“Hard work will always beat talent when talent refuses to work hard.” The core tenant, the heartbeat of Team Lloyd Irvin, but what happens when talent decides to work hard? June 2008, final match of the 118lb and below women’s division, the match featured the two heavy favorites, one a European sensation, the other from a gym making waves in the BJJ community. 7 minutes later one would be wrapped in the warm arms of victory and the other would intimately know the coldness of defeat. Feeling confident, the east coast phenom swept the Euro star only to be re-swept. The battle went back and forth for the duration of the fight coming to a dramatic and fitting end while the crowd counted down the seconds, 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1!!!! In a moment, something very special happened, with a hand raised in victory, a star was born; Team Lloyd Irvin’s first world champion was crowned. Described early on as “she’s going to be good one day” as she struggled to make it to the stand time after time, Nyjah Easton took the criticism and naysayers to the mat. No longer would she stand in the shadow of her internationally known sibling or the male dominated world of BJJ, Nyjah had created a place of her own planted firmly amongst the top of women’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. By the time she took the stand as world champion, she had already placed 3rd as a blue belt in Brazil, 2nd in the Worlds as a purple belt, dominating grappler’s quest after grappler’s quest and won the Pan American championship but she had a thirst that only becoming a world champion could quench.
Standing 5’3 and 114lbs, Nyjah isn’t what one would call physically intimidating, but believe that what she lacks in size, she makes up for in technique and drive. Possessing the heart of a champion and the will of a warrior, she fought her way to the stand that day.
In the spring of 2007 while participating in a routine training session, something happened that would permanately impact her life. Nyjah took a devastating blow to the head that left her unconscious. After several weeks of tests and observation, she was given the news that she had epilepsy and should never train again. She simply would not settle for this, so much to be done, so many things to accomplish. After consulting her team of specialists, coaches and parents, Nyjah burst onto the scene with more ferver and fire than she’d ever shown before. Understanding now how short life and opportunities are, as fate would have it, her time had arrived. Overcoming the mental and physical challenges facing her after being taken out of training for nearly a year after suffering a serious head injury, Nyjah has become an inspiration and role model for the both men and women who train with her.
“Be the change you want to see in the world”- Gandhi. Change within the TLI, change within the women’s BJJ community and change on the World BJJ stage. All carried confidently on the shoulders of a young woman poised for greatness. Fully aware of her potential and accomplishments, Nyjah is humble, gracious and has a unyeilding desire to give back. “In my classes with both the women and the kids, it was my deepest desire to provide a safe place to grow and develop, whether they compete or not, there’s something special about bearing witness to the moment when it all makes sense. I want to share that euphoric feeling of setting a goal, preparing to win, training hard and actually winning, it’s becoming my life’s work right now…….I love it.”
I imagine you'll be getting a fair sized bunch of new readers, due to them following Elyse's link. ;)
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