After wrapping up our second Easton Open of 2024, the future of the event is starting to crystalize. As we continue to evolve as an academy and a community, the Open continues to evolve too.
This past October 19th and 20th at the South Suburban Sports Complex in Littleton, Colorado, we had over 500 competitors on the mats for our fifth official Easton Open. After over 20 years in action, our semi-annual tournament has become a massive event focused on team spirit, camaraderie and building up everyone involved.
As first-time and returning competitors hit the mats, with 433 Jiu Jitsu students competing and over 100 Muay Thai competitors, everyone came together in a space of mutual respect and community, after weeks and months of training together, sparring and supporting one another.
Aside from an excellent opportunity to test yourself and an undeniable milestone for progress, the Easton Open highlights the importance of improving together through the continuous elevation of martial arts. It also creates unshakable bonds through the shared experience of mental struggle – the adrenaline dump, fear, anxiety and pushing through it to realize you are so much more than you thought.
Our purpose is unique, and it’s unconventional. Just as Easton approaches martial arts from a place of openness to everyone – beginners, farmers, moms and dads, even grandparents unlocking their inner fighter – the Easton Open gives anyone a chance to challenge themselves with that next level of discomfort. It teaches them how to operate under pressure, in front of a crowd and in a live setting.
[Easton Open Fall 2023: Conquering Fears, Testing Yourself, Getting in the Zone]
It’s not just about winning. It’s about learning that you can do it – that you’re capable of taking on something harder than you ever thought possible. It’s about learning how to compete, from the mental and emotional standpoints as well as the technical – which is why it’s the perfect opportunity for beginners.
Egos aside, we want you to get comfortable with the idea of competing so that you can take that knowledge beyond the walls of any Easton-organized event and crush it out there. Not just with wins or victories – by spreading the wisdom through the humility of a true champion.
To expand this transformative experience, we invite other teams and schools to join our unique competition community. We want to unite across Colorado martial arts and see for ourselves the power that emerges when everyone comes together for a greater cause than themselves.
We’re grateful to everyone who helps put these events together! Just as our students come from every walk of life, and our blog is written by a kaleidoscope of voices from the community, this event is a tapestry of all of that – a collection of all kinds of competitors, volunteers and local businesses as sponsors pulling it all together.
[Easton Open Spring 2024: Competition that Elevates Community]
