Jiu-jitsu: A World Championship-Quality Hobby

Junior Lule along with two other competitors at the 2018 Grappling World Team Trials.

Photo courtesy of the Concordia University Wrestling Facebook page

By Nicholas Boys

Although most people envision a world championship competitor as someone who eats, breathes and sleeps their chosen event, for Assistant Wrestling Coach Junior Lule, it’s something entirely different.

During the last week of April, he competed in the Grappling World Team Trials (more commonly referred to as jiu-jitsu), where he qualified for the world championships. To Lule, jiu-jitsu is simply a hobby, even if it is a world championship-caliber one.

His true passion lies in wrestling. His father helped nurture it, and it has afforded him a successful collegiate career as well as a start in the coaching ranks. Lule spent two years at Palomar College in his native state of California before transferring to Concordia for his final two years of competition, thanks to a recommendation from a former teammate. He has since stayed on the staff as a graduate assistant for two years and this year has been promoted to a full-time assistant on the staff.

“He lives and breathes the sport of wrestling. Everyday he’s trying to learn and get better so that he can make our team better,” Head Wrestling Coach Levi Calhoun said.

This burning desire helped Lule to have a successful career at Concordia as an athlete and two-time national championship qualifier, as well as being selected as an All-GPAC wrestler in the Great Plains Athletic Conference both years. To him, the transition to coaching seemed almost inevitable.

“I’ve known I wanted to be a wrestling coach from a young age,” Lule said. “I was lucky enough here to get the graduate assistant job and now the full time assistant. Everything kind of fell into place.”

Now as a coach, Lule has noticed a necessary shift in his mindset toward serving others and overseeing the whole team, although this was something he became accustomed to during his time as team captain.

“I’m not worrying about my own career anymore. I have to worry about 28 other kids,” Lule said.

Although his wrestling days have come to an end, Lule uses jiu-jitsu as a way to compete and stay in shape. His love for mixed martial arts fighting led him to pick up jiu-jitsu first in 2011 as another avenue to connect with his father.

“Wrestling got a little different. He stopped being able to beat me so jiu-jitsu is good because it’s not as hard on the body,” Lule said.

Lule trains at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in Omaha and uses it more as a social outing as opposed to full-fledged training. His girlfriend is an instructor at 10th Planet and they’ve been locked in some intense battles, which he reluctantly admits have been closer than he liked.

“She has tapped me out a couple times,” Lule said, “but not very often.”

While wrestling and jiu-jitsu may seem similar at a glance, they encompass many technical differences that make them unique disciplines. Jiu-jitsu is a more strategic game of cat and mouse where grappling and technique is key, whereas wrestling encompasses some of these details but also includes brute, physical contact. In Lule’s mind, they are two very different sports.

“Wrestling is my life and passion whereas with jiu-jitsu I’m just having fun and it’s more of a hobby,” Lule said.

Impressively, this “hobby” led Lule to Las Vegas this past April where he competed in the Grappling World Team Trials in the 71 kilogram division. He subdued his opponent which in turn qualified him for a spot at the world championships, though he was unfortunately unable to attend due to other commitments.

Lule plans to return to Las Vegas, Nevada next year to compete in the World Team Trials. This time around he fully expects to go to the world championships if he is able to qualify. While wrestling is his true passion, jiu-jitsu could make him a world champion, and what a hobby that would be.