ROSSI'S LOOKING TO FAN JIU JITSU 'WILDFIRE' AT WOLF PACK (8 PHOTOS) (2024-10-06)

By TIM BIRNEY
The Sports Reports
SAYRE —  Jason Rossi has a passion for jiu jitsu, and believes a lot of people share in his passion. So much so, that’s he’s opened the “Wolf Pack,” located here at 146 Desmond St., to train others in the martial art.

“There’s a wildfire burning for this,” said Rossi.

“Everyone who starts doing this loves it, or you don’t,” laughed Rossi. “Seriously, there’s a really high percentage who start this that stick with it.

“It’s gotten pretty big. Hopefully, we can blow it up in this area, too,” he noted. “I’ve gotten a lot of interest from it.”

“We’re trying to create a family environment,” added Rossi. “We do have a lot of family members in here training together, and that’s what I really want.”

Rossi is currently a purple belt, working toward his black belt.

“I started with this about five years ago,” he said. “The UFC aspect it peaked my interest.”

Rossi was “regular Army, Airborne” in his younger days, but said his military background didn’t lay much of a groundwork for what’s he’s doing now.

“We just did a lot of running, a lot of miles, and had to learn how to fall, basically on your head,” he laughed.

“When I was in (the Army), they were teaching a hip toss; that was basically the extent of our training.

“Now, they have Army combatives, the Marines, too … everybody has picked it up,” Rossi added.

Speaking of UFC, Rossi is interested in the Wolf Pack becoming an “elite” fighting gym, but says it will cater to all levels of interest.

“The goal is to be an elite jiu jitsu fight gym, as well as offering classes for the regular hobbyist who want to come in, have fun, learn things, and get in great shape while doing it.

“We’ve already done a few tournaments, won some gold and silver medals, and placed well in the state rankings in just a few months,” said Rossi.

“We’re approaching 30 — broken into age, weight, and ability

“It’s hard to tell how good you are in here, everybody is getting really good at the same time,” added Rossi. “You go to competitions, and you find out how good you are.”

Rossi says jiu jitsu has been a God send for him.

“It’s brought peace, and it’s helped me look at anything, and come up with a solution,” he said. “In jiu jitsu, you have to think a couple steps ahead to stay ahead of your opponent.

“The mental and physical aspects are just through the roof.

“You have to experience it to know what the energy we’re talking about is,” added Rossi. “The entire room just has a vibe that is pretty awesome.”

The Wolf Pack opened June 1, and Rossi has seen tremendous growth from his students.

“We have three purple belts, a couple blue belts, and a bunch of hungry white belts that are really good.

“It’s been interesting to watch them grow and progress,” said Rossi. “The change in their personalities has been interesting as well. Some of the kids who have come in were shy, and they’ve come in and made friends, and had a really good time. It’s also a big boost to their self-confidence.

“The best thing about it is, you never stop learning,” added Rossi.

Jiu jitsu isn’t the only thing offered at the Wolf Pack.

“We do boxing, kick-boxing, yoga, and I’d really like to get into Reiki in the future,” said Rossi.

For more information, check out the Wolf Pack Facebook page.

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PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.

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