Grand Master Linda Pulido, a 13-time mixed martial arts world champion, has a question.
“How many National Eskrima Stick Fighting Champions live in Gilroy?”
The answer went from one to four on February 26 as Pulido and three of her students took the World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) National Tournament by storm and walked away with six first place and two second place awards.
All four achieved a berth into the World Championships tournament this summer.
Pulido placed first in double stick and in team fighting with her powerful threesome “Chicks with Sticks.”
Her student, Janet Garza, a mother of three, placed second in double stick and first as a member of Chicks with Sticks.
Pulido’s brother, Manny Pulido, caught the stick fighting bug two years ago and exited the national event a with a title in single stick and second-place finish in double.
Pulido teaches Eskrima stick fighting three days a week out of her gym, Pulido’s Pro-Fitness, on Third and Monterey but this sport is not limited to adults only.
The fourth national champion in town is Haleigh Nino, an eighth grader at Solorsano Middle School, who won gold in double stick and in single stick an 8th grader at Solorsano Middle School.
