karadactle2Kara Connelly a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu at Carlson Gracie Aurora / Naperville. She started training due to always having an interest in Martial Arts. She began training at Carlson Gracie Aurora / Naperville in November 2011. Kara primarily focuses on Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and competes and finds herself on the top of the podium regularly throughout the year. She has always loved competition and finds it as a great way to test her abilities. She believes competing is important because it’s the ultimate learning experience to see the areas that she excels in and also the areas she needs to improve. She states that her mistakes are highlighted which in turn makes her training better since she now knows what to work on. She believes her biggest accomplishments in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is competing in her first tournament in April 2012 and getting past the initial worry of it being a contact sport and winning 1st  in no gi and 3rd in gi.  Her first time competing was what really motivated her to train more and be the best she could be.  She believes that more females should get into Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because of the confidence and healthier lifestyle everyone is capable of attaining.  She added that she eats better than she did before and is significantly stronger, and much more goal oriented and focused than she was prior to training at Carlson Gracie Aurora / Naperville. Her next goal is to win at IBJJF Chicago Summer International Open in August.