With great attitudes, a willingness to learn and dedication, members of a Rotorua jiu-jitsu club have found themselves on a path to the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Championships in Japan.

The club started fundraising this year to get members to the competition and will be hosting a quiz night on May 23.

They need to raise $63,000 for the team’s flights and accommodation, and they are seeking sponsorship from local businesses to help them get to Japan.

“Fresh Jiu-Jitsu is a Gracie Gym academy that emerged from the dissolution of the Spartans, which was the first Brazilian jiu-jitsu club in Rotorua, formed in 2009 by Leon Corbett,” said club co-owner Melody Marukore.

She said jiu-jitsu is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world and has become hugely popular in the area.

Stella Marukore,10, getting a choke submission.

“We have a two-year waiting list for our kids’ class,” she said. There are 50 students in the kids’ class and another 50 on the waiting list.

This year, they started their competition team, the Elite Team, who were chosen based on Marukore’s key desired qualities for her top competitors.

“They have great attitudes in training, a good willingness to learn; they show dedication to the sport and good sportsmanship and respect when they compete.”

The club will be taking a team of 19 competitors, including 11 children, two teenagers and six adults, “with our youngest competitor being 6 years old and our oldest 61”.

Amongst the team are two black belts, including co-owner of Fresh Jiu Jitsu and Marukore’s husband, Graeme, and Arona Marsters, who are both coaches and professors in the sport.

There are several relatives within the club, making this a tight-knit competition team.

Joe Mathis, 9, has his hand raised as the winner.

The oldest competitor on the team, Arona Marsters, 61, will compete at the worlds alongside his granddaughters Charlee, 15, and Mairiki, 11, and his nephew Tere and grandnephew Tere jnr, 10.

Graeme Marukore will be competing alongside his daughter Stella and niece Tregin, 12, and nephew Save, 7.

“We have heaps of people from the same whānau and lots of sibling groups in this team going to Japan,” said Melody Marukore.

This isn’t the first time members of the club have attended international competitions.

“We have many national champions in our club, and we have taken teams to compete overseas before with very successful results, but this will be the first time our club has ever been to the World Championships.

Gus Mathis (6) hand raise, winner. Photo / supplied

Members have competed at the Pan Pacific Championships in Melbourne twice, where some of them won gold medals, and they came home with a third-place trophy for one of the kids’ divisions.

“Most of the members that we’re taking over have won multiple national championships, especially one of our teenage girls, Charlee Marsters.

“She is highly competitive, and she trains almost every single day.”

Marukore is grateful to the local businesses who have already provided their support to get the club to Japan.

The club is fundraising through garage sales, Bunnings barbecues, bake sales and raffles, and now has planned a quiz night on Friday, May 23, at the Pig & Whistle, 1182 Tutanekai St, Rotorua.

For more information, visit their Facebook page www.facebook.com/graciegymrotorua