ILLINOIS JUDO NEWSLETTER – IPPON

ILLINOIS JUDO NEWSLETTER – IPPON!!!

June 8, 2006

President: James Colgan

VP: Mary Gail Ford

Secretary: Dennis Helm

Treasurer: Irwin Cohen

Editor: Kei Narimatsu

THIS NEWSLETTER MAY BE PASSED ON TO ANYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK WHO MIGHT NOT GET THIS DIRECTLY FROM THE EDITOR. I DO NOT ALWAYS HAVE CURRENT EMAIL ADDRESSES BUT CLUB INSTRUCTORS, STATE PRESIDENTS AND OTHERS MAY WANT TO LET THEIR MEMBERS HAVE THIS AS WELL. PLEASE DISTRIBUTE AS YOU WISH. IF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WISH TO GET THIS EMAIL FIRST HAND, PLEASE CONTACT ME AT knarimatsu@microlamps.com with subject: Add to Illinois Judo Newsletter

Illinois Judo Newsletter – IPPON!! is the voice of Illinois Judo, sent whenever convenient to members of Illinois Judo and other interested parties. All articles and content are the opinion of the editor unless otherwise noted and do not reflect the opinion of Illinois Judo, its officers or members. Information is gathered from various sources expressly sent for distribution. Contents may contain inaccurate information. If anyone can correct any inaccuracies, they will be published as soon as possible. Information presented will be of a general nature only and will not promote any national organization except USJI/USA Judo or any of its state governing bodies. Tournament and clinic notifications will be made for all organizations and will be guaranteed posted if sent to the editor in electronic format ONLY and in a timely manner. Illinois Judo will make every effort to respect your privacy and never sell, trade, or otherwise abuse the privilege of serving you via this e-mail newsletter.

Cancellation: We're committed to Permission Distribution, so if you prefer not to receive the IPPON!!, simply send a blank e-mail to knarimatsu@microlamps.com or hit reply with unsubscribe-IPPON in the subject line. You will be omitted from my list FOREVER.

Contents:

Editorial – Judo IS… again
Illinois Judo Elections
Illinois Judo Player Provides Clinic to Visually Impaired – Nicki Schultheis
USA JUDO NEW

· North American Indigenous Games July 5^th

· Malloy and Hawn – Tre-Torri – Italy

· 2006 SJSU Junior Training Camp

· Referee Room Reservations for Junior Olympics

Serving Our Country
Something to think about – Puppies for sale
Upcoming Event
USA Judo Life Members

Editorial –
I have received several responses to my editorial last week and some are printed below. All point to the fact that as ambassadors of Judo, one must be a bit careful in the way we portray Judo. While everyone has an opinion, what you say is not always what people hear. What you mean is not always what people should interpret. What Judo is, is not always what people understand. In all circumstances, we need to make Judo understandable to the lay person, the novice, the new student. They are the life blood of our sport. We must be sensitive to how we say things as much as what we say. It is all of our responsibilities to give an honest and fair accounting of what Judo means to each of us.

Judo is an Olympic Sport but is derived from the martial art of Jiu-Jitsu. Judo is competitive but can be well suited for exercise only. For many, Judo is a way of life but it can be just an activity. As with any contact sport, one can get hurt in Judo, but with good training, good warm-ups, good teaching, injuries are very far and few between. Judo teaches respect and discipline, physical training, honor and well-being, hard work, maximum efficiency and mutual welfare. Judo helps us live our lives both on and off the mat. Judo helps us live our lives in our homes and in our businesses. Judo helps us understand relationships with our families, our friends and with strangers. Judo is what you make of it. It can be the most empowering activity you participate in, or not. It can give you inner peace, or it can be a source of confliction. It can build self-confidence or it can tear you down. You can give as much to Judo as you want, or just take what you want from Judo as you need. Most give back to the sport because they have received so much already.

Judo, as in life, is anything you want it to be. Only YOU can determine what Judo IS…

Responses:

Dear Kei -

I read your latest newsletter and I thought your editorial was very good. My oldest daughter is a reporter. In my biased opinion, she is an extremely good one. She tells me that she never allows people interviewed to read her articles before they go to press, that it just is not done. People who are in a story do not have any control over how it comes out. Sometimes, the reporter does not have complete control either. I know there have been times that Maria has been furious when an editor changed her story to reflect what the editor thought would be 'a better angle' or for some other reason. In this case, the editor most likely has never laid eyes on the people in the story.

As for me, I give interviews whenever asked because I do think the publicity will get more people to at least come into a judo club to take a look, and then they can judge for themselves.

AnnMaria (DeMars)

Editors Note: Dr. AnnMaria(Burns)DeMars is President of California Judo, a former and first USA Judo World Champion (1982) and is mom to reigning Junior World Champion, Ronda Roussey.

Kei:

Following up on a small but important point from your most recent editorial, it may be helpful that we state, or always refer to judo as a sport, or better yet, an Olympic sport.

David Smith

ILLINOIS JUDO ELECTIONS – JUNE 10 AT THE TOHKON CLASSIC, about 5:30PM

All members of Illinois Judo should participate in the election for a new President this Saturday, June 10 to be held immediately after the last match of the Tohkon Classic – estimated time is about 5:30pm. As provided in the Bylaws, regions will chose delegates who will then elect the President. The Election of the President is the only item on the agenda. The regions are as follows:

Region 1: Cook County

Region 2: Collar counties – includes counties that border Cook

Region 3: All other counties not included in Region 1 and 2 and are above I-80

Region 4: All other counties (Southern) not included in Regions 1, 2 and 3 and are below I-80

Region 5: City of Chicago

You residence of record determines what county you represent.

Illinois Judo Player Provides Clinic to Visually Impaired

Nicki Schultheis, 17 years old, a member of the Gurnee Judo Club, IL, and soon to be a senior at Warren Township High School, was invited by the Great Lakes Adaptive Sports Association (GLASA) to give a judo clinic for visually impaired athletes. GLASA is a non-for-profit organization that organizes athletics and activities for physically and visually impaired youth and adults. On Sunday, 4 June, GLASA held an all-day camp for its female athletes called, “Go-Girl-Go” at the Northwestern University Combe Athletic Center, Skokie, IL. Numerous sports and activities presented demonstrations and events. Nicki held a one-hour clinic on playing judo for the visually impaired female athletes, and she received terrific interest and enthusiasm from her students. GLASA and the Gurnee Judo Club have been affiliated with each other for over 6 years. During this time, Nicki has developed considerable skill in coaching judo to visually impaired athletes. During the clinic, Brian Callahan and Dave Fulton, both students at Warren Township High School and members of the Gurnee Judo Club, assisted her.

Judo, an Olympic sport, has been actively involved in the teaching and competitive aspects of physically handicapped, visually and hearing impaired athletes world wide. In particular, blind US Judo athletes regularly compete at the local, regional, national and international levels including World Championships and Paralympic Games. Judo offers a wonderful way for athletes to participate in a sport where sight, hearing and other physical impediments are not necessary barriers to participation. USA Judo, the National Governing Body for Judo, cooperates fully with USABA (United States Association of Blind Athletes) to provide programs and competitions for these athletes. Many coaches and referees have been trained to deal with the special needs of these athletes. For more information, please write or contact USA Judo at www.usjudo.org or USABA at www.usaba.org.

USJI News

Complete coverage of these articles available at the USA Judo website. Click on the link below http://www.usjudo.org/ and click on the What's New page to see all the recent news items.

USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships
2006 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships Entry Packet
Don’t forget… deadline for pre-registration is JUNE 16.

Junior Competition Opportunities for Juniors Born 1987-1997

There are many options below, for many ages.

Please take the time to read thoroughly.

Selection Announcement:

The 2006 Pan American Juvenile/Infantil Judo Championships will be held in Maracaibo, Venezuela November 15 – 19, 2006. The selections for the USA Judo Team for the 2006 Infantil Pan American Judo Championships (birth years 1994-1995 and 1992-1993) will be based on highest position on the age appropriate USA Judo Elite Athlete Roster produced following the conclusion of the National Ladder Tournament September 3, 2006

Junior – Juvenile – Infantil Events for Juv A, B, C and Intermediates

Competition opportunities for:

Birth years (1987-1989), (1990-1991), (1992-1993), (1994-1995), (1996-1997)

NOTE: the following two events are pointable as Junior Tournaments Not Listed (TNL). This means that medalists will earn 2 points for gold, 1 point for silver and 0.5 point for bronze – EXCEPT the oldest division and youngest divisions. The oldest division does not match the IJF Jr age standard and is not pointable at all. The youngest Intermediate division – birth years 1996-1997 – weight classes sometimes do not match our rosters. They can ONLY be pointable if there is a match of weights. All of the other ages ARE pointable, as explained.

The divisions for which USA Judo will be selecting the Pan American Juvenile/Infantil Team will be contested and ARE pointable at the following events, and they could play a part in the final point totals for selection.

August 17 – 20 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

Circuito Internacional Infantil y Juvenil (Masculino y Femenino)

August 25 – 28 Acapulco, Mexico

Circuito Panamericano Infantil y Juvenil – Torneo Internacional Juvenil de Judo “Prof. Daniel F. Hernandez” (Female and Male)

You MUST contact Mary Ann Relich by July 15 for the Dominican event and July 31 for the Mexico event. Email to Mary Ann at USJIAdmin@aol.com

Senior Events for Juniors (Pan American Circuit)

June 15 – 18 Cartagena, Colombia

Copa Internacional FECOLJUDO y Jigoro Kano Senior (Female and Male) *

* Only the Copa Internacional FECOLJUDO is pointable.

June 22 – 25 Barquisimeto, Venezuela

Simon Bolivar Internacional Cup (Female and Male)

June 29 – July 1 Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

XIII Circuito Panamericano Mayores Copa Internacional Fedojudo (Female and Male)

The above events are point events. USA Judo athletes on the IJF Junior Elite Roster are eligible to compete. Juniors who place here will earn points on both Junior and Senior levels.

Sr points: D level 3 for 1st, 2 for 2nd, 1 for 3rd

Jr points: 10 for 1st, 6 for 2nd, 4 for 3rd, 2 for 5th

The host countries are not restricting entries, so it is possible to compete in one, two or all three. It is important to note, however, that USA Judo is ONLY providing staff for the Dominican Republic.

SPECIAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY for the above events – do you qualify?

Junior athletes who are Senior National medalists OR who have 20 or more IJF Jr points, AND whose points are in Olympic weight divisions, AND who will compete in the same weight division in one of the above events, AND who do not have USA Judo funding available from another source for these events, are eligible for REIMBURSEMENT of up to $650 for documented air and hotel expenses for ONE of the above events only.

For all of the above events, it is necessary for you to contact Mary Ann Relich to get registered. Do this as soon as possible. Email to Mary Ann at USJIAdmin@aol.com.

We will provide funding for a total of NO MORE than ten persons, and only ONE person per weight division, and you MUST register your request by June 15, 2006.

If you plan to attend one of these events AND you are eligible and want to request the SPECIAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITY, you MUST contact Jim Hrbek at JrJudoTrip@aol.com If your request is not received at this address by close of business on June 15, your funding request CANNOT be processed.

NOTE: The 2006 Pan American Juvenile/Infantil Judo Championships will be held in Maracaibo, Venezuela November 15 – 19, 2006. The selections for the USA Judo Team for the 2006 Infantil Pan American Judo Championships (birth years 1994-1995 and 1992-1993) that will be based on highest position on the age appropriate USA Judo Elite Athlete Roster produced following the conclusion of the National Ladder Tournament September 3, 2006

North American Indigenous Games, July 5

Do you have Native American heritage? For the first time ever be part of a 6,000 athlete event…The 2006 North American Indigenous Games!

The North American Indigenous Games is one of the largest Olympic style events on the continent with 6,000 participants expected to compete in more than 15 sports, July 3-7 in Denver, Colo.

For the first time, judo will be included on this year´s program with competition being held for judo players of Native American heritage, ages 13 and older on July 5 at the National Western Conference Stadium .

All participants must be members in good standing of USA Judo or Judo Canada.

For more information, download the complete entry form at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/NAIGEntryForm.pdf or contact Sherrie Phillips, sportsconsult@aol.com.

Malloy and Hawn Win Silver; St. Leger Takes Bronze at Tre-Torri

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif./San Jose State Univeristy/57kg) and Rick Hawn (Woburn, Mass./Pedro’s Judo Center/81kg) each won silver medals Saturday at the Tre-Torri International in Porto Sant Elpidio, Italy.

The win is the first B Level senior European medal for Malloy, a 19-year-old member of the USA Judo U-23 Elite Team, and Hawn, a 2004 Athens Olympian.

En route to the gold medal match, Malloy went 3-0 against opponents from Europe and Canada, including a semi-final win over Ellen Kerssemakers (NED), last year’s Belgian Ladies Open bronze medalist at 52kg. In the final, Miryam Roper (GER) dominated the five-minute match, holding Malloy pointless and scoring a waza-ari (half-point) and a koka (smallest points).

Hawn also went 3-0 going into his final match against Antonio Ciano (ITA), a 2005 gold medalist at both this event and the Hamburg Super World Cup, but was unable to take a fourth victory, losing by ippon (instant win, similar to a knockout in boxing) in the second minute.

In a day of firsts for the young American squad, Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y./Starrett Judo/90kg) also brought home hardware in the form of a bronze medal victory over Alexander Bannikow (GER).

St. Leger, also a U-23 athlete, was the U.S. Team’s lone carryover from last week’s Pan American Championship Team. After arriving home from Buenos Aires on Monday, St. Leger had just enough time to unpack and rotate his luggage before making the trip to Italy.

While crossing through multiple time zones and hitting three continents in four days might have had a negative effect on some athletes, St. Leger was nonplussed, defeating three of his four opponents by ippon, only losing one match in the day against Tomislav Vucak (CRO).

In addition to coming back from being down by a waza-ari against the German to win his first B Level medal by ippon in just over three minutes, St. Leger also had an impressive showing in the semis, throwing Claudio Pellino (ITA) for ippon in 13 seconds.

After going 3-1 in the early rounds with all three wins by ippon, U-23 athlete Travis Stevens (San Jose, Calif./San Jose State University/81kg) also fought for bronze, losing by ippon to Lorenzo Bagnoli (ITA), a two-time Italian National Champion who finished fifth on the European Tour at the Tblissi World Cup.

Also in the 81kg division, Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y./Starrett Judo), Garry’s twin brother, threw Giovanni Alessio (ITA) for waza-ari and then threw the Italian a second time with sumi gaeshi (corner throw), but landed on his back in the process and the score was called as an ippon for Alessio.

Top-ranked junior Yuko Sin (Scotia, N.Y./Jason Morris Judo Center) was the fourth American in a 34-man 81kg division, but lost his opening match when Boris Greif (SLO) threw him with a seoi nage (shoulder throw) for ippon.

Radu Brestyan (Medway, Mass./Pedro’s Judo Center) fared well in the 73kg division, armbarring Antonio Vastarella (ITA) for his first round win. Brestyan lost in the second round to Dimitri Nemegaire (BEL) in a match Head Coach Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) described as “a real battle.” Brestyan picked up a yuko against Nemegaire, but ultimately lost by ippon.

In his quest to fight for bronze, Brestyan threw Adam McGarvey (NZL) with an o uchi gari (major inner reaping) for ippon. In his next match, Brestyan lost by ippon in just under two minutes to Toni Lettner (GER), a past German National and Belgian Open Champion.

Also at 73kg, 17-year-old Bobby Lee (Lauderhill, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) threw Fabian Seidlmeier (GER) with an o uchi gari for ippon in the first round. In the next, Lee lost on a penalty to Damiano Martinuzzi (GER) who won a silver medal at last month’s B-Level Slovenian Open.

In the women’s divisions, 15-year-old Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio/Renshuden) competed for the first time internationally at 70kg since winning Senior Nationals in the division in April.

Harrison had difficulty with her older, heavier opponents, losing in the first round by a trio of yukos (quarter-points) to eventual gold medalist Elisabeth Greve. In the repechage, she posted a second lost to Giulia Cantoni (ITA) by two kokas.

After winning bronze at the Junior Beligium Ladies Open and gold at the Junior Pan Ams earlier this season, Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site/52kg) also continues to test the international waters in the senior divisions with this being her second such European Tournament.

In the first round, Durand defeated Elisa Fusari (ITA) by a koka. In her next two matches, however, the 14-year-old was pinned in each – first by two-time Senior Pan American Champion Aminata Sall (CAN) and then by Cristina Marsili (ITA).

During the two-day event, Team USA claimed three medals as well as top-five finishes by U-23 members Stevens, Jeanette Rodriguez (Margate, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site/48kg) and Rafael Ramos (North Lauderdale, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site/60kg).

Among the 15 American competitors were 10 members of the USA Judo Elite U-23 Team, a group of 20 judo players between ages 14 and 22 who have been identified as having potential for future international success.

The team was coached by Pedro, a two-time Olympic medalist and 1999 World Champion.

“I’m extremely proud of this team’s performance. These guys are young, but they have a lot of talent. They’ve got a lot of heart and they’re fearless competitors,” Pedro said. “If we continue to support this group and develop these athletes, we’re going to have a very solid team internationally in the next few years especially when you consider that some of these athletes are just 15 and 16 and they’re getting experience now that you usually don’t get until your twenties.”

Complete results for the two-day individual competition are as follows:

Women’s 48kg

1. Sabine Goller (GER)

2. Julia Kriesten (GER)

3. Amel Bensemain (FRA)

3. Severine Pesch (GER)

5. Wasilisa Prill (GER)

5. Jeanette Rodriguez (Margate, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)

Also Competed: Ann Shiraishi (Elk Grove, Calif./Okubu/APOA Judo Club), 0-2

Women’s 52kg

1. Camilla Magnolfi (ITA)

2. Aminata Sall (CAN)

3. Bettina Gasser (GER)

3. Kaji Hiromi (JPN)

5. Recnak Anja (SLO)

5. Rahel Walser (SUI)

Also Competed: Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site), 1-2.

Women’s 57kg

1. Miryam Roper (GER)

2. Marti Malloy (San Jose, Calif./San Jose State University)

3. Gabrielle Deflorenne (FRA)

3. Ellen Kerssemakers (NED)

5. Rosalba Forciniti (ITA)

5. Magali Marcier (BEL)

Women’s 63kg

1. Margot Wetzer (NED)

2. Valerie Degryse (BEL)

3. Inga Gussenberg (GER)

3. Isabelle Pearson (CAN)

5. Giulia Quintavalle (ITA)

5. Anicka Van Emden (NED)

Also Competed: Kristen Allan (Springfield, Va./Sport Judo), 0-1

Women’s 70kg

1. Elisabeth Greve (GER)

2. Jana Grenzdoerfer (GER)

3. Sally Conway (GBR)

3. Gemma Gibbons (GBR)

5. Erica Barbieri (ITA)

5. Regina Jernejc (SLO)

Also Competed: Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio/Renshuden Judo Academy), 0-2.

Women’s 78kg

1. Gabi Teichmann (GER)

2. Franziska Konitz (GER)

3. Pauline Camus (FRA)

3. Lucie Louette (FRA)

5. Violette Janinet (FRA)

5. Marylise Levesque (CAN)

Women’s +78kg

1. Eva Bisseni (FRA)

2. Katrin Dittirch (GER)

3. Olia Berger (CAN)

3. Verena Birndorfer (GER)

5. Daiana Argelli (ITA)

5. Michela Torrenti (ITA)

Men’s 60kg

1. David LaRose (FRA)

2. Elio Verde (ITA)

3. Marco D’Auria (ITA)
3. Frazer Will (CAN)

5. Marco Grassi (ITA)

5. Rafael Ramos (North Lauderdale, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)

Men’s 66kg

1. Yuri Contegreco (ITA)

2. Stefano Marcelli (ITA)

3. Giovanni Casale (ITA)

3. Nicolas Maurer (SUI)

5. Francesco Faraldo (ITA)

5. Simon Mohorovic (SLO)

Men’s 73kg

1. Marco Maddaloni (ITA)

2. Craig Ewers (GBR)

2. Fabrizio Chimento (ITA)

3. Damiano Martinuzzi (BEL)

5. Robert Gess (GER)

5. Dimitri Nemegaire (BEL)

Also Competed: Bobby Lee (Lauderhill, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site), 1-1. Radu Brestyan (Medway, Mass./Pedro’s Judo Center), 2-2.

Men’s 81kg

1. Antonio Ciano (ITA)

2. Rick Hawn (Woburn, Mass./Pedro’s Judo Center)

3. Lorenzo Bagnoli (ITA)

3. Daniel Fernandez (BEL)

5. Marco Favaro (ITA)

5. Travis Stevens (San Jose, Calif./San Jose State University)

Also Competed: Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y./Starrett Judo), 0-1. Yuko Sin (Scotia, N.Y./Jason Morris Judo Center), 0-1

Men’s 90kg

1. Frank Dedek (GER)

2. Tim Pedus (BEL)

3. Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y./Starrett Judo)

3. Tomislav Vucak (CRO)

5. Alexander Bannikow (GER)

5. Tobias Larsson (SWE)

Men’s 100kg

1. Benjamin Behrla (GER)

2. Primoz Ferjan (SLO)

3. Koenraad De Visscher (BEL)

3. Frederic Stiegelmann (FRA)

5. Ignazio Capezzuto (ITA)

5. Mikael Marffy (SWE)

Men’s +100kg

1. Kanning Nico (GER)

2. Paola Isabella (ITA)

3. Nicola Brandolini (ITA)

4. Stefano Bomba (ITA)

*********************************

2006 SJSU Judo Training Camp, July 9th - 13^th (week following the USA Judo Junior Olympics)

Download the Application at www.sjsujudo.org.

About

The SJSU Judo Camp is a great opportunity for junior players (ages 13 and up) to improve their Judo and learn what it's like to train at a world-class University Judo Program. With instruction provided by our coaching staff of former Olympians and World Champs, along with the nationally ranked SJSU Judo team, this is one training camp that you can't afford to miss!

Accommodations

The camp will be held on the campus of San Jose State University, the site of the 2006 USA Judo Junior Olympics. Campers will be housed in the campus' high quality dormitories, which include air conditioning, comfortable beds, and washer & dryers. In addition to the campus security, our Judo camp staff will be with the campers at all times, to ensure that they have a safe training experience.

Instruction

At SJSU, they believe that it takes hard work to make a champion and campers will be treated to a rigorous training program, which includes two judo practices a day, as well as strength training & conditioning. Instruction will be provided by our world famous coaching staff, which includes:

Mike Swain – World Champion & Four-Time Olympian
Keith Nakasone – 1980 Olympic Team Captain
Kevin Asano – Olympic Silver Medalist
Chuck Jefferson – Two-Time Pan American Champion
Tetsuo Okano – 2004 Olympic Team Alternate
Eitan Gelber – Strength & Conditioning Coach

Campers will also have the opportunity to practice with the members of the elite level San Jose State University Judo team.

Pricing

Day Camp Commuters: $199
Includes all judo instruction for three days in addition to daily lunch, ample drinks and snacks and a Camp T-shirt. Drop off at 9:00 a.m. at Yosh Uchida Hall. Bring judo gi and change of clothes for lunch break.

Full Room & Board: $379
Includes full room & board and all Judo instruction and activities. Camp begins Sunday evening following the Junior Olympics. Announcements will be made at the competition, to have campers meet the SJSU staff about 4:00 PM Please be ready with all gear to check into dorm room. All campers will be in a double room. Room includes bed sheets, pillow, one towel and one wash cloth. Space is limited; get your application in fast. Departure will be in the Thursday morning July 13. Transportation will be provided to San Jose Airport (SJC). Please send departure itinerary with application.

Application

Download the Junior Camp Application.

Send completed forms to:
SJSU Junior Camp
C/O Swain Sports
138 West Campbell Ave
Campbell, CA 95008

Deadline

The deadline for applications is Friday, June 30th. No walk-up registrations will be accepted.

Contact

For more information, please contact us at: judocamp@yahoo.com

********************************************

Referee Room Reservations for Junior Olympics

Referees for the USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships are encouraged to book their rooms as soon as possible at the Saint Claire Hotel. This beautiful property is located three blocks from the headquarters hotel and three blocks from the venue. A special rate of $99 has been established for the event. Please mention “Judo Rate” when you reserve the room. Reservations can be made by contacting the Saint Claire Hotel at 408.295.2000.

********************************************

SERVING OUR COUNTRY:

PVT Luke Jacobsen –Marines, Okinawa

LTJG Donny Newsome, Gurnee, IL

LT Nick Oldfield, Navy, Virginia – home base

Mike Preditus –

Please let me know other Judo families who have loved ones serving in our military: rank, branch of service and where they are serving. Thanks.

Something to Think About – Puppies for sale

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising the 4 pups. And set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy "one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran

Dolly followed by four little balls of fur.

The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a some what awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers.. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe.

Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, the farmer reached down and picked up the little pup.

Holding it carefully he handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy. "No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."

The world does not have enough people who understands the true meaning of LOVE.

UPCOMING EVENTS - 2006
Please note the following events on the horizon for Illinois and the Midwest. Communication and download information can be gotten directly through this email by attachments or by going to www.judofdl.com (Brett Wood Taylors Welcome Mat Judo). OR www.judocalendar.com (Jim Carmer). Either site is a wealth of information on Judo events. Both have more events listed than I have, so visit their sites often. Thanks.

Jun 10 XI Tohkon Classic Chicago, IL

Contact Mike Tanimura mike@sicreative.com http://www.tohkon.com/events/tohkon_tcxi.pdf Registration packet

July 8-9 USA Junior Olympics Nationals San Jose CA

Contact Corinne Shigemoto Corrinshig@aol.com

July 15-16 USJA Junior Nationals Boca Raton, FL

Contact

July 23 -25 USJF Junior Nationals Ft Lauderdale, FL

Contact Gerry Navarro gerrynavarro@aol.com 954-435-6976 www.judonationals.net

July 29-30 2006 Junior US OPEN Judo Championships Ft Lauderdale, FL

Contact Gerry Navarro gerrynavarro@aol.com 954-435-6976 www.judonationals.net

Sept 16 Land of Lakes Tournament Walker Field House, Hamline University, St Paul, MN NEW!!!

Contact: Gary Foster gfoster@visi.com