At the end of October, seven jiu-jitsu athletes representing Niverville returned home with a total of 11 medals after competing at the 2025 Sask Cup.
Hosted in Saskatoon by the Canadian League of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu on October 25, the tournament welcomed more than 360 athletes. The medals earned over the course of the day reflect the disciplined training in Niverville’s jiu-jitsu program and the Winnipeg Academy of Martial Arts (WAMMA)-affiliated wrestling program, both run out of the CRRC.
Running in ten-week blocks, the classes are open to drop-ins and see a mix of youth and adult participants involved in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, as well as other mixed martial arts. These sessions are supported by coaches like Jens Reuter, who runs the kids wrestling program at the CRRC, and Terence Martell, who coaches kids jiu-jitsu under Niverville head coaches Jay Sousa and Joe Doerksen.
“It’s a very broad program, with a range of participants from complete beginners to coaches who are black belts and former elite competitors,” says Reuter. “We see all age ranges actively participating.”
In addition to these two coaches, Micah Ihnatenko, 19, took home gold. Reuter’s two children, Benjamin (12), and Lilyanne Reuter (14), each took gold and silver. Two other youth, Noah (15) and Nyles Fast (13), each left with double golds in their divisions.
Each reached the podium through distinct challenges on the mat. Reuter marked the unique challenges each competitor had to overcome.
Noah and Nyles, whose primary sport is wrestling while adding weekly jiu-jitsu cross-training, swept in their categories.
“Noah went undefeated in his matches,” says Reuter. “He just smoked everyone. Nyles gave up 15 pounds to his opponents through some tough matches. They both took double gold in the gi [formal uniform] and no-gi [non-uniform/shorts] categories.”
Lilyanne, competing in only her second ever jiu-jitsu tournament, had to move up to the advanced category to get matches. Though she is newer to jiu-jitsu, her years of wrestling paid off, earning her a gold in the no-gi division and silver in the gi division.
“Since there was no one in his weight class, Benjamin had to go up a weight class,” says Reuter. “Some of the opponents were 15 to 25 pounds bigger than him.”
Ihnatenko, who experienced some tough losses in the gi division, returned to defeat all his previous opponents and take gold in no-gi.
“I competed in the advanced open weight and placed second. I would’ve liked to have won, but I was happy with it,” Reuter adds. “Terence faced some very tough opponents. Even though he didn’t win, he acquitted himself well and walked away with third place.”
Reuter believes that jiu-jitsu is a little more accessible to a wider age range, including absolute beginners. However, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, and martial arts overall are the best kind of fitness training.
“These classes offer self-defence skills and increase confidence,” says Reuter. “You get what you put in. If you want to have fun, hang out with friends, and learn skills, then that’s great. If you want to push yourself and compete at a high level, that opportunity is there as well.”
Fans of wrestling can look forward to December 20 when WAMMA Niverville hosts Niverville Open, a freestyle wrestling tournament, at the CRRC. The day begins at 9:00 a.m. and welcomes spectators for $5 cash at the door.