Fábio received his blue belt just as his classes were starting again. Since Fábio had left Colégio das Neves, he was no longer allowed to play indoor soccer there. So, he had to choose another sport to practice at ETFRN, his new school. It was then that judo became a part of his life. The judo teacher at ETFRN was Fábio Romano who, coincidentally, was also the judo teacher at Colégio das Neves, although Fábio had never trained with him there.
Thus, Fábio would train judo two times a week at ETFRN, at six in the morning, before his class. Meanwhile, Rodrigo Couceiro (the professor at Combate Real) brought over César Guimarães, better known as Casquinha, to give a seminar at his school. The seminar was very helpful and gave Fábio an extra boost of knowledge, even more so because at the time, Jiu-Jitsu in Natal was still underdeveloped and outdated in comparison to the level in Rio de Janeiro.
As a result, both the seminar and judo played a big role in helping Fábio prepare for his first competition as a blue belt which, incidentally, was the state championship. Fábio’s preparation was much better this time than it was for his last competitions because, apart from the judo and the new techniques that Casquinha showed, the Jiu-Jitsu classes at Combate Real were intense.
At the state championship, Fábio registered in the same division as Ronaldo Furacão. At the time, Ronaldo was an idol at Combate Real. He was their champion and was the one that Fábio would constantly look up to. He had always been an idol for Fábio and he taught him many things. The year after Ronaldo left the school was a hard blow not only for Fábio, but for the whole school.
Fábio won his three fights on his side of the bracket while Ronaldo Furacão won his three on the other side of the bracket. The two athletes from Combate Real closed out the division together. As per tradition, when two athletes from the same school made it to the finals, they would never fight each other and both would be awarded. For Fábio, his debut in competing as a blue belt couldn’t have been better: he won against his three opponents and to top it all off, he closed out the division with the guy that he looked up to. This was the result of his dedication to the sport that he would learn to love.
In the picture, from left to right: Gustavo Maguinho, Ronaldo Furacão, Fábio and Renato Guerra.