COMING SOON: The North Wellington Open (April 17-18), Deep in the Middle of Nowhere

Ex-Judoka Finds Sumo Beautiful

"It hasn't sunk in yet," said Estonian sumo wrestler Baruto Kaito, 25, referring to his scheduled promotion to ozeki, the second highest rank among professional sumo wrestlers.


Born in the former Soviet bloc republic of Estonia, Baruto, whose real name is Kaido Hoovelson, made his debut as a professional sumo wrestler at the age of 19. Due to his unique and friendly character, he is always popular among other sumo wrestlers in the dressing room at sumo arenas. In addition to Japanese, Baruto, who just got married last year, is fluent in Russian and German.


With a height of 198 centimeters and a weight of 188 kilograms, the European athlete may have a physical advantage as a sumo wrestler. However, the road to his success was neither quick nor effortless.


His father was a cattle farmer, and Baruto helped his family with heavy labor since his childhood.


"I had never thought it was painful because I knew how hard our family business was," he recalls.
When he was 16, Baruto started practicing judo and became a national junior champion; however, after his father passed away around the same time, he had to start working as a bar bouncer to earn a living.


"I faced danger many times," he reflects on the difficult situation.


Baruto's life, however, changed drastically when he shifted his focus from judo to sumo under the instruction of his judo master, who guided the young Estonian boy to a second-place finish in the European junior sumo championships. As a result, he was recruited to become an amateur sumo wrestler in Japan, and during the summer tournament in 2004, he made his debut as professional sumo wrestler Baruto Kaito.


"The training was really tough, but it was like a hobby for me," says Baruto, who has overcome a series of injuries on his left knee.


"He is the first one to come to training in the morning," says Kazumi Chikazawa, 68, owner of the Onoe Stable's training facility in Osaka Prefecture.


He is a hard worker and a devoted son, who sends part of his salary to his mother in his home country.
Asked why he wanted to become a sumo wrestler soon after he joined the sumo world as an apprentice, Baruto replied to reporters, "Sumo is beautiful."


Today, he expresses concerns over the future of his beloved sport, saying: "I want to contribute to reviving the popularity of sumo, and I want more children to like it."

Some of the Crew at Jordan's Going Away Party

MORE Judo Scholarships: Free Accommodation & Training in Japan for NZ Judoka.

This is a public service announcement from Sensei Rick & the University Judo Club. Applications are OPEN for a considerable number of B-Grade Judo  Scholarships. The B-Level scholarships entitle NZ Judoka to free accommodation and free Judo training at a prestigious University in Kyoto, Japan. 

Applications will be accepted and considered from any NZ Judo club (even clubs on the North Shore). This is a great opportunity for young New Zealanders on so many levels.

To apply or to find out more please context Sensei Rick (email: r.littlewood@xtra.co.nz).

Please help support NZ judo by emailing this information on to Judoka that may consider this offer. We have tried to publicize this opportunity via NZJF website and AJA but it has been to no avail.

Sensei Rick's Pick of the Week: The Snooty Receptionist

An older gentleman had an appointment to see the urologist who shared offices with several other doctors.   

The waiting room was filled with patients.   

As he approached the receptionist's desk, he noticed that the receptionist was a large unfriendly woman who looked like a Sumo wrestler.   

He gave her his name.

In a very loud voice, the receptionist said, 

"YES, I HAVE YOUR NAME HERE, YOU WANT TO SEE THE DOCTOR ABOUT IMPOTENCE, RIGHT?" 
     


All the patients in the waiting room snapped their heads around to look at the very embarrassed man.

He recovered quickly, and in an equally loud voice replied,   

"NO, I'VE COME TO ENQUIRE ABOUT A SEX CHANGE OPERATION, BUT I DON'T WANT THE SAME DOCTOR THAT DID YOURS.'   

Spread the WORD: More B-Grade Judo Scholarships to Japan Are Available to NZ Judoka

Friends in High Places

The Latest, Insightful, Well-Researched, Entertaining, Exciting, Breaking Judo News from the NZJF

NZ Success In England [Monday, 22 March 2010 15:50] Mahana Clutha (CAN CA) attained a bronze medal at the English Senior Championships held over the weekend of 20-21 March. Mahana competed in the -63kg category, and repeated her podium finish of 2009 in the same event. Congratulations Mahana.

IJF Scholarships [Monday, 22 March 2010 15:36]
The nominations of two New Zealand judoka have been approved by the OJU to attend the IJF Olympic Training Centre in Paris. Moira de Villiers (NJC AK) and Sean Choi (MET WB) will attend the centre on a full time basis for advanced training and as a base for European competitions leading into the 2012 Olympics (should they qualify). This is a fantastic opportunity for these young athletes, and we wish them well.

Thanks From Lee

Lee Calder is one of the recipients of Sensei Rick’s Judo scholarships. He plays some stylish judo, has a mean uchimata, and is generally a good guy to have on the mat. He writes:

..............
Finally a real chance! My judo career so far has consisted of many trips overseas. world champs, asian circuit, commonwealth competitions, oceanias, pacific rims etc I have tried my luck at most. The best i have done is a win at the oceania judo champs after a month training in japan and a month in scotland, edinburgh.I would have loved to have gone back and kept training however this all costs money and my funds and savings eventually dryed up. Is it really worth it putting in all that effort? Your up against overseas judoka who eat, study and train daily without spending a dime as they have financial support from their national organisations.

I thank University Judo Club and Rick Littlewood for giving me an equal opportunity, a chance, and a path that may lead to New Zealands judoka one day being more than just participants internationally.

University Judo emailed me personally and a lot of other athletes and clubs in New Zealand to make them aware of this scholarship. It has just come to my attention that New Zealand judo has some scholarships to France available, I was disheartened to find you had to apply for them two months ago. Makes me wonder why, after numerous training camps, New Zealand judo ask for athletes email addresses and phone numbers???

A big thankyou to University Judo and Rick again for this chance to get some real training where I may actually get the chance to train as hard or even harder than my international opposition. At last.

Regards, 

Lee Calder 

The Global Conspiracy Located Right Here in Mt Eden, Auckland.

According to our stats, Judokong.com has no readers in the following countries: Afghanistan, all of Africa (barring Libya, Morocco, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire), Belarus, Bolivia, Cambodia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Estonia, French Guiana, Greenland, Guyana, Jan Mayen, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar [Burma], Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Svalbard, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and, most regretfully, Venezuela.

To the rest of the planet, we at Judokong.com say THANK YOU for your support. We like hearing your opinions, and we love it when your girlfriends make us their friends on Facebook and send in photos (Eastern European nations are truly blessed). Please remember that if you are travelling through New Zealand and looking to do some Judo (or even Jujitsu, BJJ, or Sambo) we’d be pleased to have you on the mat. International players and visitors are always welcome!

Uni Judo in Auckland. “Your friendly internationalist illuminati Judo club.”

Growing Rumors of a 7th Scholarship

As the advertisements for the Judo scholarships go unreported on the AJA website ... rumor has it that Sensei Rick is looking to engineer a 7th Judo scholarship for NZ Judoka to train in Japan! More details soon.

Four More Judo Scholarships Available Worth $6000 Each

Sensei Rick Littlewood, in association with the University Judo Club, is pleased to announce that funds have been secured for four more Judo scholarships. The scholarships are valued at $NZ 6,000 each. They will enable the recipient to receive a monthly allowance as they train and play Judo in Kyoto, Japan.

Applications are currently being taken. To apply send an email to sensei Rick: r.littlewood@xtra.co.nz. Please note that the following conditions apply to all applicants. You must:
• Currently be training 3+ times per week.
• Be ikkyu and above.
• Be a member of Kodokan Judo Japan (this can be arranged from NZ).
• Hold a letter of recommendation from your instructor/sensei [a sensei is a judoka who holds a 5th dan and above].
• Supply a full resume.

The minimum training time in Kyoto is three months. Successful applicants may stay longer if they wish. Payment will be made into your bank a/c on a monthly basis. Payments will stop if you stop training.

Sensei Rick says that there are also B-level scholarship opportunities available for free accommodation and training in Kyoto, Japan. Applicants do not necessarily have to fulfil the requirements as stated above. To find out more get in touch with Sensei Rick immediately.

Best of Luck

Rick Littlewood
Kodokan Judo 7th Dan

People We Like: Kiwi Judoka Elsewhere Profile #1: Mahana Clutha

In light of our announcement of wave upon wave of Judo scholarships, it seems right to pay tribute to those who have gone overseas to develop their Judo without support; People who have largely done it on their own. Here is one of them.


[Mahana (left) on the podium at the 2009 British University Championships, where all medals in the division were won by TeamBath. The other medal winners are two time Olympian Marcon Bezzina from Malta, and top international British athletes Gemma Gibbons and Megan Fletcher.]

Mahana started Judo in 1995 at Canterbury Amateur Judo Club in Sydenham, Christchurch. She moved from club to area to island to national level, and won her first senior national title in 2005 at age 17.

After graduating from university at the end of 2006 Mahana worked three jobs for three months, while training every day, to save for a four-month solo trip to Japan. There she trained two times per day, six days per week, at Tsukuba University, one of the top training centres in Japan. She followed the same training schedule as members of the Japanese national team, the most dominant team in world judo.

Mahana moved to Bath, UK in September 2007. Mahana was one of approximately 50 full-time judo players from all over the world based at Bath. She trained 2-3 times per day following a specially designed programme of judo, strength, and conditioning. Mahana received guidance from the Head Judo Coach, two Coaching and Teaching Fellows, and a specialist Japanese judo coach.

Mahana was also employed to assist in running the European Judo Union Coaching Degree at the University of Bath, the only such course in the world. She was responsible for course logistics and planning, and was able to join many of the lectures and practical sessions, and gained contacts with high-performance coaches worldwide.

In mid 2009 Mahana was invited to move to the newly establish British Judo Performance Institute (BJPI) in Dartford near London, where she is now the only foreigner training full-time with the British national squad. The BJPI has recently been established as a base to prepare for the London 2012 Olympic Games, and also as a permanent training centre for British Judo. Mahana’s main training partner is the British number 1 at her weight (-63kg).

If you're a kiwi training off-shore get in touch. We will try and tell your story too.

Jordan’s Going Away Party

As a recipient of one of Sensei Rick’s Judo scholarships, Jordan’s off to play Judo in Kyoto, Japan where he will get smashed for months (if not years) on end.

He is having a farewell party next weekend and he extends an invite to the club and their friends. You can wish Jordan safe travels and set about investing in your future well-being (as he will return a formidable player) by coming here:
Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 7:00pm
Play Boy Mansion NZ (Kelvin Road, Remuera)
Get the number from Jordan.

The Unruly Mob Speaks Out On Judo Coaching

On occasion, the unruly mob has some genuinely interesting things to say. Here is an anon. comment in regards to Sensei Rick's "thoughts on coaching"

You tell them. I get so sick of this farsical idea that when the deficits found in Western judo are technical deficits, that somehow they'll be corrected with better conditioning, a more intensive weight training programme and some supplements. Take the example of the States.

In the past, the States produced some top judoka through these judokas making an earnest bid at international training, cultivating both the mental and emotional discipline and the technical prowess required to compete on the international scene. The top judokas also had a heavy role in supporting the up and comers in their psychological and technical development, ala Pedro's investments into the training of the Rouseys and Mike Swain's sustained and well received commitment to US Judo.

Nowadays however, the attitude seems to be that the athletes need to be, "more explosive", "fitter", "have a better sports psychologist", etc to win the medals.

When Canada's Doug Rogers won his Olympic silver medal, he certainly didn't win it through strength or conditioning. At the top level, EVERYBODY is strong. EVERYBODY is conditioned and EVERYBODY is hungry for the glory of an Olympic title. Doug won because he busted his ass training with Masahiko Kimura in Japan for many years, being humble enough to get his ass kicked every day until he had the chops for greatness.

Neil Adams certainly thinks that this regression seen in the modern western attitude to judo, is mirrored in the current British system also. I don't know what is to be done about it, but it's certainly difficult to alter and entire methodology/attitude.

-H

DeathMatch: Pensioner fights for his life - THE RESULT

A DeathMatch was organised last Friday against Rick Littlewood sensei and Tomoko (little Japanese -57kg Judo champion).... Now Rick being Rick didn't want to lose (again) so he stacked the odds 'heavily' in his favour by having a NeWaza match!

And the result....

However little Japanese women are known to fight and this one didn't disappoint....

(This was fight number 2 for Rick and Tomoko, the first one was TachiWaza and was won by Tomoko.)

Wayne's Pick of the Week: How Tough are Kiwis?

The scene is set- a dark night, cold wind blowing, campfire flickering, stars twinkling in the dark sky. Three hang-glider pilots are sitting by the campfire, one from Australia , one from Seth Efrika and one from New Zulland. Each embroiled in the bravado for which they are famous. The night of tales begins.

Colin the Australain: 'I must be the meanest, toughest, hang glider there eze. Why, just the other day I landed een a field and scared a croc, who came out of a billabong and ate seeks men who were standin close by. I grabbed the croc and drowned heem in a poohl of water with my bare hands. He didn stand a chaaance'

Hansie from Seth Efrika who typically can't stand to be bettered said, 'Well you guys, I lended orfter a 200 mile flight in my heng glider on a tiny trail, and a Namibian snike slid out from under a rock and made a move on me. I grebbed de borsted with me bare hinds and beet it's head off ind then sucked the poison from it's body down in one gulp. End I'm still here!'

Kiven the Kiwi remained silent, slowly poking the fire with his cock.

Sensei Rick's Pick of the Week II: Judo for Peace

http://www.judoforpeace.com/
Judo is not merely a martial art but rather the basic principle of human behaviour. It is wrong to assume judo ends in the dojo - Jigoro Kano, founder of Judo.

Sensei Rick's Pick of the Week: Warm-Up Drill

Young Crowned Uni-Judo Poker Champion

Young Ho Kim was crowned the victor in the first, annual University Judo Poker Tournament held on Friday night in the Emerald City Skyscraper towering over Auckland city. Young’s victory came on the back of a massive comeback, staged during the business end of the no-limits, winner-takes-all competition, when he saw off what can only be described as a brash and daring bluff by Julian.

The competition was laced with drama. The early competition was dominated by Jasmine. Claiming to be ignorant of the rules, Jasmine set the tone of play with her seemingly fearless bids. She took Jun, who was playing with reckless abandon, to the brink and eventually created the conditions for Julian to clean out both Vivek and Jun with relative ease later in the game. Vivek was noticeably put out by his exit from the game, having claimed, earlier, that he was a veritable poker god and saying he was “the man.” Observant commentators, however, are now suggesting that there will have to be a rematch due to the obvious collusion between Young and Jasmine.

A new method of holding!

Queensland International Open 2010

Let's send a team!!!

DeathMatch: Pensioner fights for his life – Tonight!!!

Rick Littlewood sensei vs Tomoko (little Japanese -57kg Judo champion). Turn up tonight to watch it live (normal mat fees apply) – it is going to be intense. In the pre-match interviews both sensei and Tomoko were quietly confident on winning, however we all know there can only one WINNER!!! – Would experience and weight triumph over youth and speed???? Turn up tonight 6pm to find out.

Video will follow exclusive on JudoKong......

Road Trip to the Land of Beer!!!

This is short notice, the East Coast Judo Championships is next weekend (20-21 March 2010).

If you wish to enter please let us know ASAP.

This year it is held in Gisborne..... The home of 'Gisborne Gold'

Going Blind?

There is always the Blind Judo Association.


You could also try squinting your eyes and looking again at the picture.

Sensei Rick's Pick of the Week: An Old(er) Issue Made New Again

THOUGHTS ON COACHING BY RICK LITTLEWOOD
Originally posted on judokong.com, 7 April 2009.

[Sensei Rick's comments follow this letter by Dave Browne to the New Zealand Judo Community]
Dear Kong,

Please publish this on the University website -- we all know it's the only Judo blog in New Zealand that is regularly updated and is actually read by the community (even those of us that offered such animated protests about all the tits on the "real" AJA page).

As you are all aware significant changes been made in recent times within Judo New Zealand including a new Board, the adoption of a new constitution, the appointments of the National Technical and Business Directors, and a move to have more of our processes online.

We are now looking at the appropriateness of the various Commission structures.

One of the most significant changes that could be contemplated is the separation of the Coaching Commission into two distinct parts.

One part will be responsible for Coaching Development ( e.g. Coaching the Coaches).

The other part will be responsible for connecting with our high performance athletes and delivering on our primary goal of winning medals at the Commonwealth games in Glasgow in 2014.

It is important we get this latter part right and we wish to consult within the New Zealand judo coaching community before reaching a decision on how we move forward.

As a person with an interest in the coaching side of judo above national level we are looking for your input, ideas and thoughts on what you think would be the best processes and/or structure for JNZ to adopt in its interaction with our athletes, their coaches and their clubs to achieve our 2014 goal.

Please bear in mind that the any role or roles developed will voluntary although we are earmarking funds for programme delivery.

Please send any thoughts you have on the subject to me in the first instance by 31 March.


Kind regards
Dave Browne [dave@propertypeople.co.nz]
President – Judo New Zealand
-------------------------------------------

Reference your email of 22 March 2009.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for my inclusion in this discussion and the open and transparent manner in which you appear to be pursuing this issue. It is important that we are able to address matters such as this in this manner.
My thinking is best grouped under the following headings:

Coaching for Coaches – How about acknowledging that most coaches do a pretty good job without any input from the NZJF? Perhaps we should be supporting them instead?
I believe that this is an unfortunate term and I would have said ‘supporting caches’ instead. It is apparent that if the NZJF is to survive there needs to be a change in focus from compliance and standard setting being the primary function of the organization towards actively supporting club coaches.

Compliance is the first issue speaking for myself and possibly others I find it a bit silly that the NZJF and AJA spend time trying to convince me to:

* Complete a Level 2 Coaching certificate that I can do over the internet. Why waste your time I have been coaching Judo since 1973 have produced a number of top level players that have represented NZ at the Olympics. Does a coaching certificate I get by logging onto the NZJF website really matter.

* Provide feedback for the development of a code of ethics.

* Justify to my members the administrative burden of belonging to the NZJF

Only a few examples but they are all that I could think of at the moment. The simple point that I want to make is that it would be great if the NZJF spent less time trying to tell successful caches how to do their job and loading them with the costs of complying with NZJF rules and regulations. Remember that every time a person attends a course on coaching there is an implicit cost to the club because that person is devoting their limited voluntary labour to the course rather than to the club. It could be argued that the benefits outweigh the costs but I yet to be convinced.

An issue that I see is that many NZJF appointments enjoy running technical courses. Is this supporting clubs or is it supporting the individuals who run the courses. Once again the volunteer labour that goes into developing technical courses might be better expended developing better administrative procedures that make coaches jobs easier. Following Ju Jitsu and our other competitor’s example players are willing to pay for good training. When the NZJF subsidizes technical training it not only uses up valuable volunteer resource but effectively shuts the door to professional instructors who can never compete with the NZJF.

NZJF Control of Coaches – What is the reason for a coaching commission?
Generally I am concerned about NZJF control of coaches because I don’t think it adds value the money spent on running coaching clinics could be better employed elsewhere. Flying coaching commissions’ around the country is expensive and in my opinion adds little value. Perhaps instead of having a Coaching Commission the money used to run it could be allocated to the flying coaches overseas to gain experience.

In short a coaching commission at all is needless expense that appears to establish a body for control of the people doing the work by those who are not active coaches rather than a way of supporting coaches on the ground.

Elite Coaching – Good money after bad?
We have had an expensive full-time national coach recently. Did it improve our results? No. Why because the only way NZ players will get to international standard is by going overseas young and completing an apprenticeship in a tough Judo environment. It is farcical to think that players can train in NZ spend 6 weeks overseas building up to a tournament and be competitive with extreme Russians, Koreans and Japanese that have been doing Judo 60 hours a week since high school. Sorry but it doesn’t matter how many Chisel protein bars they eat, how much pseudo sport science is pumped into them by AUT, how much they can bench press or how much Powerade they drink without a solid base of experience and mat craft players will not succeed internationally.

Look at the facts:
* Rick Littlewood
* Brent Cooper
* Bill Vincent
* Daniel Gowing
* Tim Slyfield

What do our top performing international players have in common? Long periods of time spent hardening themselves in tough competitive environments overseas. The only input NZ coaches should have is getting players to a standard at which they will survive on the mat. We do not need elite coaches. It is a sham perpetuated by administrators and coaches that have not experienced what it is actually like on the international circuit.

Instead of wasting resource on this idea we should be looking at how we can encourage young players to go overseas and stay overseas. Not sending them on silly six week school trips. We need to look at how we can financially and emotionally support good young players, long term in the hubs of international Judo. Financial grants are the obvious choice but there are also options like:

* Mentor schemes – we have a small pool of players that have done the hard yards and could be kept in the Judo community by being asked to mentor young players with potential.

* International networks – instead of the NZJF getting upset about the Kiwi Judo guys in London we could be utilizing them to link young players into the London Judo community

* Life skills training – perhaps we should be teaching young players life skills like budgeting and how to access grants so they are better equipped to support themselves on the road

Just a few thoughts lets focus on areas where we can influence the development of players rather than patting ourselves on the back and developing elite coaching regimes that we really don’t have the resources to support.

Recommendations:
1.That all courses that are required by clubs be discussed and if they are not adding value are removed from NZJF regulations

2.That all training provided by the NZJF is audited and unless deemed necessary for the development of Judo is discontinued and the opportunity of providing the training offered to private providers

3.That the NZJF does not have a coaching commission

4.That the NZJF utilize funds made available by not having a coaching commission to pay for coaches to travel and develop their individual skills

5.That NZJF’s elite coaching program should focus on developing the mechanisms for supporting young players with potential to train overseas for extended periods of time.

[Please email your feedback to Rick Littlewood: r.littlewood@xtra.co.nz. Alternately, if you concur, please copy and forward this letter to Dave Browne at:dave@propertypeople.co.nz]

Central Districts Open Judo Championships

Where:Motueka Recreation Centre, Old Wharf Road, Motueka.
When: Saturday, 10th April 2010.
Entries To: reiahumanaru@xtra.co.nz.
Entry Fees: All entries include additional and Open weight $20.00. More than one child per family- $15.00 each
Entries Close: Saturday, 27th March 2010.
Late Entry: Accepted up to 31st March 2010. On payment of late entry fee of $5.00
Registration: All competitors must be registered with Judo New Zealand
Weigh-in: 10th April 2010, Official 8.00am.
Rules: The Tournament will be run according to the IJF contest rules as modified by the JNZ and in accordance with the JNZ Sporting Code.Golden Score will apply to all age categories.

Accommodation available at Te Awhina Marae, Motueka Cost: Adults $20.00, children under 16 free. To book and more info contact: Denise Puha 5286407.

Deney's MMA fight @ ICNZ 9

great display of judo by Deney with her takedown and armbar

Logo Design Contest: A Super City. A Super Judo Logo

In the last few months there has been an outpouring of zeal for a new flag for our country and a new logo for the Super City. University Judo is on the bandwagon and is running a contest for the design of a new logo for the Auckland Judo Association.

The current logo of the AJA, affectionately known as the “fighting bridge,” is a strange hybrid of one part engineering structure and one part conflicted siamese twin fighting itself, and it desperately needs updating.



The origins of the logo remain shrouded in mystery. From what we can gather the current logo was designed by the guy who went on to do the Transformers™. Before the autobots and decepticons--cars, planes, and trains that could turn into fighting, humanoid looking robots --there was mighty fighting bridge. But the story of a massive inert structure that could play Judo never made it to screen because it looked like MS word clip art and the script possibilities were limited. Fighting bridge couldn’t move and its schizophrenic character was a little too complex for pre-Seinfeld audiences. Some enterprising soul, however, went on to sell the scrapped design to the AJA. The sales pitch went something like: (a) Judo is a an esoteric fighting art and pedagogical system from the inscrutable east, (b) fighting bridge is equally inscrutable and in the same category as bearded women and other freak-show oddities of the carnival kind, so (c) it’s a PERFECT brand match! The AJA was sold!!

The BRIEF
The logo must go! Design a new logo for the AJA and send it our way.
The logo must:
* Be slightly better than MS word clip art
* Reference both the homeland of Judo and Auckland, NZ.
* Speak to all aspects of Judo, the pedagogical, sporting and martial, and its history and traditions and its future.
* Assert the aesthetic and moral superiority of Judo in the age of MMA.
* Be consistent with the aesthetic of Judo: maximum efficient use of energy
* Appeal to young and old
* Not be so embarrassingly lame than no one uses it.

The PRIZE!!!
The winner will receive the opportunity to buy a box of tall neck Sapporro’s and drink them, after Randori, with University Club members.

This Week at the Club

Young (Korea) and Julian (France), two senior judo black belts fighting U90 kgs, are looking for a soccer team or casual run on games. If you have a team and/or games they can join please contact them directly or let us know: judokong@gmail.com.

As the temperature dipped from summer highs Friday saw one of the best turnouts for a long while. Several new players were seen on the mat.

Beer of the month—mat side—are Sapporo long-necks. $5 each. This weeks special for members: "All you can drink for all you can pay for!"

Sensei Rick's Pick of the Week: The Master is Faster

Coming Soon: News of Two More Judo Scholarships!