By Ray LaVoie Photography
It’s hard to say when Dave Freetage sleeps. Between raising three children with his wife, Sara; working full time as an instructor at the City of Columbus Police Academy; and owning and teaching at Grove City BrazilianJiu-Jitsu Academy, there seemingly shouldn't be time for anything else.
Somehow, he manages to make time for more. Freetage organizes a fundraiser for Bridgeway Academy, a school for students with developmental disabilities, and coaches flag football on the side – he certainly likes to stay busy.
Freetage’s day job is instructing at the Columbus Division of Police Training Bureau. It’s a relatively new full-time role for him after an 18-year career on the street. Having a true day job is also new, as he used to work mostly nights – but he says the change has helped with sleep.
While Freetage misses the camaraderie of his team, he enjoys teaching recruits in his new role. It’s a continuation of the work he’d regularly done as a teacher for the academy throughout his time with CPD, which made him a natural fit when the academy training became a full-time position.
In the academy, Freetage instructs new recruits in defensive tactics. That includes ground defense, which he excelled at during his own time in the academy. As a recruit, Freetagesurprised even the veterans when he showed off his advanced Brazilian jiujitsu(BJJ) moves – a martial art focused on grappling and ground fighting.
Courtesy of Dave Freetage
BJJ is a passion for Freetage that predates his time with the police. He’s been training in the martial art for 27 years and opened his own gym, Grove City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy, a decade ago. Freetage’s interest in jiu-jitsu started simply out of a desire to stay in shape, but it quickly evolved into a lifestyle.
Today, Freetage is a third-degree blackbelt – a feat that takes years of dedication. He says that for him and many others, practicing jiu-jitsu constantly motivates him to improve, encouraging longtime engagement with the sport.
“Brazilian jiu-jitsu in itself leads to longevity,” Freetage says. “People initially get into it and want a black belt,but that takes 10-plus years. So they're there for the long haul and it becomes a lifestyle. All of my senior students have been with me a while. I know them and their families really well.”
Grove City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy teaches close to 300 students a month, and it’s only growing, Freetage says. There are just a few BJJ gyms in central Ohio, and they form a close-knit community. BJJ instructors, includingFreetage, often send their students to different gyms to cross-train. Freetage is also a member of a different gym where he trains with his longtime instructor.
Because its various styles are accessible to different body types and levels of athleticism, BJJ has few barriers for beginners, especially when one considers that not everyone gets into it to become a black belt.
“Folks have different goals in the(Grove City Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) Academy,” Freetage says. “Some people want to lose weight, some people are bored of their workout and want something new to stay in shape. But then you make friends and find a community.”
Seeing the potential of that community– and naturally looking for more to do– Freetage has worked with his wife to use BJJ as a way to have a positive impact on others. His gym hosts a BJJ for Bridgewayfundraiser to support Bridgeway Academy, which his oldest son, Tyler attends.
Bridgeway Academy provides a specialized learning experience for students with autism or other developmental disabilities.BJJ for Bridgeway has aided the purchase of items such as SMARTBoards for the school and helped to move Bridgeway into a new campus in early 2021. Freetage cites the support of other local businesses and even his BJJ connections as crucial to the fundraisers success.
BJJ for Bridgeway’s premier fundraising event is a 100-round BJJ challenge.Over 24 hours, participants spar in five-minute rounds. Participants attend from all over the state of Ohio, and local organizations donate food to keep the athletes energized all night.
While the event could not safely take place during the COVID-19 pandemic, previous iterations have raised a total of $75,000. Freetage is hoping to host the event again this June with the goal of raising $25,000.
Whether at the police academy, as a jiu-jitsu instructor or a coach for his son's flag football team, he loves to help others thrive. At his core, Freetage considers himself a teacher. And through teaching and practicing jiu-jitsu, he has found an extended family that is worth making time for.
“We do stay very busy, but the gymis kind of my free time because it’s so fun,” Freetage says. “My second family is there, and my kids love it. I’d never force them to go, but they ask to go all the time. It’s a great little community we've built.”
By Ray LaVoie Photography
Taylor Woodhouse is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
