A Family Connection, on Campus and on the Mat

For Sacred Heart’s Delorbe brothers, Brazilian jiu-jitsu brings tournament medals, hard lessons, and ambitions that extend beyond the mat

Key Highlights

• Sacred Heart University brothers Joel ’27, Johan ’28, and Jaiden Delorbe ’30 compete in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Joel and Johan have earned medals at Jiu-Jitsu World League Nationals, and Jaiden has won gold at a North American Grappling Association tournament
• At Sacred Heart University, Joel Delorbe studies business management, Johan studies electrical engineering, and Jaiden studies finance
• Joel Delorbe helps teach children’s jiu-jitsu classes and hopes to combine his business education and coaching experience to open his own gym

Watching his older brothers practice Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Jaiden Delorbe ’30 figured he could do it, too.

“They just made it look easy,” he said.

His first tournament delivered a different message. Six or seven months into training, Jaiden lost every match.

He kept going. At his second tournament, held in Connecticut by the North American Grappling Association (NAGA), he won gold in a gi competition.

His brothers and fellow Sacred Heart University students, Joel ’27 and Johan ’28, know both sides of that experience: the losses that send them back to training and the victories that reward their work. Both have earned medals at Jiu-Jitsu World League Nationals, following training schedules that have included six days a week on the mat.

For the Delorbes, the sport has become another family connection, alongside a University where all three study and their mother teaches.

A Gym Down the Street

Joel was the first to try jiu-jitsu, about three years ago. A gym, Cruvinel Brothers, near the family’s home in Stratford had caught his attention, and he finally decided to walk in.

He enjoyed the training. His coaches encouraged him to return, and five months later, he entered his first tournament in New York. He won gold in both gi and no-gi competition. The two formats challenge athletes to control their opponents in different ways. In gi competition, athletes wear a traditional martial arts uniform with a jacket, pants, and a belt. They can grip an opponent’s jacket and pants to control movement and set up techniques. No-gi competitors typically wear fitted athletic shirts called rash guards and shorts. Without the jacket and its grips, they rely on holds on the body and limbs to gain control.

Joel continued competing in both formats. He estimates he has entered about 30 tournaments, traveling to competitions in New York, New Jersey, Florida, and Virginia.

His results include gold at the New Jersey Jiu-Jitsu World League and silver at the New York World League. Earlier this year, he also competed at the Pan Championship in Florida. At Jiu-Jitsu World League Nationals, he earned first place in no-gi and second in gi.

“I was pretty proud of that,” he said.

Earning Their Way

Johan began training about a year after Joel. His first tournament ended in a loss.

A few months later, he returned to competition and won gold in both formats. He also received his blue belt at that event.

Johan has since competed seven times, earning results that include gold at the New Jersey Jiu-Jitsu World League and second place in gi at Jiu-Jitsu World League Nationals.

Jaiden followed about a year after Johan. Watching his brothers had sparked his interest; joining them showed him how much work the sport required.

“At first, it was rough, but I just kept going every day, and just kept getting better,” he said.

Joel and Johan hold blue belts, while Jaiden holds a white belt. After his first two tournaments, Jaiden is concentrating on training and his first year of college before entering more competitions.

A Family at Sacred Heart

The brothers’ Sacred Heart connection runs through their mother, Jenny Delorbe, an adjunct professor in the Management Department in the Welch College of Business & Technology, alum, and current doctoral student.

Joel applied early action and enrolled first, drawn by the campus, its business programs, and that family connection. Johan followed, then Jaiden, who also applied early action.

Their academic interests have taken them in different directions. Joel studies business management with a minor in sport management. Johan majors in electrical engineering, and Jaiden studies finance.

Joel and Johan have also worked on campus, Joel in the Student Union and Johan in the Student Affairs office.

For Johan, a favorite part of Sacred Heart has been working in the IDEA Lab at West Campus. His engineering projects have included wiring and coding a device that measures distance and displays the result on a screen, then making a 3D-printed enclosure to hold it.

Joel values the connections he has made through his business classes. Soon, he hopes to put that education to work in a familiar setting.

From Competitor to Coach

Joel already helps his coach, Antonio Santos, teach children’s classes three days a week. Now, the two are working together to open a gym called High Level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Santos is looking for space and purchasing equipment, and Joel plans to put his business education to work helping run the operation.

After graduation, Joel plans to find a job, save money, and pursue a master’s degree, potentially at Sacred Heart.

What began as curiosity about a place down the street has become a possible livelihood, with opportunities to teach others the sport his brothers followed him into.

His advice to anyone considering a first visit is straightforward.

“Don’t be scared to try it.”