Cortez’s Ashton Orr recently won a first-place belt at a North American Grappling Association tournament, an exciting step of many as Orr chases his dream of being an elite-level jiu-jitsu athlete.

Orr, a junior studying with GOAL Academy, began practicing in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, a martial art, in March 2021 after wanting to learn how to defend himself.

“I wanted to learn how to defend myself,” Orr said. “I never knew how to, and I had a lot of insecurities about that.”

At first, Orr said it was slow going, but he kept training and taking whatever pointers he could receive from his coaches at Lifer Jiu-Jitsu at Industrial Park.

However, after a trip to Franklin, Tennessee, in June 2022, Orr saw a turning point in his training and realized he wanted to train and compete in this sport long-term.

He was able to train at a world-class jiu-jitsu gym under Clay Mayfield, one of his heroes.

“I got to train with one of my idols that I look up to in jiu-jitsu,” he said. “And when I took that trip, that made me realize, ‘Oh, I can actually do something with this if I just really dedicate myself toward it.’”

Now, the 16-year-old athlete competes regularly in jiu-jitsu under coaches Thomas Lindsay and Rex Allen, with the goal of competing at an elite level while pursuing a degree in psychology and neuroscience once he graduates from high school.

This year, Orr won a belt for NAGA, won double gold at a tournament in Pagosa, won double gold at a San Diego, California tournament and won three golds and a silver in Albuquerque.

“It means a lot,” Orr said about his recent wins. “I never would have thought when I joined that I’d come so far in such a short amount of time. It means pretty much everything to me because I dedicate all of my time toward this.”

Orr trains six days a week, and when he’s not training or doing school, he devotes more time to studying jiu-jitsu curriculum and breaking down positions outside of training.

“I put a lot of work into it,” he said.

Not only has jiu-jitsu given Orr a passion and dream to pursue, but he also said it has changed his life for the better, in all areas.

“Before jiu-jitsu I felt like I had no direction or path where I felt like I was going, and I think I felt lost,” Orr said. “It gave me direction; I really felt like I could do something with it.”

“I really progressed in school and just set my goals toward jiu-jitsu instead of just running around and just being crazy,” Orr said. “I could actually do something with me. It gave me direction and discipline, and I’m doing good in school. It has helped me in my day-to-day life immensely.”

Orr competes in the green belt 140-pound juvenile division, for ages 16 and 17. After his green belt, he will work toward blue, purple, brown and black.

Ten years from now, he hopes to win Worlds at every belt division as he continues striving toward a black belt.

“One of my dreams is to win Worlds,” he said.

Orr also said he plans to pursue a college degree in Tennessee where he can continue training in jiu-jitsu at a world-class gym.

When asked, he said the biggest piece of advice he had for other young people his age pursuing a dream or trying to find their passion was to take advice strongly and be coachable.

“Listen to the leaders in your life,” he said.

Orr has an upcoming jiu-jitsu tournament on Nov. 4, and will compete at another NAGA tournament on Dec. 9.