute force. “It’s minimum force for maxi- mum effect,” he said. “The small- est person can go as far as they want to.” That doesn’t mean it’s not hard work. During Wednesday’s adult class sweat was pouring off of stu- dents by the end of the hourlong class and the windows to the out- side had fogged up. Both Morizi and Robins said one of the great benefi ts to the sport is that peo- ple don’t realize how hard they’re exercising and how many differ- ent muscles they’re working out, because they’re having fun and focused on outmaneuvering their opponent. Morizi said he lost 40 pounds when he started Jiu-Jitsu. He said it’s also a great fi rst sport for children, as it teaches them everything from how to fall without getting hurt to being able to gracefully handle losing to an opponent that has pinned them into submission. “We have a lot of kids with really serious wrestling back- grounds that have come in,” he said. Robins, who has a professional background in pediatrics and physical therapy, said she is pay- ing close attention to make sure students stay safe while practic- ing. She said it was an interesting experience starting a new school because almost all of the students are at the same beginner level. Aracely Urenda, one of Morizi’s adult students, said she joined his Jiu-Jitsu school because she wanted to learn self-defense skills. “(Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) was made by a guy who weighed 95 pounds,” she said. “He made it for people who are weaker to take down big- ger people. I think that’s good for a lot of women to know.” She said she had enjoyed her fi rst two weeks of class and appre- ciated the exercise. More than half of Morizi’s cur- rent class of adults are men. Jer- emy Harris, another student, said Hermiston was “very blessed” to have Morizi. He said the open- ing of the Jiu-Jitsu school fi t well into Hermiston’s strong wrestling history. Morizi and Robins said beyond the physical benefi ts, Jiu-Jitsu is also a great confi dence builder and social outlet. It’s hard to be shy around people you’re getting up close and personal with on the mat. Morizi said many of his students told him they had been Googling “Hermiston Jiu-Jitsu” every few months in the hopes of fi nding a school opening near them. When he decided to come to Hermis- ton he had set a goal of at least 30 pre-registrations before opening, but after a little over a week ended up with almost 100 sign-ups. Instead of paying on a per-class basis, Morizi Jiu-Jitsu students pay a fl at fee to come to as many classes as they want per week. Currently classes are offered Mon- day through Thursday evenings, but Morizi plans to add more day- time and weekend classes. He asks any interested students to try out one class for free before joining, to know what they’re get- ting into. They just need to come early dressed in workout clothes and sign a waiver. For more information visit morizijiujitsu.com or call 858-692-1468. Columbia River Health closing Umatilla pharmacy By JADE MCDOWELL Less than a year after purchasing Carlson’s Uma- tilla Drug, Columbia River Health is closing the phar- macy on April 30. The organization hosted a celebration of the newly renamed Columbia River Pharmacy in November, but on April 4 announced on Facebook that it would be closing the pharmacy “due to circumstances beyond our control” that made it “no longer feasible for us to operate a second pharmacy.” “This has been a heart wrenching decision that has not come easily,” they wrote. “We care deeply for all of our patrons and recog- nize how this decision will affect each of them.” The Boardman-based health provider also thanked Cathy Putnam, who had previously owned the phar- macy and had stayed on to work as a pharmacist, and stated that they would help customers move their pre- scriptions elsewhere. Columbia River Health did not return phone calls or an email requesting more information about the clo- sure. They had previously announced plans to build a new clinic in Umatilla and eventually move the phar- macy into that building but have not announced whether the closing of the pharmacy will have an impact on the plans for the clinic. Several customers responded to the Facebook post by expressing their sadness at the news. Uma- tilla mayor Mary Dedrick wrote that the closure was a “huge mistake” on Colum- bia River Health’s part after the community had trusted them. Staff photo by E.J. Harris Cathy Putnam, behind the cash register, helps customers with their prescriptions in October of 2018 at Columbia River Pharmacy in Umatilla. PET OF THE M A K R A V N E L PHO W EEK Thanks to modern technology and industry-leading expertise, Phonak is able to bring you the best possible solutions for your hearing needs Patch is approximately a year old, very sweet & playful little guy. Loves both cats and dogs. 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