By Tammy Walters.
The road to success has not been easy for the North Bay native Jolinne Maisonneuve.
After finishing on top of her senior high school basketball career, she made the decision to join the Canadian Armed Forces. Here she continued to push herself by choosing the trade of artillery.
Over the next six years, she continued to work hard as she continued to dedicate herself fully to her military career. Jolinne was medically released from the army in late 2014. She faced many uncertain days and new challenges with this new way of life. The choice of a military career took a toll on Jo; mentally, she was unsure about how she would move forward.
Shortly after her release, Jo joined a nearby Jiu-jitsu club called "Grounded Studios" with the intention of finding a new hobby to pass the time. It took no time at all for her to become fully encompassed by the sport and she started training multiple times a day.
“When I walked into Grounded Studios three years ago, the instructor Adam and his wife Krystal welcomed me into their Jiu-Jitsu family, and from that moment forward I knew that I was doing what I was meant to do,” says Jo. “Adam believed in me and inspired me to push myself to reach my full potential”.
You would regularly see Jo sporting a t-shirt with the message “Jiu-Jitsu saved my life”. If you were to ask her about it, she would say that it is a reflection of reality.
For the past two years, Jolinne has been training out of The Ottawa Academy Of Martial Arts under the supervision of Professor Hammer (Matt Hache), a second degree Renzo Gracie black belt. Here, her skills and technique have improved drastically in only a short period of time.
Jo has competed in 15 Jiu-Jitsu tournaments with outstanding success.
The need to advance her skillset and challenge herself further led her to begin competing in amateur mixed martial arts as well. She currently holds a 3-1 MMA record. Within the past year, Jo has amassed numerous sponsors to support her journey. Canadian Strength out of Ottawa puts Jo through strength and conditioning training and helps guide her through her fight camps as she prepares for upcoming fights.
Hammer and her team have a tough schedule lined up for her over the next few months. Ultimately, the goal for Jo is to fight MMA professionally – this goal is most definitely within reach, and is in the fight cards for 2019.
To keep up with Jo and her journey, you can follow her on Instagram @jiujitsu_jo.
- February 2nd – K1 Title Fight, New York
- March 9th – Wreck Thai Boxing, Ottawa, ON
- April – BJJ Submission Only Match, Sudbury, ON
- May 18th – Muay Thai Tournament, Montreal, QC
- TBA - Professional MMA Fight
