Chick Jitsu puts women and girls center stage in Fort Myers

FORT MYERS, Fla. - Girls and women packed the mats at Silverback Gym on Saturday for a jiu-jitsu tournament designed specifically for female competitors.

More than 60 athletes took part in Chick Jitsu’s Fort Myers event, which featured 29 head-to-head matches. Founder Jepha Mooi said the format addresses a problem female athletes often face in the sport: finding other girls and women to compete against.

“It's very difficult for women to find matches at all in jujitsu,” Mooi said. “And we created this idea where it's only females, and we invite them in, and I go out, and I seek out all the girls to find them the matches.”

Mooi said Chick Jitsu began in Florida and has since expanded to events in other states as interest in women’s jiu-jitsu has grown.

Her own connection to the sport began with self-defense. Mooi said someone recommended jiu-jitsu to her when she was a single mother, and the experience quickly became something bigger.

“So I tried it out. And then from there, it really changed my life,” Mooi said. “It really empowered me in ways that I had no idea it would be that way. So I wanted to stretch that and bring that out to anybody, especially the females.”

That environment drew competitors of different ages to Fort Myers, including 7-year-old Riley Perkowski.

Riley’s mother, Nikki Audia, who also practices jiu-jitsu, said having an event centered on female athletes gives young competitors a chance to challenge themselves in a space where they can also feel supported.

“Being in a space exclusively designed for females, it's a great feeling,” Audia said. “It's very empowering.”

Audia said the value of competition extends well beyond learning takedowns and submissions.

“So, these skills that they learn on the mat are extremely important,” Audia said. “They're life lessons that they can carry with them. They're on the mat or maybe someday in a boardroom.”

Competitors left with medals, while winners also received one of Chick Jitsu’s signature handmade crowns.

Mooi said the larger goal is to make sure female athletes are not treated as an addition to the sport.

“It's more than just, girls are welcome to a man's world,” Mooi said. “No, no, no, no, no. We are the world.”