A Q&A with Tap Cancer Out
by Brian Woodman Jr. on 09/05/16
We recently had a conversation with Jon Thomas, who is president and CEO of the not-for-profit organization Tap Cancer Out -- a Stratford, Connecticut-based organization that holds BJJ tournaments in Connecticut, Massachusetts and California. Our previous conversation with them is posted here.
The organization, which raises money for cancer research, held a tournament on Oct. 27 in Danvers, Massachusetts at St. John's Preparatory School. It will hold another one on Oct. 22 at the United Sports Fieldhouse in Downington, Pennsylvania.
What makes the Danvers location an attractive locale for the tournament?
We’ve been hosting our tournaments on the campus of St. John’s Prep since 2012, so this was our fourth tournament there. It’s not only a great location for its facilities, but it gets us central enough to attract competitors from all New England states including Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine, which don’t often have good tournaments come their way.
How much did the last Danvers event raise?
We raised more than $86,000. Donations are still coming in actually. It was the second highest fundraising total we’ve ever had, which puts us over the $200,000 mark for 2016 so far and we’ve still got one tournament to go.
How well attended is it compared to the other events that you hold?
Every year it gets bigger and bigger. At final count we had 340 competitors—adults, teens, juniors and kids—which was an 87% increase over the same tournament last year and the second-most competitors we’ve ever had at a tournament (our tournament last spring was our largest, attracting 460 competitors).
What is the caliber of the competition that it attracts?
We have some amazing competitors at all our belts, including black belts. You can catch some of the higher belt finals matches that were live streamed on our Facebook page, but this year our lightweight finals saw Renan Borges (New England United BJJ) vs Bruno Dias (Barbosa JJ).
Will you be adding other locations to your schedule over time?
Absolutely. We added Philly for 2016 and we’re eyeing a new city in 2017. We hope to announce that one in the coming months.
More information on the organization can be found at their web site.
