Andy Lally, driver of the TRG Motorsports #71 Interstate Moving Services Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series used the off weekend to compete in the COPA America Submission Grappling Championship held in Duluth, Georgia on Saturday [Aptil 23]. The COPA America Submission Grappling meet is comprised of different weight, age and skill levels. There is no punching or kicking allowed. Competitors are scored on throws, takedowns, sweeps, reversals, knee on chest, mount, pass guard, rear mount and advantages for near points or near submissions. “I train at Creighton MMA in Georgia,” Lally said. “I’ve got some incredible instructors that I train with every day when I am home. I’ve been training at an MMA gym for a while with my primary focus being Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It’s a great cardio workout and it’s something I’ve been interested in for a long time. I’m a big fan of the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and competitive fighting. Aside from expanding my training, maybe I can find some time in the off season to give it a try on an amateur level for fun. For now, tournaments like these are what I’ll look forward to. A bunch of guys I train with will be there as well, so it should be a fun day. Kevin has been good with me for all the years we’ve been together as far as understanding that I get bored easily and can’t just jog on a treadmill to stay fit. I have lots of little goals in life and although I know my primary focus is NASCAR, I still feel like there are things that I will kick myself if I don’t try. There is always a risk for injury in a lot of things I do, but I will try to be smart and stay out of trouble. I want to be a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt some day and competing helps continue to drive me to be better.” The Copa America Submission Grappling Championships embraces all forms of grappling from Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, Submission Grappling, SAMBO, Catch Wrestling, to NO-GI Jiu Jitsu, providing a safe comfortable environment for competition with numerous divisions for any age and skill level, and maintaining the highest quality staff and referees available, COPA is able to give competitors what they deserve in a tournament experience, for more information visit www.cagc.us.(TRG)(4-24-2011)
