By Elliot Worsell
Georges ‘Rush’ St-Pierre remembers the day well. He remembers the sounds, the apprehension, the racing heart and the first devastating blow. He recalls the monumental task ahead of him and the need to conquer his fear.
Georges is 11-years-old and he’s about to engage in the biggest fight of his career.
“One time I was leaving school with my friend Mathieu and we were approached by a group of local delinquents, a few years older than the both of us,” says St-Pierre.
“We were both heading to the bus with a group of other friends we knew. These friends were not tough guys or popular kids. They were your typical nerds or geeks. They were clever kids and didn’t like confrontation. While we were waiting for the bus, we spotted the three delinquents nearby and then started to hear a spitting sound. It almost sounded like it was starting to rain. We turned around to face the delinquents and Mathieu raced on up ahead. I went after Mathieu and stopped him. I then noticed that there was saliva all over the back of his coat.”
St-Pierre’s worst fears were confirmed. Not for the first time in his pre-pubescent life, the French-Canadian had been a target for school bullies. This time was different, though.
“Mathieu took the coat off and I prepared myself to go back at the delinquents and tell them they had made a mistake,” continues St-Pierre. “Mathieu didn’t want to go back and give them what for – he just wanted to go home. Like most of the kids at school, he was scared of these delinquents and would give them whatever they asked for. I was different and felt we needed to prove a point. Even if we got our asses kicked, at least we would have fought back and showed them they couldn’t get away with this sort of thing.”
So St-Pierre went back into the firing line - or perhaps more aptly, spitting line – to confront both his fears and the bullies. This was the final straw for St-Pierre.
“I let Mathieu be and went back alone,” says St-Pierre. “I pretended I forgot something – a pencil case maybe – and then headed back towards school and the delinquents on the wall. As I went by the delinquents, I closed my fist behind my back and clenched it tight. They had no idea what was coming. I hid the fist and smiled as I walked on by. Then, as soon as I got level with them, I raced towards the first bully and hit him square on the jaw. He went down hard and the other two bullies jumped on me.
“I wouldn’t say I won the fight that day. There were too many of them and they were too big. I did win a mental battle, though. I showed those guys that I’d always be the kid willing to fight back. They pretty much left me alone after that. I was too much of an effort for them.”
Though he didn’t know it at the time, St-Pierre’s refusal to be beaten or dominated would act as the pre-cursor to a stellar career in the burgeoning sport of mixed martial arts. Just a bleary-eyed child at the time, St-Pierre was already laying down the foundations to a life in competition. Despite his mini triumph in Montreal that day, St-Pierre’s parents were quick to end any vigilante aspirations Georges may have had.
“My mom was in tears when she saw what the bullies had done to me,” laughs St-Pierre. “She wanted to know what was going on and wanted to know the names of the kids that would be evil enough to do this stuff to me.
“That was bad enough, but my dad went one step further and actually contacted the school and visited the bullies’ homes. It was the right thing to do from a parent’s point of view, but it was incredibly embarrassing for me. You don’t want to be seen telling your parents about school stuff. You don’t want your mum and dad sorting your problems out for you. That brought me a lot of shame.”
St-Pierre didn’t stay ashamed of his parents’ pro-active approach for long. After all, it was his father who first introduced a young Georges to Kyokushin karate at seven years of age.
“My father was a black belt in Kyokushin karate and he was a massive inspiration for me growing up,” says St-Pierre. “I was keen to follow the family tradition. I wanted to be a success in martial arts, because I knew it meant so much to my father and it was such an integral part of his life.
“I wanted to follow my father’s path and almost felt like I would let him down if I failed or decided to go in another direction. Everybody plays ice hockey in Canada, but it never really gripped me like it did other children my age. They were all big fans of the sport and would collect all the magazines and trading cards. I just never followed it like that.”
In between fending off school bullies and learning various martial arts techniques, St-Pierre would compete in athletic competitions and watch Jean-Claude Van Damme movies. His favourite movie back then was ‘Bloodsport’ and his other favourite pastime happened to be the odd game of chess.
“I would try everything the school would have to offer and would sign up to all the sports clubs as quick as possible,” explains GSP. “I did the 100-metres, the 400-metres, the high jump, long jump and also played chess.
“That may seem like a weird combination but, to be honest, my love of chess helped my career in mixed martial arts perhaps more than any other sport I played. They call mixed martial arts human chess and it’s totally true. Chess is all about using your opponent’s insecurities and weaknesses against him and strategising a way to win. It’s exactly the same in mixed martial arts, only a little more physical.”
Though a quiet and unassuming child growing up, St-Pierre never shirked the physical side of life. His father was a master in the combat arts and it was in St-Pierre’s nature to stand up for what was right. He hated seeing younger classmates get picked on and he hated it even more when he was at the centre of the bullies’ attentions.
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