ILLINOIS JUDO NEWSLETTER – IPPON!!!

ILLINOIS JUDO NEWSLETTER – IPPON!!!

February 15, 2007

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. t

Contents:
Editorial – JUDO as a business
LOCAL NEWS

Judo Clinic – Pat Burris – Missoula Montana

USA JUDO NEWS

Senior National Entry packet

Scholarship Funds Available

Novice Div added to Collegiate Nationals

Partially Blind Wrestler competitive in Judo

Junior Point Changes

Gotay Finishes Ninth at Paris Super World Cup

Five Athletes compete at Paris

New York Open Training Camp

Rank and Certification Committee

Junior US Open Entry Packet Available on line

USOC Team Trials in Las Vegas – USA Judo and USA Wrestling

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

EDITORIAL –

Please note that the Senior National Entry forms are attached to this Newsletter. Many have requested information about this event. It came out today. In making reservations for the Marriott Miami Dadeland hotel, please note that the hotel rate states $129/night in the flyer might be in error. When calling the hotel, they are quoting $149 + tax per night for 1 to 4 persons per room. There is either an error on the flyer or a mistake by the Marriott reservation staff. I hope it is the latter.

The Senior Nationals is the premier event for USA Judo. We will see players from across the country vying for points on the national roster and a chance to be a member of an International team. Players train all year to compete for the coveted title of National Champion. And they earn this distinction with dedicated practice at clubs and dojos in neighborhoods just like yours. They compete in club and local shiai’s(tournaments), regional events (Pedro’s Challenge, Midwestern Championships, Dallas Open, Am-Can, Liberty Bell, Continental Crown, Northglenn), USJF and USJA Junior Nationals, USA Judo’s Junior Olympics, MS-HS-Coll Nationals, Ladder and Fall Classic and the US Junior and Senior Open. It is not easy because most of our athletes are not full time athletes. They go to school, they practice. They might even entertain other activities – football? (NAAAAAH), dating, socializing (probably). And it is not cheap to train, travel and compete, let alone live, work, go to school, buy a car, support a wife, support themselves. I know that most other countries support their athletes. Even in Canada, athletes get some support from their National Governing Body – Judo Canada and/or Judo Ontario, etc. And in Europe, the support is even greater. For some, athletes are 100% supported by their governments, NGB’s or sponsorships. For sure, some work and not all countries support in the same way – but all of them get something. Coaches and referees get support from their NGB’s and government especially to train or compete or referee. I know that referees will NOT go to an event unless their transportation and hotel, minimally will be paid for by their National Federations.

I am often asked if I get support to go to Paris or Hamburg or Moscow or Toyko. My response is generally NO, I am completely self-funded. This is a choice that I have made and fully understand the economics of Judo in the United States. Is it right? Probably not. But it is the reality that all of us in Judo have to deal with. So how do we deal with this?

There are several things that can be done.

Win more medals at the World Championships and Olympic Games and we will get more sponsorship money to support the organization for athletes, coaches, referees and administrators. We will get more Olympic money from the USOC too.
Support USA Judo’s Life Member Fund which awards scholarship money for deserving student-athletes.
Get more sponsors – USA Judo has in fact done this. $750,000.00 in cash and in-kind services have been secured for 2007. In the history of USA Judo, I believe this is the largest single sum of money ever to flow through USA Judo, outside of any government or Olympic funds. If this is not correct, it would have to rank very high anyway. We do need more however. A $5 million donation annually would go a long way to train our athletes. There may even be enough left over for coaches and referees. When you think about it, while $5 million seems like a lot, it really is not for some companies making $1 billion in annual revenues – we just need to find those folks willing to support Judo in this manner.
Market Judo – I was watching combined martial arts fights with women. They called it combined martial arts or Ultimate Fighting. Of course there is a lot of kicking and punching but there is osoto-gari, tomoe-nage, seio-nage, kata-guruma, ura-nage as well. This is Judo folks and we perhaps there are ways to market this better. Movie fights, when they are not using guns and lazers also use a lot of Judo techniques. What are we missing here?
We have to start treating Judo as a business. We need to charge more for our events. Tae Kwan Do gets $70 - $100 per entry to some of their events like a National Championship. USA Judo only recently is getting up there at $75 early registration and $95 late registration. Even spectator fees are $6/session, $10/2 sessions, $18/4 sessions. I can go to a movie and spend more money and not get the action that you would see at a great Judo shiai. Also, most of the spectators are volunteers or coaches and way and they do not pay.
Charge an extra $10 per application for the referee fund. The monies generated from this fund would help to support referee travel abroad and would increase significantly the annual referee revenues allocated each year by USA Judo.
There are handbooks/DVD/workshops for Judo coaches/club instructors on how to run a club. We need to read and utilize some of these techniques that are tried and tested in our clubs.

Folks, we need to collective and individually get going to promote Judo in the right way – so that it grows and flourishes in the next few Quadrennial, so that we can win our fair share of medals, so that Judo will become stronger and more popular, so that we are not in this money warp and Judo grows in popularity like the Karate Kid of the 80’s. There is no reason why this could not happen. It is up to us – all of us.

LOCAL NEWS

Judo Clinic Featuring Two-Time Olympian Patrick Burris

Pat Burris, two-time Olympian and USA Judo Director of Coach Certification and Education, will be conducting a clinic at the University of Montana in Missoula on March 9-10.

A technical judo clinic will be held March 9 from 7 – 9 p.m. as well as a second clinic that will be held at the conclusion of the Missoula Invitational Open on March 10.

Coaches in need of USA Judo Coach Certification should attend the Friday evening session.

For more information, contact Chris Knieb at 406.549.6400 or kneib@msn.com.

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.

Senior Nationals Entry Packet Now Available

The entry packet for the USA Judo Senior National Championships and International Masters Championships is now available at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/2007SeniorNationalsEntry.pdf.

Unprecedented Level of Scholarship Funds Available for USA Judo Athletes

USA Judo is pleased to announce that $20,000 has been allocated for scholarship funds for USA Judo athletes.

The awards, which come from revenue generated from the USA Judo Life Member Scholarship Fund, are available to USA Judo members currently enrolled in an accredited college or university.

Scholarship awards will be selected by a committee and will be based on both academic and athletic performance. Prior to review, all applications must first be submitted to Eddie Liddie, USA Judo Director of Athlete Performance.

“Our goal is not only to encourage the success of USA Judo athletes on the mat, but also in the classroom as well,” said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez. “We are all very excited to be able to offer our athletes an unprecedented level of tuition assistance and it is our hope that athletes who receive these awards will go on to have great success in their future careers. This has all been made possible due to the leadership of Gail Stolzenburg who has masterfully overseen the life membership funds for all of these years.”

Applications for the Life Member Scholarship are available at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/LifeMembershipScholarship_App.pdf.

Applications will be reviewed twice annually – March 15 and June 15.

For questions on the program, please contact Liddie at eddie.liddie@usajudo.us.

Novice Division Added for Collegiate Nationals

A new novice division will be contested at the NCJA Collegiate Nationals, March 25 in Miami, Fla. Additional information is available in the entry packet at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/2007CollegiateEntry.pdf.

Judo in the News

Partially blind wrestler also competitive in judo
Houston Chronicle

Houston, Texas

"Judo is my main sport," Mouton said. "I am on the judo team that will go to Brazil. If I do well there, I will qualify for the Para-Olympics in 2008 in ...

Junior Point Changes

Beginning with the 2007 summer junior tournaments, athletes may accumulate points at each of the Junior National events – USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships, U.S. Judo Federation Junior National Championships and U.S. Judo Association Junior National Championships. Therefore, all qualifying top-three finishes at each of these events will be pointable.

Also beginning this year, the point value for the Junior Olympics will increase to a multiple of two. Therefore, first-place athletes receive 10 points; second-place athletes receive six points and third place athletes receive four points on the age-appropriate Junior Elite National Roster. There will be no points awarded for fifth-place finishes.

Gotay Finishes Ninth at Paris Super World Cup

Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site / 57kg) earned the only win for the Americans at the Paris Super World Cup on Saturday to finish ninth.

Gotay lost her first match to Kifayat Gasimova (AZE), 2006 European silver medalist, by a series of scores.

Fortunately Gasimova pulled Gotay through to the repechage where she won her first match on a penalty against Lila Latrous (ALG), a bronze medalist at the 2006 World University Championships.

In the next match, however, Gotay lost by ippon to 2004 Olympic Champion Yvonne Boenisch (GER) to finish ninth overall.

Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 73kg) lost in the first round on a penalty in Golden Score (overtime) to Damiano Martinuzzi (BEL) who lost his next match, eliminating Lee.

Kenny Hashimoto (Thornton, Colo. / Northglenn Judo / 66kg) lost by ippon (instant win) to three-time European Champion Elchin Ismaylov (AZE) who lost in the next round, eliminating Lee…. more>

Five U.S. Athletes to Fight at Paris Super World Cup this Weekend

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – This weekend’s Paris Super World Cup is the judo equivalent of “let’s throw a party and make sure the who’s who is all there.”

The five U.S. athletes competing in Paris will rapidly find themselves in the midst of the best players in the world as Paris is considered by many to be the most difficult international event, ranked only slightly below the World Championships and Olympic Games.

With some divisions having nearly all of the 2005 World Championship and 2004 Olympic medalists competing, this weekend could be a sneak preview of who to watch during this year’s Worlds being held in September in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as well as the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro’s Judo Center) enters the event as the fourth-ranked athlete in the world at 63kg, a division that also includes both the reigning World and Olympic Champions.

After a first-round bye, Rousey will face the winner of Danielli Yuri Barbosa (BRA) vs. Alina Pukhova (RUS). Also in Rousey’s quadrant are Kahina Saidi (ALG), Margo Wetzer (NED) and Virginie Taurines (FRA).

If she makes it through the first two matches, expect a battle of a semifinal as Rousey will likely either face Athens Champion and 2005 World silver medalist Ayumi Tanimoto (JPN) or Claudia Heill (AUT), the Athens silver medalist… more>

New York Open Training Camp

The planning committee of the New York Open in conjunction with USA Judo is pleased to announce a two-day training camp which will be held following the March 10, 2007 competition. The camp will be held at the NYAC in the 7th floor dojo. The camp on Sunday, March 11 is scheduled for 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and the camp on Monday. March 12 is scheduled for 6:30 – 9 p.m. All athletes not dressed in proper business attire must use the 58th entrance and use the athlete elevator to the 7th floor.

The guest camp instructors will be highly experienced international trainers from France. The fee is $25.00. There will be no fee to New York Open competitors.

Entry to the camp is by preregistration only.

For additional information, contact Mel Appelbaum, Tournament Director, at middiemd@aol.com.

New York Open Early Registration Deadline is Saturday

Athletes are interested in competing in the New York Open on March 10 in New York City are advised that the early registration deadline is Feb. 10. For more information, and to register, visit www.newyorkopenjudo.com.

Rank and Certification Committee

The 2007 Rank and Certification Committee members are as follows:

Jim Colgan, Chairman

Pat Burris, Vice Chairman

Mel Appelbaum

Bert Becerra

Ron Hansen

Gerry Navarro

Hayward Nishioka

Junior U.S. Open Entry Packet Now Available

The entry packet for the Junior U.S. Open, July 28-29 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., can be found at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/2007JuniorUSOpenEntryPackage.pdf.

USA Judo and USA Wrestling Join Forces to Host 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Las Vegas

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – USA Judo is pleased to announce that for the first time ever the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Judo will be held simultaneously with the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Wrestling, June 15-16, 2008 in Las Vegas, Nev.

“This is a great opportunity for us to showcase judo to the wrestling community in the U.S. We have had some great success with wrestlers moving into judo and making an impact in our sport,” said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.) “This is indeed a perfect Olympic Trials marriage… more>

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.

2007 dates

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

Feb 17 4^th 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

Feb 23-25 KATA CERTIFICATION AND KATA CLINIC Chicago, IL – Tohkon Judo Academy

Contact Sensei Eiko Shepherd 618 – 875 – 2558 Home 618 - 875 – 1617 Fax: 618 - 781 - 5157 E-Mail : eikojudo@apci.net

Mar 2-4 Midwestern Championships Illinois - Referee EXAMINATION Site
SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE LECTURER – MR CARLOS DIAZ, PJU REFEREE DIRECTOR
SPECIAL GUEST – MR JAIME CASANOVA, PRESIDENT PANAMERICAN JUDO UNION
Contact Irwin Cohen rwin76@aol.com

Mar 3 Mississippi State Open Judo Championships Clinton MS

Contact Bob Harvey 601-924-3421 Dojo 601-334-6448 Cell e-mail: Mississippijudo@aol.com

Mar 10 New York Open, New York City –
Contact Dr Mel Applebaum MiddieMD@aol.com

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

March31-April 1 WELCOME MAT OPEN Fond du Lac, Wi. NEW!!!
Contact Brett Wood-Taylor welcomemat@charter.net or Michael Blakeslee mcbreply@mcb-us.com

Information available www.judofdl.com and tournament package available http://www.judofdl.com/open2007

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

Apr 7-8 Northglenn – Denver, CO - Referee CREDIT Site

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

May 19   N-S Tournament          Glen Carbon, IL
Contact          Quentin Thompson             618-476-1976 H                     qthom2@juno.com
        Eiko Shepherd                      618-781-5157 Cell eikojudo@apci.net

May 20 ILLINOIS JUDO JUNIOR WORKOUT O’Fallon, IL World Martial Arts School NEW!!!

Contact Eiko Shepherd 618-781-5157 Cell eikojudo@apci.net

Brett Wolf 773-230-6070 azumah4@yahoo.com

May 29-30 Am-Can Challenge – Buffalo, NY- Referee EXAMINATION Site

Jul 7-8 USJA Junior Nationals – Indianapolis, IN - Referee CREDIT Site –

Jul 14-15 USJF Junior Nationals – Ypsilanti, MI - Referee CREDIT Site

Jul 21 – 22 Junior Olympics – San Antonio, TX - Referee EVALUATION Site –

Jul 28-29 USA Judo Junior Open – Ft Lauderdale, FL - Referee EVALUATION Site

Sep 2007 Ladder and Fall Classic – - Referee EVALUATION Site

Oct 20-21 USA Judo Senior Open - Referee EVALUATION Site

Nov. 2-4 3rd Annual "All Women's Championship," Kalamazoo, Michigan
Jr. Sr. and Master competition (Kata, Shiai) , Referee, Coaches, Kata Clinics
Contact Deborah L. Fergus at defrgs6@cs.com or 269 208 1068

Nov 2007 Continental Crown – Seattle, WA - Referee EXAMINATION Site

Nov 2007 Dallas Invitational – Dallas, 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.