SPORTS

Grappling with success

Young Diné is a star at jiu jitsu

By Cindy Yurth
Tséyi' Bureau

LECHEE, Ariz., May 8, 2008

Kyle Simpson is short, skinny and smart: classic bully bait.

But the 9-year-old doesn't get bullied at school. Not since the last guy tried it.

Kyle grabbed the bully's arm, looked into his eyes and said, "Leave me alone."

Lucky for the bully, he backed down. Kyle could easily have broken his arm.

Kyle, who is T‡chii'nii (Red Running into Water Clan), born for Ma'ii Deeshgiizhnii (Coyote Pass Clan), is a national champion of jiu jitsu, the Brazilian art of "chokeholds and breaking bones," as his father Chris puts it.

It is a sport in which size doesn't matter.

"It's designed for the little man to get the better of a bigger man," Chris Simpson explained. "It's all about technique."

Unlike Greco-Roman wrestling, in which the match is over when one person is pinned against the mat on his back, jiu jitsu is just starting when that happens.

"Some of the most lethal holds can be done while you're on your back," Chris said.

This is a sport for a 9-year-old?

Oh yes. And younger. Among martial artists, it's pretty much agreed you can't get really good unless you start as a child.

At his Redhouse Martial Arts Studio in Page, Ariz., Kyle's uncle Brendon starts children as young as 5.

Of course, the tournaments are closely refereed and a match is stopped the minute it looks like someone is about to get hurt. Kyle has broken his arm in a playground accident, but he's never been hurt doing jiu jitsu.

His opponents, on the other hand ... well, it's a pretty common occurrence for one of them to tap Kyle's body with his free hand, the jiu jitsu equivalent of crying "Uncle!"

While Kyle says the secret to good grappling is experience, the fact is he's only been doing it a year. But it was a year in which he's won every state award in his age group - the Southwest regional championship and on March 15 in Palm Springs, Fla., the North American Grappling Association intermediate-level championship. (Kyle went on to compete at the advanced level and took second.)

Kyle comes by his passion honestly - dad Chris was a wrestling standout at Page High School, Uncle Brendon runs Redhouse (named after his father's clan) with the help of Uncle Billy, and Uncle Blayne was proud enough to drive up from Phoenix to paint the studio.

"I'm pretty sure Redhouse is the first martial arts studio in Arizona run by a Native," said Chris, who, by the way, thinks it's time for Natives to reclaim the sport.

"It's in our blood," he said. "How do you think we defended ourselves all those years before we had guns?"

Kyle's mom, Arlene Goatson, was a little less supportive when Kyle announced he wanted to be a grappler.

"I didn't really want him to do it because I was afraid he would hurt himself," she said. "But he enjoys it so much, I try to encourage him."

Chris says, "You can't keep her away. Kyle loves to compete, and we both love to watch him. So does his sister. It's our family hobby."

So far, it's been a very expensive family hobby. Now that Kyle has exhausted all the state tournaments, he's traveling to places like Las Vegas and Palm Springs on the national circuit, and his big dream is to compete at the international level in New York City or Brazil.

The Simpsons do what they can to get Kyle to tourneys, but it's tough. Chris, a welder, is between jobs at the moment, and Arlene is studying elementary education at Coconino Community College.

Relatives and LeChee Chapter have pitched in, and the family has sold a lot of their more valuable possessions. The latest raffle, going on now, is for Arlene's handmade purse and Kyle's uncle's hunting rifle. They hold a lot of Navajo taco sales too.

"I think everyone in LeChee is tired of Navajo tacos," quipped Chris.

Kyle is presently looking for a corporate sponsor, but most local businesses would rather sponsor Little League teams than a lone martial artist. Beer companies sponsor several adult Arizona grapplers, but the Simpsons are understandably reluctant to send their 9-year-old out with a Budweiser patch on his outfit.

Anyone who would like to pitch in to send Kyle to an international meet may call Arlene at 928- 660-0623.

Kyle, who in addition to his grappling prowess is a straight-A student, looks forward to a day when money won't be a problem.

"I'm going to be a doctor," he says, looking through those eyes that struck fear into the bully's heart. "Then I can build my Mom and Dad a two-story house and buy them a cool car."

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