Invisible Star

Had a bit of treat this year at the Gracie Academy.

I just happened to be picking up my attendance card at the front desk as a couple was signing up for their very first Jiu-Jitsu lesson ever.

Later, they were all suited up and out by the mat waiting for the beginner class to start. They seemed quite impressed by everything, but it was about to get a whole lot cooler.

Normally this class is run by one of the less senior instructors.

Today, it was a Gracie, and not just any Gracie; it was Rener.

He introduced himself to them, and chatted a little before class. Then it began.

The students all lined up, and as always he directed them regarding the review and warmup, and set everybody to work. The new couple were rounded up and received a ten-minute private lesson with a smiling and personable Rener Gracie.

Then, the class really got going, and the new folks joined everyone else in the line.

What would this be like to somebody not in Jiu-Jitsu?

Imagine showing up to swim at the nearby pool, and the guy who shows you how to work the lockers is Michael Phelps, or you sign up for a college science course, and the guy who helps you figure out which one to take is some dude in a wheelchair with an electronic voice.

It is also as if you didn't recognize the helpful guy at the pool, or Hawking, or Rener Gracie for who they are. The new Jiu-Jitsu couple didn't.