Blind Kelowna woman wins gold at grappling tournament
Michelle Jorgensen of Kelowna, a 24-yearold woman who is legally blind, won the gold medal in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at the first-ever Super Cup Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships in Kamloops on April 7.
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a grappling-based martial art where competitors can win by submission holds or points.
Jorgensen won three hard-fought matches in dominant fashion in her first-ever tournament and brought back the gold medal for her team Alliance Jiu-Jitsu - Kelowna.
Jorgensen is a full-time student studying psychology at UBCO and walked into the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu Academy only 12 months ago to attend a women’s only self-defence seminar being taught by owner and head instructor Sean McHugh.
After the seminar, Jorgensen eagerly joined up and began spending all her free time at the club — not just doing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu but also Muay-Thai kickboxing.
Very excited to start her new journey, Jorgensen quit smoking that week and has been smoke-free for a year.
“At the self-defence seminar, Michelle was the first to arrive and it only took me about 30 seconds to realize she had a vision issue,” said McHugh.
Jorgensen was born with a rare eye disease called PFV — Persistent Fetal Vasculature, which effects only a couple of people in Canada per year.
“I’m happy to do my best to help anyone who wants to learn,” said McHugh. “Michelle can see just enough to get the techniques of the day, and we’ll of course help with the details.”
Jorgensen credits a lot of her success to her coaches McHugh, Cody Earp, Kristian Fraser and her team at Alliance Jiu-Jitsu.
“Michelle is a work-horse and deserves to be recognized for the hard work she puts in,” said McHugh. “She’s a full-time student, volunteers at a variety of charities and still attends more practices consistently per week than anyone else.
“Michelle, with her outgoing personality, brings big energy to the club,” he added.
Jorgensen is already planning to compete again in June in Richmond.