ILLINOIS JUDO NEWSLETTER – IPPON!!!

December 21, 2006

President:        Tim Schultheis
VP:                  Chuck Clark
Secretary:        Mary Gail Ford
Treasurer:       Frank Oliveri
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.  It is also appreciated if you would indicate your name in the tag line.  I do not use email addresses to segregate emails, only real names.  Thank you. 

Contents:
Editorial – A Blessing

LOCAL NEWS

IJI Minutes from December 9, 2006

A note about Upcoming Events

USA JUDO NEWS

            2007 Junior Olympics to be held in San Antonio, TX

            Swanson finishes 7th at World University Championships

            2007 European B Level Funding Availability

            2007 Elite Athlete Training Grant Request Program

            US Athletes competing at World University Championships

            European Tour Reminder

            2007 Dutch Open Espoir Clarification

            2007 Wahadachi Judo Tournament

 

Serving Our Country
Something to Think About
Upcoming Events
USA Judo Life Members


EDITORIAL –

 

The Polar Bear Blessing

 

                                                                                   



Wishing you
   
In  your busy life
,

 
 

Time  for Relaxation

 


Good Sleep  



Good Health  with Exercise




Someone to  Dance With




.. a Bit of  Adventure




Good  Looks


 

But Most of  All ...

I Wish You  Lots of Bear Hugs




And The  Comforts of Real Love

Many  Blessings...  

 
May  you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends that  care.
 




But watch out for those darn penguins!

 
 

Do you ever feel like doing this to someone?


 

 

Now forward this to everyone you consider "A Friend", not forgetting the person who sent it to you.

 

From all of the Board of Directors of Illinois Judo, Inc and the EDITOR, may the blessing of Christmas and Chanukah and the Holiday Season be upon you.  May you all have a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.  See you in 2007.

 

 

LOCAL NEWS

 

Mary Gail Ford, Secretary, has submitted the meeting minutes of the 12/9/2006 IJI Board meeting held at Tohkon Judo Academy – ATTACHMENT  ijimin120906.doc.  If there are any questions or corrections, please contact the President, Mr Tim Schultheis at tschulth@warpnet.net or Mary Gail Ford at mgford@comcast.net

 

A Note about Upcoming Events

Please be aware that keeping up with all of the upcoming events in this newsletter is an impossible task if I have to make sure that everything is correct each time something is posted.  I get additions to this list from websites including USA Judo, USJF, USJA, IJF and others. Sometimes that information is not correct.   At other times, folks send me information to post.  I suggest that if you have a vested interest in these events, that you personally look at the information posted periodically to make sure that the information is correct.  If a correction needs to be made, please email me with those changes and I would be happy to make the changes the next time the newsletter comes out.  In this edition of the Newsletter, you will see many changes that have been made.  New!!!, Please note date change are just some of the ways to let you know there is something different.  Also, a website address to direct one to the event is ideal.  This way, the reader can go directly to that site to download the most current information. 

 

In spite of all of these warnings, errors continue to be made in dates, times, contacts, etc.  Illinois Judo will do its best to maintain valid information, however, it is up to you, the tournament director or instructor or President of your club to check, if you wish, the integrity of YOUR information.  Thank you for your cooperation.  ED.

 

USA Judo News
Complete coverage of these articles available at the USA Judo website.
  Click on the link http://www.usjudo.org/  and click on the What's New page to see all the recent news items.  The items listed below may or may not be linked already.  To get further information on any of these stories, it is better to go to the USA Judo website.

 

2007 Junior Olympics to be Held in San Antonio

USA Judo is pleased to announce the 2007 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships will be held July 21-22 in San Antonio, Texas at the Freeman Coliseum. 

 

“We’re very excited to bring out premier junior event to San Antonio given the extensive experience that the city of San Antonio has in hosting first-class events.  San Antonio will provide USA Judo junior athletes and their families with a great technical site as well as a great city to visit and enjoy after competition,” said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) “We expect this to be the best Junior Olympic competition in the history of USA Judo and we are looking forward to a great event."

 

The Junior Olympics are USA Judo’s largest event annually, drawing as many as 900 competitors between the ages of 5 and 19-years-old. 

 

A point event for athletes ages 9-19, the Junior Olympics frequently feature competition from the future stars of the sport as well as athletes who have had current success in both the junior and senior ranks.

 

Past hosts of the Junior Olympics have included San Jose, Calif. (2006), Gwinnett County, Ga. (2005), Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (2004), Albuquerque, N.M. (2003) and Indianapolis, Ind. (2002), among others.

 

Swanson Finishes Seventh at World University Championships

 

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / University of Hawaii at Manoa) finished in seventh place in the +78kg division at her first World University Championships on Sunday in Suwon, Republic of Korea.

 

Swanson, who won the Senior Nationals in her first attempt in April, had a difficult opening match, drawing Katrin Beinroth (GER), one of the top 10 players in the world and a medalist at this year’s Moscow and Paris Super World Cups. 

 

After losing to Beinroth by ippon (instant win), Swanson dropped down to the repechage, where she dominated her match against Bronwyn Boebak (RSA), holding Boebak scoreless and beating her by two waza-aris (half-point each)… more>

 

From the Desk of Eddie Liddie, USA Judo Director of Athlete Performance

2007 European B Level Funds Available

 

This year was an excellent one for many of our athletes who competed in European B Level Tournaments.

 

U.S. athletes used their competition in the European B Level circuit as an opportunity to hone their skills against some of the world’s best players with excellent results.

 

Ronda Rousey (63kg) and Ryan Reser (73kg) both had success at the Belgium Open in February, winning gold and bronze, respectively, that would pave the way for their later A-level wins.

 

Rousey won the Birmingham World Cup in April, becoming the first U.S. woman to do so in nearly 10 years while Reser picked up silver medals in back-to-back weeks at the Rotterdam and Boras World Cups.

 

Other top-ranked players also repeated success in Europe this year as Carrie Chandler (52kg) won bronzes at the Belgium and Finnish Opens and Valerie Gotay (57kg) won the Finnish Open and placed fifth in Belgium and Sweden.

 

Many up-and-coming players also claimed medals at the European B-Levels this year.  The Tre-Torri International in Italy was a break-out tournament for several key athletes as Marti Malloy (57kg), Rick Hawn (81kg) and Garry St. Leger (90kg) each made podium appearances. 

 

Finally, Team USA closed out the year on a positive note as Kristen Allan (63kg) and Sayaka Matsumoto (48kg) both earned their first Senior B Level medals in Europe, placing second at the Finnish Open.

 

Competing at the B-Level events proved to be an excellent opportunity for virtually all U.S. athletes who made trips to Europe as these tournaments offered up-and-coming players a chance to pick up key fights with international players that provided an appropriate level of challenge to their abilities. 

 

In large divisions, although an athlete may not have won a medal, many came home with several matches won under their belt. 

 

Most importantly, nearly all of the European Bs athletes competed at were followed by training camps.  And while getting in as many matches during the competition is obviously the goal, even more lessons were learned by our athletes as they worked with coaches from around the world and randoried with athletes who they may not have had to fight in competition.

 

With this in mind, I would like to encourage both athletes who are looking to reach the next level to compete in European B levels throughout the 2007 season.

 

In order to encourage athletes who have had past international success as well as provide a goal for athletes who are newer to the European scene, we have revised our Elite Athlete Training Grant Request Program for 2007.

 

Next year, athletes who have a minimum of a “B Level” classification and 14 international points in an Olympic weight division may apply for a training grant to one of three B Level events: Belgium Open, Tre-Torri and the International German Championships. 

 

Each of these is a tournament in which our athletes have competed in the past and are expected to be good training grounds for the future as well.

 

In order to create an atmosphere in which athletes have the best opportunity for success, athletes who receive funds for any of these three trips will be part of a U.S. Team, including a designated coach.

 

Below are the complete details for the 2007 USA Judo Elite Athlete Training Grant Request Program.

 

If you have any questions, please contact me at eddie.liddie@usajudo.us.

 

 

2007 USA Judo Elite Athlete Training Grant Request Program

 

REMINDER: Athletes must submit their Elite Athlete Training Grant Program requests 30 days prior to the event for which they're requesting funding.  Failure to submit your request within this time frame may result in a rejection of your request.

 

USA Judo has initiated an Elite Athlete Training Grant Program for Senior Elites with a minimum classification of a “B” and at least 14 international points in the Olympic division in which the athlete chooses to compete at the time of both application and the time of the start of the competition for which they are requesting funds. 

 

Athletes who meet these requirements are eligible to apply for funds for the following B-Level events in 2007:

 

Belgium Open (Arlon for Women, Vise for Men), Feb. 3-4

Tre-Torri International (Porto Sant’Elpidio, Italy), June 1-2

International German Championships (Braunschweig), Aug. 11-12

 

Athletes who receive funding for any of the events above will be designated as part of a U.S. Team for the event, including coaching.  Acceptance of the funds also will include fully participating in all U.S. Team events during the trip, abiding by team rules and attending all sessions of the post-event camp (Belgium and Tre-Torri only) unless otherwise dictated by the Team Coach.

 

Failure to meet any of the above requirements during the trip may result in the rescinding of the training grant for the designated trip as well as jeopardize the athlete’s future funding possibilities.

 

Applications must be completed a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the activity for which funding is requested.

 

Applications shall be submitted electronically, utilizing the accompanying Application for Elite Athlete Training Funds

 

A Post Event Elite Athlete Training Grant Activity Report providing original receipts for the expenditures provided by the grant must be provided to the USA Judo National Office a maximum of thirty (30) days upon conclusion of the event or activity for which funding is provided.  A package providing the appropriate forms and instructions will be provided upon acceptance of the grant request and must be returned within the 30-day post-event time period in order to receive funding.  

 

To apply eligible athletes should follow the instructions identified below:

          a.           Download the form Elite Athlete Training Grant Request Form

          b.           Save the document naming it your last and first name, separating your

                        last and first name with an underscore ie. Jones_Johnny

          c.           Click on each shaded area and complete all information requested,

                        making sure to complete all questions.

          d.           Save all changes.

          e.           Send an E-mail to:       brettbarron@capitalrealtygrp.com & edliddie@aol.com

          f.            Attach your completed Application for Elite Athlete Training Funds

          g.           All applications will be acted on within seven (7) business days.

 

\

U.S. Athletes to Compete at World University Championships this Weekend

Two judo players will represent the United States at the World University Judo Championships from Dec. 16-18 in Suwon, Republic of Korea.

 

Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / University of California – Berkeley / 48kg), and Melinda Swanson (Honolulu, Hawaii / University of Hawaii at Manoa / +78kg) each will be competing in their first World University Championships against competitors from an estimated 45 nations.

 

Matsumoto, who just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from UC – Berkeley, is the most seasoned competitor of the two, having won six National Titles and four Pan American Championship medals.

 

Swanson made an impressive debut at her first Senior Nationals, winning the event in April and placing fifth at the U.S. Open in October.

 

The team is led by coaches Derrick Kerr (Honolulu, Hawaii) and David Matsumoto (Richmond, Calif.)

 

Competition schedule is as follows:

 

December 16:  Men’s +100kg, 100kg, 90kg and Women’s +78kg, 78kg, 70kg

December 17:  Men’s 81kg, 73kg and Women’s 63kg, 57kg

December 18:  Men’s 66kg, 60kg, Open and Women’s 52kg, 48kg and Open

 

 

European Tour Reminder

Athletes ranked #2 in Olympic weight divisions on the Dec. 4 Senior Elite National Roster are reminded that Dec. 18 is the deadline to submit their selections, forms and payment for the 2007 European Tour to Mary Ann Relich, maryann.relich@usajudo.us.

 

2007 Dutch Open Espoir Clarification

The 2007 Dutch Open Espoir will be held Jan. 13-14 in Eindhoven, Netherlands, not Rotterdam

 

The Dutch Open Espoir is a qualifying event for the European U17 Championships and many of the top young players in Europe are expected to be present. This tournament is a point tournament for Juvenile B and IJF Junior athletes worth 10 points for a first place finish, 6 for second, 4 for third and 2 for fifth. Contact Mary Ann Relich at maryann.relich@usajudo.us as soon as possible to enter the event. 

 

2007 Wahadachi Judo Tournament

The Wahadachi Judo Tournament will be held Jan. 28, 2007 in Milwaukee, Wis.  For more information, visit www.wahadachijudo.com or contact Jim Peterson at jpeterson230@wi.rr.com

 

 

SERVING OUR COUNTRY                         
PVT Luke Jacobsen – Milwaukee, WI                                               
LTJG Donny Newsome, Gurnee, IL                                           
LT Nick Oldfield, Navy, Virginia – home base                            
Mike Preditus, IL                                                                            
SGT Dennis Pruitt, IRAQ                                                             
Dan Smith, Dickson, TN                                                             

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 – 

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 Taylor 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.

Dec 26 – 30            Gurnee Judo Holiday Camp featuring Carrie Chandler             Gurnee, IL
Contact                  Tim Schultheis tschulth@warpnet.net  for more information www.gurneejudoclub.com 

Dec 30                    Junior Development Clinic – Open Workout                Gurnee Judo Club                Gurnee, IL
Contact Brett Wolf              azumah4@yahoo.com

2007 dates

Jan TBD Junior Development Clinic – Open Workout                Tohkon Judo Academy      Chicago, IL
Contact Brett Wolf              azumah4@yahoo.com

Jan 28     Wahadachi Judo Tournament           Milwaukee, WI     NEW!!!
Contact Jim Peterson           1-414-444-0272      website:  www.wahadachijudo.com
See attachment

Jan 28     WJI Hall of Fame Dinner honoring Neal Rosenberg and Ron Hanson    Wauwatosa, WI                   NEW!!!
Contact Jim Peterson           1-414-444-0272

Feb 10         Sensei Memorial   San Jose, CA        -               Referee EXAMINATION Site
Contact: 

Feb. 11.2007   Kids Snow Throw, Southside Dojo LTD, Kalamazoo, Mi.
Ron Blake RonBlake@chartermi.net for more information  www.SouthsideDojo.com

Feb 18    Illinois State Open Judo Championships     Yorkville IL
Contact   Chuck Clark:  (630)553-5741 clarkmail4@comcast.net OR  (please note new email address for Chuck)
                 Tim Schultheis (847)244-7847

Feb 17    4th Annual Pedro's Challenge Judo Tournament  Wakefield, MA                -               Referee EXAMINATION Site
Contact Jim Pedro at jimmypedro@zebramats.com or 978-973-6238
USA Judo E-Level Senior Event and Referee Examination Site

Mar 2-4  Midwestern Championships  Illinois                -               Referee EXAMINATION Site
Contact Irwin Cohen

Mar 10    New York Open, New York City - PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE

Mar 24-26  MS/HS/Collegiate National Championships Miami, FL                -               Referee EVALUATION Site
Contact:  Sherrie Phillips

Mar 31-Apr 1   Liberty Bell Philadelphia, PA          -               Referee EXAMINATION Site

Apr 7-8   NorthglennDenver, CO -               Referee CREDIT Site

Apr 20-21  Senior Nationals Miami, Fl                -               Referee EVALUATION Site

May 29-30  Am-Can ChallengeBuffalo, NY-               Referee EXAMINATION Site    NEW!!!
CORRECTION:  This site will be a national referee examination site BUT will not be a point tournament as in the past.  The Editor regrets the error

Jun 30-Jul 1, 2007  USJA Junior Nationals Indianapolis, IN                -               Referee CREDIT Site - PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE

Jul 14-15 USJF Junior NationalsYpsilanti, MI                -               Referee CREDIT Site

Jul 21 – 22  Junior Olympics – San Antonio, TX                 -               Referee EVALUATION Site – PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE

Aug 4-5  USA Judo Junior Open – Ft Lauderdale, FL                -               Referee EVALUATION Site

Sep 2007  Ladder and Fall Classic –                  -               Referee EVALUATION Site

Sep/Oct 2007         USA Judo Senior Open                -               Referee EVALUATION Site

Nov 2007               Continental CrownSeattle, WA     -               Referee EXAMINATION  Site

Nov 2007               Dallas InvitationalDallas, TX         -               Referee EXAMINATION Site

LIFE MEMBERSHIPS INFORMATION – USA JUDO
For more information on Life Membership in USA Judo, please contact USA Judo and click on “LIFE MEMBERSHIP”  
Nat’l       Order     Name
030          1             Henry Okamura(deceased)
041          2             Kei Narimatsu
065          3             James Colgan
122          4             Richard Fukuyama(deceased)
125          5             Joanne Barthold(deceased)
139          6             George Stanich
148          7             Mary Gail Ford
161          8             Kevin Narimatsu (CA)
162          9             Scott Narimatsu (CA)
164          10           Byung Chul Cho
167          11           Yung Kim
177          12           Kyu Yoon
181          13           John Bek
189          14           Quentin Thompson
201          15           Michiyuki Sasa
216          16           George Weers
271          17           Susan McConnell
289          18           William Jaconetti
291          19           Jean S Narimatsu
292          20           Susan Narimatsu
324          21           Timothy Tremaine
342          22           Stephen Bergren
349          23           Timothy Canty
355          24           Tim Schultheis
358          25           Bradford Lee (NV)
363          26           Frank Oliveri
364          27           Michael Ogata (FL)
370          28           Jeanette J Narimatsu
371          29           Julie K Narimatsu
374          30           Joe Kajita (CA)
378          31           Eiko Shepherd
381          32           Bill Dunning(deceased)
382          33           Yasko Odagiri
383          34           Wren Odagiri
385          35           Cary Yamanaka (MN)               
387          36           Don Bordeau

There are currently only 36 Life Members in Illinois.  You can start a membership for $75 minimum start payment and $25 per payment thereafter until completed.  You can pay by cash, check or credit card.  For more information, please contact www.usjudo.org  and select “LIFE MEMBERSHIP” Let’s do our share in Illinois.   Thanks.