Ultra Competitive: Cheyenne Jewel

Cheyenne Jewel is probably one of the most pleasantly surprising female wrestlers I've faced. I first met her in a session over a year ago which was really fun! She had set up mats for us in her hotel room which gave us plenty of room to feel each other out. We probably didn't use a lot of it though as, like myself, Cheyenne is not shy about locking in tight and squeezing out a victory.

Our very first fall I moved in and she leaned back taking my waist between her thighs and locked on a shockingly tight body scissors! Usually getting scissored from this position (just like guard in bjj) is not as bad as other positions. But Cheyenne's legs are toned from years of horse back riding and her upper body equally strong from years of doing farm work. This girl just has a natural ability to squeeze! I felt my body tensing up as I struggled to tough it out and hold on, a voice in my head saying "oh my God you're in trouble!" I was so close to submitting when I barely managed to slip free from above. The fact that she did not have the best leverage in that position was the only thing that saved me.

We wrestled pretty non stop throughout the hour. I had been training in classes at that point on and off for a couple years so I did have a decent skill edge over Cheyenne who was more just starting out in wrestling competitively at that time. Through all the crushing body locks and squeezes I was able to hold my own in strength and maneuver myself around her and edge her out by a very slim margin each fall. By the end the score was 6-0. We both loved the challenge we gave eachother and were both eager for a rematch.

Through occasional texting back and forth we would egg each other on to up our game for the big rematch. I had since started my store and we decided it would make for a great video. Cheyenne had taken some classes and improved her technical skill. I had slipped physically at the end of last year and was about 5 months into getting myself into the best shape I have ever been in. This would be one of the first matches I had done on video since making that progress. The stage was set for an epic best of 5 falls mixed wrestling showdown. Both of us better wrestlers and stronger athletes than the first time we tangled.

Match now available in the Mixed Battle Theatre!

So that's in my store! I won't spoil it by saying who won but I can definitely tell you the score was NOT 5-0! This was a close struggle. Cheyenne definitely had gotten even stronger and had added significantly to her game. She is a better technical wrestler now than she was a year ago and can still muscle it out like an amazon when she needs to.

So one of us was able to edge out a victory in the video but we were both game for more. We wrestled 6 more falls over the next hour and in retrospect I probably should have kept the camera going. It was super intensely competitive. Our video match behind us and now the both of us striving for personal pride between two fit athletes who love to compete against eachother. At one point Cheyenne even put her foot through a wall while pushing off to avoid my legs. (we fixed it of course and to my surprise the space owner seemed more disappointed over the fact that it was not on video! Lol).

Near the end of the hour we were tied at 3 to 3. We both looked at each other, covered in sweat and visibly worn down. Neither of us could let it end in a tie. We squared off for what would be the tiebreaker for our rematch after our rematch. We locked up with each other, both of us maneuvering for position. First she would threaten me in a hold and then I would turn the tables. I managed to maneuver her waist between my legs and flexed them hard going for a submission but didn't have enough left to hold it out for long. She muscled out of my hold and locked me in a rear naked and squeezed! But she didn't have enough strength left to keep me from struggling to face her.

We had worn eachother out over the last 11 straight falls but were both hoping to outlast the other just once more. We wrestled back and fourth, slippery with sweat for a full 20 minutes. Finally both of us admitted neither of us had the strength left to actually submit the other so we called it a truce for that round.

If you are reading this and you get a chance to have a match with Cheyenne Jewel you definitely should. She is naturally competitive, deceptively strong, can squeeze the daylights out of you and is one of the nicest people you can imagine. She loves a good struggle and really brings it in her matches. Just check out our 5 round showdown to see how hard she wrestles! :)

Check out her site here!

There will definitely be more matches in this rapidly developing mixed wrestling rivalry for sure!

Challenge Match: Jennifer Thomas!

I was challenged by Jennifer Thomas to a match this past weekend in New Jersey and finally got to experience her world class headlocks for myself! First of all, she is really awesome and fun! She really loves to go at it in the older school style of get in there, muscle it out and crush you till you beg. Most of her training was in Pro Wrestling but she can mix it up in true competitive style.

She was someone who was on my "want to challenge" list for a long time. We finally started chatting actually not in regards to a match together but supporting each others web endeavors. Jennifer is definitely naturally competitive and it did not take long for us to start talking less about who was getting more clicks on SessionGirls.com and start talking more about who could make the other beg!

Both of us were pretty confident going in and both of us were loving the anticipation. On the day before Jennifer up the stakes even more by asking me to bring my camera so our first ever face off could be documented for all. Damn! No excuses. No do overs.

We faced off for 7 rounds with the winner taking the set by one submission. Jennifer is so strong especially given her petite size. It's a real shock locking up with her and feeling the limits of my strength matched by hers. The struggles were slow and taxing. Both of us were eager to lock the other in our favorite power holds. Headlocks for Jennifer and body scissors for me. There were no joint locks or chokes. We could have gone for them. But it just wasn't that style of fight. Both of us were committed to crushing the other till they couldn't take it.

It was one of the rare times I have ever been submitted in a headlock and probably fairly rare that Jennifer had been squeezed to submission in a body scissors. It was close! We both loved it! There will be more matches between us. Next time we are even flirting with the idea of an oil match! Time will tell!

Taking the Jello Wrestling Plunge!!!

So last night I got to experience a personal wrestling first (since I've been at this a while that is becoming rare). At IMPACT here in NYC I was lucky enough to get to participate in Jello Wrestling and wow was it fun! I had attended the first iteration of this even this past November and though watching was definitely a hoot I found myself wanting to jump in there so bad! So this time around I got on the list earlier. They actually do some of their own match making in advance so the odds of getting a match at the event is far better if it's set up in advance rather than trying to snag an instant match at the event. Slots fill up really quick!

This event is a total blast. It brings me back a little to a few years ago when they used to do similar events at Arlene's Grocery among a few other venues. These events were tournament style, all fem and had a very fun energy to them with play-by-play announcers and live music. I always enjoyed going to these events as a spectator but always wanted to feel the thrill of being in such a match in front of such an energetic crowd. They stopped doing the Jello events at some point but no one who had been to one really ever forgot how fun they were.

This event definitely retains a lot of the fun energy of the previous incarnation but I would say shifts it a little bit darker and edgier. It favors a fight card structure rather than a tournament structure and opens the match combinations up across the board. Fem v Fem, Male v Male, Mixed, even 2-on-2 and 2-on-1. There's a DJ, an MC, spotlights and the crowd goes wild! :)

My match was set a week or two in advance against a feisty looking fun FetLifer whom I had never met before (name withheld till she tells me it's cool). And there is something about that that's actually quite exhilarating. To me anyways, the idea of being matched up with someone you don't know for a first time match in front of a lot of people is pretty wild. I was excited to take the Jello Wrestling plunge!

As the event got rolling, the Wrestling Pit was set to go and the waivers were being signed by many eager participants who were mingling with an even greater number of curious spectators. I finally met my match face to face. Both of us were pretty much in our fetish/wrestling gear. We chit-chatted a little bit probably sizing each other up just a little at the same time (I was! lol). She was no push-over! Both of us had wrestled before, had some training in BJJ but neither of us had ever tried what we were about to do.

The lights over the Jello Wrestling Pit brightened and we were informed we would be the opening match! Instant butterflies as the spectators gathered. The MC hyped up the crowd for a night of fun and Jello-drenched glory! One at a time we entered the Jello ring to cheers from the fun-spirited crowd. We stared each other down a little as "Welcome to the Jungle" poured over the speakers from the DJ. We inched closer to each other, locked up and immediately tumbled into the pit together struggling to get on top.

Wrestling in Jello is probably crazier than any other kind of wrestling I have tried. Oil Wrestling is pretty slippery for sure, but it pretty much keeps to the skin. This was semi solid, slippery and you were in a pool of it that would get everywhere... in your mouth, in your tights... Every move would send it flying in all directions! Trying to grip onto your opponent pretty much results in gliding over them and getting flipped to your back. We went at it full steam ahead, both of us flipping the other over and going for pins. I could hear her giggling as I would attempt to get on top of her and then get flipped to my back in an instant.

The MC started counting down to the end of the time limit, crowd cheering us on, as I could feel the intensity of the struggle ramping up as both of us tried to pull out a last-second victory. I pressed her to her back, pinning her arms out to the side hearing the referee starting a 3 count but just as he gets to 2 I feel her part muscle, part slip to her side under me avoiding the pin. In the last seconds I got my legs around her waist and my arm around her neck and got a submission as time expired. Though technically chokes are illegal at this event so my victory was mired in controversy. Guess that just makes me a dirty Jello Wrestler! ;) (But seriously, everyone should follow the rules!) :)

We slapped hands and stumble-slid to the seating around the ring as the crowd cheered and the next match started being announced. I was surprised at how much I was panting from such a short match but it was highly energetic and honestly one of the most uniquely fun matches I had ever done and with a truly awesome-fun opponent.

The event went on with about a dozen really fun-spirited Jello battles with many lucky participants getting in there more than once. The party go-ers were into it, the atmosphere was electric and the Jello flew in all directions! You can bet I'll be going back, looking to extend my record and wreak gelatinous havoc on unsuspecting faces. And next time I'll have all sorts of new tricks up my sleeve... like sandals. The amount of Jello that got in my shoes was enough to inspire me to check them next time at the door along with my coat! :)

The One Hour Grapple

Recently, as I started my fitness routines to get me in my best shape for the big grapple event in June, I started wrestling with a girl called Aluna. I met her at Michelle Falsetta's Mixed Wrestling Event in late January. She was already a friend of a friend but was totally new to wrestling. She is a total natural athlete. She surfs often, has played soccer at a collegiate level and has an intense competitive streak. We wrestled about a 10 minute round at the party which I won due to skill level. But the match was SUPER tiring. She really brings it 100% from start to finish. We chatted after the match and decided we wanted to wrestle again on our own. Aluna particularly liked matches that could make her tired.

We met up for another match about a week later and wrestled for 4 more 10 minute rounds, which was different than I usually do. Usually I'll wrestle till one of us scores a submission, both of us take a breather and when we feel like it we do another round. With Aluna, if there is a submission we get right back up and immediately go at it again. Nothing can save you from the exhaustion until the timer sounds. We were both into it. We talked about it more and decided we wanted to challenge eachother to keep slowly increasing the round times until we worked up to a full one hour long non-stop grapple. We made a google spreadsheet (dorky as that sounds, lol!) with many matches in a series laid out with one round slowly increasing in time until it gets up to a full 60 minutes. So that's our goal! We are keeping a tally as we go along all building up to that final 60 minute challenge.

We just had Match #3 in the series last week and Aluna beat me for the first time. Despite the fact that I am in better shape than our last two matches she was alot stronger too from a full week of non-stop surfing on a vacation and she started a yoga routine that she says has helped. We start standing up so there is alot of foot work and takedown attempts and blocks. We did one 10 minute round and two 15 minute rounds. By the third round we had done so much standing grappling that my calves were totally worn out and cramping. This was despite that I had drank alot of water and had a good dose of potassium to avoid muscle cramps the days leading up to the match. It was definitely more grappling from a standing position than I was accustomed to! And against a girl who has a killer set of legs on par with any soccer player girl you have ever seen. It happened at critical times too in positions where I almost had her only to have her escape because of the intense pain in each calf.

This match motivated me to up my intensity in the gym and try to push myself harder. I have been to the gym 3 out of 4 days since that night. I'm really starting to notice improvement in my cardio and fitness. This week I put alot more effort into increasing my strength and endurance (because Aluna was stronger than me in this last match!). We are doing these matches on a frequency of every two weeks so I still have another week to put the effort in to get ready for match #4. I'm still leading in matches, rounds and submissions won (all of which we are keeping a total of throughout the series) but we are close in all three. At this rate our epic one hour showdown will likely take place some time in August. But this is a really fun and motivating way to really push yourself to the limit with someone. We will both be so much stronger at the end than we were when we started and I'm looking forward to sharing more as this goes along. :)

Awesome New Opportunities for Mixed Fighting!

http://www.clips4sale.com/42615

2011 thus far is full of new and exciting mixed wrestling opportunities! I'd like to take the opportunity to highlight a few new sites and experiences! Firstly, my store has been doing pretty well so far especially considering it's kind of just an extension of my hobby. I have some great matches in there so far and continue to find opportunities to keep adding more. It's really just been the perfect combination of lucky circumstances that I have been able to get the space, camera, opponents and ability to self produce my matches. It has already well exceeded my expectations! Above is a pic of me getting worn down in one of Devon D'amo's signature holds "The Devon Sleeper!" It's on sale for the next week while I prepare the footage of an extra intense rematch between me and Devon in oil! Those of you that liked the first will love the second. :)

Jennifer Thomas has started up a new site that is really cool and I think long over due. SessionGirls.com is basically a networking site focused on the session wrestling industry. Wrestlers and clients alike can create profiles, add pictures, promote yourself, find potential matches and find events. The interface so far is good! It may not be facebook caliber yet, but they are constantly working to add more functions and perks and the real value of the site is that it is focused on wrestling, female and mixed, and is a great place to get your name out there and get yourself noticed by other wrestlers. I've already met a few that I am looking forward to meeting and will likely get the opportunity to collaborate with, including the very sweet and lovely Jennifer Thomas herself. :) Check out this site. Create a profile. You don't have to be a Session Girl to have a profile on SessionGirls and network. I have one there! Friend me. :)

Another site I would like to give a nod to is MixedWrestlingEvent.com which is a monthly mixed wrestling event where you can go to hang out, socialize and jump on the mats for a good quick struggle. I have been attending on and off for a while now and the roster of talent that they continually manage to get at the event is always impressive! From big name woman wrestlers from all over the country to lesser known hidden gems that you might never get the chance to wrestle outside of meeting them at this event. The space that they have for this event is both private and large. There is plenty of space to lounge about and chat it up with a potential match. There are refreshments at no additional charge (you do pay a door fee but I have found it to be well worth the price of admission). Michelle Falsetta runs the show and really outdoes herself each month with her hosting capabilities. For any fan of mixed wrestling this is definitely an excellent place to get to meet and wrestle female wrestlers of all levels of skill and strength. It's a blast! I find myself going back to the event over and over as it never disappoints! The next event is on March 31st 8 to 11pm. They always post the dates for the next party well in advance so just check the site if you want to go.

One more site that I want to let people know about is FitFetishClips.com which is run by the very fit, very awesome FlameBabe (a.k.a Flamedragan). It's a membership site which also has a clips store and has a wide variety of struggle fetish related clips. It's well worth a look as it features a wide array of female wrestling stars including one I actually seldom see in videos, Sunfire, who I once had the chance to wrestle and was shocked by the strength of her scissors and grapvines! Among the very strongest I have experienced! She is like a python. If you don't tap, she squeezes harder... and harder... and harder... until you do. There is a match between her and FlameBabe that alone is worth joining up for. However if al la carte is your preference, she also has a clips4sale sore you can buy individual matches from.

So those are my highlights for now! Three very talented female wrestlers that all have some pretty cool offerings online and deserve your support. Great to see people like them taking more control of this shared passion and adding more opportunities for the rest of us to join in the fun! I have soooo much more to talk about! Including my quest to take my fitness level through the roof through mixed grappling. But it will have to wait till next time I suppose! Till next time! :)

Finally got it done! Store Launched!

Store is here: [http://www.clips4sale.com/42615]

I finally launched my clips store. :) After plenty of urging from friends an opponents alike that I should give it a try, here it is! Now some of the matches I rave about so much on here can be seen by any who want to see them. I had to get a certain number of clips going before I could "officially" launch so I am launching with multiple matches already available, but what an AMAZING trio of featured opponents this is: KO, Devon D'amo and Julie Squeeze!! Tell me that's nothing short of an all-star line up?!

First, as hinted at previously my most recent encounter with the incredible KO [http://www.allnaturalko.com] was caught on video as the two of us put each other in crushing lockups of all sorts. Now that the camera was rolling, we were both eager to rack up submissions on each other. An intense all out power struggle ensued with each of us flat out trying to over power the other! No resting or mercy between falls either. Both of us were truly looking to dominate! You can also find 3 additional rounds between us at her clip site too! [http://www.clips4sale.com/store/30212]

I also had a video challenge match against Devon D'amo, who has rapidly become a friend of mine over the last few years. The overall match was set to be best of 5 rounds. The first 3 are traditional submission style matches. The last 2 rounds (part 2) we decided to try something different in light of losing our camera person and needing to keep the shot static. Devon has an incredible resistance to pain and despite being smaller than me, holds her own in power style moves like bearhugs, grapvines and scissors. So we decided to put it to the test in two rounds focusing on trying to purely out squeeze each other. An exhausting challenge of pure endurance, will and strength!

Finally, there is a full 5 round submission wrestling challenge between me and ultra-competitive wrestler Julie Squeeze! I almost shouldn't have to say much here. Julie holds victories over so many other female wrestlers it's almost like a who's who list of well known skilled female fighters. I took my chance to go all out against her and try to deal her a very rare defeat! I have wrestled her off camera before and had some success in a private fun setting, but now that the cameras were rolling I was about to find out just how competitive Julie can really be!

So there it is! I already have a few more matches on the horizon for it but if you are someone that really loves competitive mixed wrestling I hope this is something that you'll enjoy! I am definitely new to being on this side of things as far as putting a store together. I'll be figuring things out as I go along! So if anyone has feedback, suggestions or requests I welcome that! I can always be reached at hanzvanderkill@gmail.com

Cheers! :)