Longmont AOD Tyra Pritt: Choosing Strength Over Playing Small
Easton Longmont’s Tyra Pritt didn’t walk into Easton Training Center Longmont searching for a personal reinvention. Like many of the adults on our mats, she found herself at the academy seeking an outlet for her energetic son.
In 2021, after hearing a podcast about how Brazilian Jiu Jitsu could benefit kids, Tyra and her husband began asking friends about programs they trusted. Several of those friends trained in BJJ themselves and pointed them toward Easton Longmont. Her younger son, Rowdy, started training in February, and by October, Tyra and her older son Wyatt had joined him on the mats.
What began as a fun family activity quickly became something much more. Today, five years later, Tyra runs Longmont’s Kids Program as its department head and works alongside GM River Mayfield as the school’s Academy Operations Director (AOD).
She also holds a purple belt in BJJ and is an avid competitor, even winning a world championship at the blue belt masters level!
A surprising game
Tyra played intramural basketball and volleyball in middle school and dabbled in recreational softball in her early twenties, but she never felt particularly “athletic.” It wasn’t until BJJ that something clicked.
For her, Jiu Jitsu feels playful and connective, like solving a puzzle with another person in real time. Even early on, watching Rowdy and the other kids train from the sidelines, this aspect fascinated Tyra the most.
“It’s the game,” she says, “the cerebral part of it. Trying to figure out what someone’s move is going to be and being ahead of them.”
As she began training consistently, Tyra discovered a side of herself she’d never quite let out before – a warrior no longer content with playing it small. Through that process, she’s found not just physical strength, but resilience and the ability to surprise herself.
[Games of Resilience: BJJ x Chess]
From sidelines to competition
As a one-stripe white belt, Tyra began assisting Little Tigers kids classes (ages four to six), making sure they didn’t collide or get hurt. Even in that early role, coaching changed the way she trained. It forced her to slow down, focus on details and apply what she explained to kids directly to her own game.
Coaching also had a positive impact on competition day. Tyra competed for the first time as a four-stripe white belt at an Easton Open, after a little over a year of training. Turns out coaching kids through their own matches all morning didn’t leave much room for her own nerves, and Tyra stepped onto the mats with surprisingly little anxiety.
“I just went out and did Jiu Jitsu,” she says, “like I do every day here.” She performed well, and soon after received her blue belt.
[Why Competitors and Hobbyists Must Coexist]
Her next tournament, the IBJJF Denver Open, brought a very different experience. The nerves hit hard this time, with an adrenaline dump in the opening seconds that made her legs feel like cement. Tyra felt like she couldn’t breathe, her mind and body disconnected.
She kept fighting, trusted that her legs still worked and earned a submission. That day, Tyra learned what happens when she pushes through fear, doubt and discomfort and walked away with a far deeper understanding of herself under pressure.
Later, as a blue belt in 2024, Tyra dominated Master Worlds, winning every match by submission with no points scored against her.
“I was like, holy crap,” she remembers, “what did I just do?”
It wasn’t just the gold medal; it was in the courage to show up, put it out there and see what happens when you don’t shrink yourself. Shortly after, she stepped into a pro match and won that as well.
[Three Breathing Exercises to Calm Your Nerves]
As with anything, losses are inevitable, too. When they do happen, each one carries a different lesson, whether that means learning to accept defeat gracefully, managing emotions, or navigating the pressure of expectations after a big win.
She laughs at the nickname “Murder Barbie” her training partners gave her, but it represents something deeper: that we can reinvent ourselves again and again, remaining the same person at our core, just stronger, braver and more evolved.
Transformation through BJJ
Jiu Jitsu has had a transformative effect in all aspects of Tyra’s world. From growing fully into herself to deepening her relationship with her children and her community, it has reframed how she shows up in the world and what she’s capable of in life.
In the summer of 2025, Tyra stepped into a major leadership role at Easton Longmont, becoming both Kids Department Head and Academy Operations Director as the former Kids DH, River, transitioned into the GM role.
The shift to leading a team of coaches and staff brought new challenges, like navigating difficult conversations or moments of conflict, but every experience reveals new levels of grit. Letting people go, saying goodbye, and setting boundaries with parents have stretched her and forced growth in new dimensions.
Today, Easton has remained Tyra’s happy place. She trains almost every day, both in class and outside sessions with training partners, and often stays longer than she probably should, simply because she loves being there. Her favorite moments are the quiet ones, when the academy is empty and still.
