In Episode 2 of Women Who Roll Wednesday, we meet Kendall Vernon, a purple belt training out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, owner of both Gaidama and Primate Jiujitsu, mother, Software Engineer and competitor.
Tell me a little bit about yourself. Where do you live, where do you train, how long have you been training?
My name is Kendall Vernon. I was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and grew up in Houston, Texas. When I was 16 I left to go to college in St. Petersburg, Florida. It was tough being in college so young so I took a break after a semester and spent a few months wandering around in Moab, Utah learning how to make fire with sticks and identify constellations and all that (let’s be honest, it was rehab, lol – like I said, it was tough being 16 in college). Anyway, after that I moved to Huntsville, Alabama to finish my Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. Eventually I ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma because TU gave me a full ride into their graduate program, so that’s where I am now and probably will be for the foreseeable future.
My husband and I own Primate Jiu Jitsu here in Tulsa, but more about that in Question 2. I’ve been training 4.5 years.
How did you get into jiujitsu? What did you want to get out of it in the beginning, and what do you want to get out of it now?
I started Jiu Jitsu in the middle of my Master’s degree. I was super lonely because getting a Master’s in Computer Engineering is a lot of work, especially when you’ve got something to prove because you’re the only female in the program. All I did was schoolwork and I needed a social outlet. I tried to find a women’s soccer team because that’s what I did growing up – play soccer – but no one I contacted would email me back. One day, on a whim, I googled “Jiu Jitsu near me.” My dad was a Judo black belt and Jiu Jitsu brown belt. I didn’t know any more about the sport than that, but he certainly seemed to love it and was always jacked so I thought maybe I could give it a shot.
The first gym that came up when I searched was Primate Jiu Jitsu. When I showed up to the gym, Matt (my now-husband) was teaching a couple guys how to shrimp on like 20 sqft of mat space in a little 900 sqft petri dish in the world’s sketchiest strip mall. Matt wasn’t wearing a rash guard under his gi. He had so many muscles. Anyway, so I started training. Fell in love, never looked back. Now we have a beautiful 5300 sqft facility with 2000 sqft of mats in a wonderful location. (If you ever want a feel-good tear-jerker about a guy who came from a broken childhood and gave up everything to build something out of nothing, Matt’s got a pretty heartwarming Jiu Jitsu story.)
To answer the second part of your question though, what I wanted from it in the very beginning was some combination of friendship and exercise. Fundamentally I still want those things today, although perhaps they have evolved into something more like family and wellbeing.
Tell me about what you’ve accomplished in jiujitsu.
I’m kind of just your run-of-the-mill Jiu Jitsu player. I enjoy competing (and I do so as often as possible), but I’m 32 and I have a full time day job, two businesses to manage, and a baby to breastfeed, so I just get it in where I can. I compete regularly though and have had my share of exciting wins and tough losses. I’d love to represent Primate on the Fight to Win stage one day.
How has jiujitsu changed your life?
In basically every way. I feel like my entire ship changed course the day I first walked into the gym. There’s a lot to say here that’s already been said by everyone else who’s ever trained consistently though so I don’t want to be repetitive. If you train then you know, and if you don’t then it’s almost too much to believe. Jiu Jitsu is all the good things.
How have you used jiujitsu to change other peoples lives?
Well I’m certainly no Jiu Jitsu figurehead. The biggest impact I’ve had is definitely within our own gym. Matt gave up all the things to start Primate Jiu Jitsu without a penny to spare, just to be able to gift this sport and his incredible knack for coaching to Midtown Tulsa. Then I came along with an engineering income and poured all of my resources – money, time, and love – into our gym and helped build it and grow it into what it is today. I don’t take credit for the heartbeat that pulses at the core of the gym – that’s Matt – but I do take credit for the painted chair rail that runs along the interior perimeter and the fact that our bathroom no longer has a wall you sign when you puke. It’s much more inviting now, which I think has made a huge impact on our ability to develop our kids program and women’s team.
I also hope that Gaidama eventually has an impact on the women’s Jiu Jitsu gear industry. It seems crazy to me that we have so many women in the sport now and yet we still have to choose which see-through spats we want to wear when we train. I’m not trying to hate on anyone else’s game, but I do hope to, at the very least, inspire a more developed market for us.
If you had one piece of advice to give women in jiujitsu or those wanting to start, what would it be?
For women in Jiu Jitsu: Take care of your body. Drink more water, eat more green stuff, do some yoga and breathwork. Don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself because of what someone else is doing on Instagram (if only I would take my own advice!). I mean if you want it, go get it, but there’s a bunch of different ways to enjoy the sport and make a difference.
For those wanting to start: Give it a chance. When I first started, I swear I hated MMA because I thought it was just about two dudes throwing hammerfists and seeing which one was the biggest meathead. Matt properly introduced me to it though, and now of course I have SO much respect for the men and women who spend countless hours honing technique and skill and endurance and I love watching fights. I think some women see Jiu Jitsu in a similar way. They don’t realize that the “art” in “martial arts” is just as real as the “martial” part and as a result they never give it a chance. No other workout on the planet is more fun!
Find Kendall and Gaidama on Social Media
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gaidama
Instagram: @Gaidama.usa and @Kendall.S.Vernon
Gaidama Website
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