MEET THE TEAM
We wake up with passion every morning ready to help you achieve your goals.
CODY SMITH
OWNER/INSTRUCTOR
Cody Smith is the Owner and Head Kids Instructor at Virtuous Grappling located in Silverdale, WA. Cody competed in both MMA and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Competition for several years and held titles at both Middle and Light Heavyweight. He loves what he does and it shows it through the way he teaches his students on and off the mats. He is passionate about every single aspect of the art and is an example of dedication and determination. With almost 10+ years of Coaching experience, Cody is to be compared to very few, and is very excited to meet you!
To hear more about Cody Check out a few of his Interviews!
Certifications
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt
SHAWN GESPAIRE
HEAD INSTRUCTOR
Professor Gaspaire is a 2nd Degree Black Belt under Marcelo Alonso in the Carlson Gracie lineage.
Shawn received every belt and stripe under Professor Alonso's instruction. Having the honor to train with the encyclopedia of BJJ afforded Shawn the opportunity to train around the world with other Carlson Gracie Blackbelts from the famed Academy of Champions.
Professor Gaspaire was trained in Greece, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Canada, Brazil, and several states within the United States. Along with instructing BJJ for 15 years, his BJJ pedigree is backed up by 28 years of wrestling as an ex-college wrestler and coaching high school wrestling.
His wrestling resume includes 5 State Champions and 1 College All-American. Professor Gaspaire has an innate ability to explain the smallest details to help improve your BJJ, even more so, he does it with a sense of humor at a quick-witted pace.
Certifications
Carlson Gracie Black Belt
JOHN SWANSON
KIDS INSTRUCTOR
John is a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Professor Shawn Gaspair. John began his martial arts journey in TaeKwonDo in the early 90s as a kid and earned his Black Belt in 2000. John was a TaeKwonDo instructor before moving into BJJ in 2002 to learn a new art. Getting his blue belt from Professor Keith Owen in 2012 John stepped away to start a family and in 2020 enrolled his daughter and himself back into BJJ. John has a passion to see the kids learn and begin to understand and implement the concepts of jiu-jitsu.
Certifications
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Purple Belt
Taekwondo 2nd degree Black Belt
JACK CARRASCO
NO-GI INSTRUCTOR
Jack Carrasco is the No Gi instructor at Virtuous Grappling in Silverdale, WA. Jack is an active competitor and an avid student of the game. Constantly looking for ways to improve the jiu jitsu of his fellow teammates. Passionate about helping others, he is excited to show you the possibilities of jiu jitsu without the Gi.
Certifications
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blue Belt
BILLY ADAMS
FUNDAMENTALS INSTRUCTOR
Billy Adams began training jiujitsu in the early 1990’s receiving his blue belt under Marcelo Alonso, while serving in 1st Group Special Forces, the Green Berets. Because of a high operational tempo, Billy could not train regularly, until after he retired from Special Forces. In 2015, Billy began training once again and now trains under Shawn, a Marcelo Alonso Black Belt. Billy is now a brown belt and teaches the Fundamentals Program at Virtuous Grappling. To hear more about his story, you can check out when he was a guest on the Elbows Tight Podcast:
Certifications
Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt
RILEY KILGALLEN
KIDS INSTRUCTOR
Riley Kilgallen is the lead instructor for the “Minions” program at Virtuous Grappling. Riley began her grappling career in 2018, when Virtuous Grappling first opened. She has progressed through many of the kid rankings before earning her blue belt as an adult. Riley has competed a handful of times and trains at Virtuous regularly. She is devoted and enthusiastic to serving her community, as well as teaching and continuously learning jiu jitsu.
