STORY BY CATARINA MUIA
A string of unsolved sex assaults at Sheridan College in recent months has prompted the school’s Judo/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club to encourage female students to learn how to fight back.
The club joined forces with the fitness organization, MoveU, and put together a “self-defence for women only” class on March 3, at the Davis Campus’ fitness studio and a confidence workshop on March 5.
After the recent assaults that occurred at the Trafalgar Campus, it’s important for students and faculty to feel safe walking around the different campuses, said Kevin Clink, the president of the Judo/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu club.
“The reason people usually start these assaults is to feel like they’re dominant, that they’re in power,” he said.
“If you fight back, and show them that they can’t pick on you, you take any power that they may have had, away from them.”
Halton Regional Police have yet to make an arrest in the five assaults in and around Trafalgar campus since last summer.
The self-defence class is hopefully going so be the first of many, said Clink, who strongly believes that a woman should feel just as safe as any man walking down the street by themselves.
“I hate the fact that we’re in a society where we even have to talk about this, that someone feels like they have the right to hurt someone else,” he said.
People say that no one really knows what to do in that kind of situation until it actually happens, “but no, you could know what to do, that’s what self-defence is about,” said Clink.
Jiu-Jitsu is a worldwide sport that covers both advanced and basic defence moves that can help even the smallest people get out of a tough situation.
“What we’re really trying to offer through teaching Jiu-Jitsu is fitness, self-defence, confidence and teamwork,” said Clink.
Twenty-eight-year-old Jowy Pangilinan is part of the Student Recruitment Department at Davis and also a member of the Judo and Jiu-Jitsu club.
Pangilinan is from a Muay Thai Kickboxing background, and explained that most, if not all kickboxing, is done standing.
“All I’ve done is stand-up fighting, I wanted to learn more about the grappling arts which is all ground work,” said Pangilinan in a phone interview.
Pangilinan wants to be a well-rounded fighter, but believes that all women should be taking the opportunity to learn more from the Jiu-Jitsu club no matter what their present knowledge is on self-defence.
“At the moment, with these assaults going on, the women of the college need to know how to hold their own, you know? Defend yourselves. Don’t let anyone walk over you. It’s about confidence.”
Assaults usually consist of the victim ending up on the ground and having no way out. At that moment, making loud noises, attracting attention, and knowing how to maneuver around the person who is doing the assaulting is an important reflex said Clink.
“We are strong, intelligent, secure women who have the capacity to defend ourselves,” said Halton Regional Police Sgt. Chantal Corner in an email interview.
“I encourage girls to take these classes, you can never have enough good info in your tool belt when it comes to personal safety,” she said.
The Jiu-Jitsu club meets every Thursday at 5 p.m. in room C222 at Davis, and are always welcoming new members.
For more information, please visit the club’s Facebook page, email Kevin Clink at redking@rogers.com or call him at 416-356-2321.