April 12, 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
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 - Yasuhiro Yamashita - a Gift to
Judo
Local News
Shimizu receives A-License
USA JUDO NEWS
6 Athletes fight for gold at PJU Junior
Championships
Katie Sell (WI) to compete at PJU Juniors
USA Judo Nationals meeting announcement
International Masters Championship - April 21 -
Miami, FL
11 Gold medals at Puerto Rican Open
Liberty Bell Results
Serving Our Country
Something to Think About
Upcoming Events
USA Judo Life Members
EDITORIAL –
A friend sent this video clip of one of the greatest Judoka's, some
would say the greatest judoka of modern times, Yasuhiro Yamashita, 8th
dan. Sensei Yamashita was 8 time All Japan Champions, 3 time World
Champion and 1 time Olympic Champion (1984). He probably would have won
in 1980 too but Japan did not participate in the boycotted Moscow Games.
After 1985, he retired from competitive Judo. He currently is IJF
Education Director and travels world wide to promote Judo. It is a fact
that he never has lost a match in senior competitive competition. Legend
has it that he has never been thrown. While legends are just that, I did
see a video clip of Sensei getting thrown for what was an obvious koka - but
the referee did not score it - probably because it was such a surprise to see
him getting thrown. So I guess he never did get thrown.
I would encourage you to watch these video of both his teaching and
competitive actions. I believe there is an underlying theme to the way he
does Judo. If you watch carefully, you might say that he is very strong
and because he is a heavy weight, he can bull his way through competitions.
You might say that he is a gifted athlete, meant for the Judo mat. You
might observe that he has very quick reaction and that he surprises his
opponent. You can say all of these things and they would be true.
But, his competition is equally strong and talented and quick so this could not
truly apply to why Sensei Yasuhiro Yamashita is the great champion that he
is.
There is a saying which I quote often. I do not know where it came
from, but I believe it to be a truism - "The only difference between a
CHAMPION and everyone else is that the CHAMPION does the basics better than
everyone else." Watch carefully and you will see why I say
this. In the demonstration at a French dojo, he demonstrates his famous
Osoto-gari, Ouchi-gari, Tai-otoshi and Uchimata. In every sequence, I
believe you will see the kuzushi, the tsukuri and the kake performed the same
way each time. The feet are in the same place, the pull is exactly the
same, the angle of the body is precise, the head is forward. If Sensei
demonstrates a throw 5 times or 50 times, the variance of movement would be
within fractions of an inch each time. Of course, in competition, your
opponent is moving and this may not be possible, BUT, if you now watch the
action video, I believe you will see that the adaptations of his body to the
movement of his opponent are precise and that the throw is as close to the
original as if he were doing uchi-komi. It is amazing and it is a
gift. But Sensei Yamashita also practiced long and hard and only after
hundreds and thousands of hours of training and thousands of uchi-komi's, was
his technique perfected so that he could confidently throw, choke or armbar his
opponent seemingly at will.
While this type of training is difficult, it is not impossible for
anyone, given enough time and practice, could not accomplish the same
result. We do see this in some of our top players in the United
States. Jim Pedro, Jason Morris, Bobby Lee and Ronda Rousey are
but four of the past and present that come to mind amongst the many National
and International Champions we have in the US over the years. My guess is
that if you talk to them, they would say that the training was not a gift, that
they were driven and had to work very hard to achieve the success they had,
BUT in the end, it was all well worth the effort to be the champions they
became. So I suggest that whether you take Judo seriously or take
Judo as a social activity, that you always strive to do your best, to achieve
perfection in just one technique, to have that one perfect throw, to have an
understanding of what JUDO is.
Enjoy the video
Yamashita
editorial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeoRYZaGGRk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOwlqKkEXCo&mode=related&search=
Other YouTube
sites worth mentioning:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4u41omoNO4U
Rearward kata-guruma: In
all instances, these techniques were valid and would have been scored as
IPPON. A couple of you qualified your responses and said Hansoku, but
this would not have been correct. The rules are clear, driving straight
back with your opponent clinging to your back would constitute a penalty.
In each situation, tori is moving and directing his body off one shoulder and
not straight backwards. Thank you for watching this and commenting.
LOCAL NEWS
UNOFFICIAL – But…
Three PJU
Referees pass their A – License Examination in
Casablanca Morocco
Carlos Romanos (Argentina), Omar Hill Dianes (Venezuela) and Barbara
(Houston) Shimizu of Seattle Washington has been granted their
A-License with the International Judo Federation in Casablanca Morocco this past
weekend. While unofficial until the IJF Congress officially confirms this
appointment this fall, this is generally a rubber stamp approval.
Congratulations to Barbara, Carlos and Omar. There are currently 29
active and retired A–level referees in the
http://www.pju.org/nuevo/exaarbcasablancaesp.htm
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.
Six
After
the preliminary rounds of the Pan American Juvenile Championships
(15-16-year-olds), six athletes are fighting for gold medals tonight in
·
Carly Marcella (
·
Taylor Ibera (
·
Danielle Greenstein (
·
Emily Lilly (
·
Miguel Ballesteros (
·
Tony Rodriguez (
Ashley Cameron (
In addition, Colin
Robinson (
The following athletes are
fighting for bronze:
·
Aaron Fukuhara (
·
Jose Cos (
·
Shaniqua Brown (
·
Daniel Palatnik (
U.S. Team Leaves for Pan Am Junior Championships Today
– Katie Sell amongst those returning from 2006 team(bronze medal)
(
Athletes born in 1991 and
1992 (approximately 15-16-years-old) will compete on Thursday while athletes
born in 1988-1990 (approximately 17-19-years-old) will compete on Friday.
This elite event is considered to be the most difficult tournament for athletes
under 19-years-old in the
Nine members of the 2006 Pan
Am Junior Team will be returning to the event this year, including four
defending champions from the USA Judo National Training Site at
Bobby Lee (73kg), Franchesca
Durand (52kg) and Jeanette Rodriguez (48kg), all of Coral Springs,
Fla., have each acquired rankings as not only the top juniors in their
respective divisions, but also as #1 U.S. senior athletes… more>
2007 Senior
Nationals Meeting Announcement
The meeting schedule for the
2007 USA Judo Senior Nationals, International Masters and Kata Championships
can be found at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/2007SeniorNationalMeetingSchedule.pdf.
Don’t forget to reserve your
hotel room for the event. The
This rate is available for
April 18-22; however, a limited number of rooms are available and are filling
rapidly.
Rooms are available for $119
per night for up to four occupants, reduced from a standard rate of $189 per
night.
To reserve
your room call 305.870.8141 and ask for the Judo Rate.
The entry packet and
additional information for the 2007 Senior Nationals, International Masters and
Kata Championships are available at
http://www.usjudo.org/documents/2007SeniorNationalsEntry.pdf.
International
Masters Championships to be Held April 21 in
More than 200 athletes, ages 30 and
older, are expected to compete at the USA Judo International Masters
Championships, April 21 at
Don't miss the action. Postmark deadline is
April 10 for early registrations or competitors also can enter at the walk-up
registration on April 19. Entry packets are available at http://www.usjudo.org/documents/2007SeniorNationalsEntry.pdf.
Hotel Info
The
U.S. Athletes Win 11 Gold Medals at the Puerto Rico Open
(
Anthony Turner (Miami,
Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) and Joel Brutus (Matawan, N.J. / NYAC), two of
the top candidates for the U.S. Pan American Games and World Championships
Teams in the +100kg division, fought in the final in Puerto Rico with Turner
winning the match.
In the men’s 73kg division,
#1 Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North
Miami) and three-time World Cup medalist Ryan Reser
(Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic
Training Center) found themselves on opposite sides of the draw and looked
to be headed for a final round match-up when Reser
got caught with a throw for ippon by Francis Soto
(PUR). Reser dropped down to the repechage where he won the bronze medal while Lee beat Soto
to win the gold medal… more>
The Liberty Bell Classic,
one of the largest judo tournaments on the East Coast and a USA Judo Senior
E-Level Point Tournament, was held over the weekend with more than 700 athletes
in attendance during the two-day tournament at
In a tournament attended by
athletes from
In the men’s 81kg division,
2006 U.S. Open Champion Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National
Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) and Senior Nationals bronze
medalist Harry St Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett)
faced off in Stevens’ first match of the day. While Stevens took the
win, and later the gold medal, St. Leger battled through the loser’s pool to
win five straight matches in order to finish second. Among his opponents,
St. Leger accrued wins against 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist Yuko Sin
(Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo
Center) and 2007 Collegiate Nationals silver medalist Phillip Spano (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training
Site at North Miami).
In an ongoing rivalry, the
top two juniors in the 73kg division fought twice during the day. Now the
#1 senior in the division as well, Bobby Lee ( Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site
at North Miami) lost the first match
to 2006 Junior World Team member Nick Delpopolo (
Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training
Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center)
in the second round. Delpopolo advanced to the
semifinals, but lost to eventual champion Edwin Vallejo Alvares
(COL) and dropped down to the loser’s pool where he lost his next match to
Lee who finished second in the division.
Katie Mocco
( Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA
Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) returned to competition for the first time since
sustaining an injury at the Rendez-Vous Canada in
September. A bronze medalist as a 70kg player at the 2006 Pan Am
Championships, Mocco seemed well suited to the 78kg
division at the Liberty Bell where she went 3-0 to win the event, defeating
Canada’s #3 player, Isabelle Deschamps, in the
semifinal and then throwing her Jason Morris Judo Center teammate Marina Shafir (Latham, N.Y.), a 2005 Senior National medalist,
with an o soto gari
(major outer leg throw) for a resounding ippon
(instant win).
Katie’s sister Colleen Mocco (
A six-time National Champion
at 48kg, Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito,
Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute) fought up in
While Matsumoto fought up, Jessica
Sternick (
Anthony Turner (
Turner’s
Dariusz Mikolajczak (
As the top two players in
the 44kg division, Alexa Liddie (
Katie Sell ( Harlingen,
Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen), a 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist, won the
70kg division with a 3-0 record.
Although the title in the
57kg division went to Canadian teenager Maude-Helene Benoit, the top
three
Complete senior results are
as follows:
Senior Women’s 44kg
1. Veronica Prado (
2. Alexa
Liddie (
3. Katelyn
Bouyssou (
Senior Women’s 48kg
1. Jessica Sternick ( San
Antonio, Texas / Universal
Judo)
2. Stephanie Baim ( Dallas, Texas
/ Ruben Martin Judo)
3. Kayla Chappell ( Oklahoma City, Okla. / USA
Stars)
Senior Women’s 52kg
1. Sayaka
Matsumoto ( El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC /
East Bay Judo
Institute)
2. Clara Mongeon
(CAN)
3. Lolita Dagher
(CAN)
Senior Women’s 57kg
1. Maude-Helene Benoit
(CAN)
2. Hannah Martin (Burnt
Hills, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo
Center)
3. Hana
Carmichael ( Wellington, Fla. / Budokan Judo)
Senior Women’s 63kg
1. Joliane
Melancon
(CAN)
2. Aneta
Mozdzen (CAN)
3. Laurence Cote
(CAN)
Senior Women’s 70kg
1. Kathleen Sell ( Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at
Harlingen)
2. Maiko Hatano
( Washington D.C. / Washington
Judo)
3. Malinda
Bridges ( Coventry, R.I. / Mayo Quanchi)
Senior Women’s 78kg
1. Katie Mocco
( Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo
National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo
Center)
2. Marina Shafir ( Latham,
N.Y. / USA Judo national Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo
Center)
3. Renee-Claude Roussel
(CAN)
Senior Women’s +78kg
1. Colleen Mocco ( Stillwater,
Okla. / USA Stars)
2. Adriana Fierastrau (CAN)
Senior Men’s 55kg
1. Julien
Paradis
(CAN)
2. Santiago Martinez (
COL / Miami, Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai)
3. Dan Scillath
(Tom’s River, N.J. / Tom’s River
Judo)
Senior Men’s 60kg
1. Juan Roman
(PUR)
2. Jose Luis Mechato-Samaritano
(CAN)
3. Miguel Ballesteros ( Miami,
Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North
Miami)
Senior Men’s 66kg
1. Daniel Santos ( Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site
at North Miami)
2. Ricky Brown ( Clairtown, Pa. / South Hills
Pennsylvania)
3. Leonando
Lopes ( Harrison, N.Y. / Westchester
Judo)
Senior Men’s 73kg
1. Edwin Vallejo Alvares (COL)
2. Bobby Lee ( Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site
at North Miami)
3. Hidekazu
Achiha (Virginia / Washington Judo)
Senior Men’s 81kg
1. Travis Stevens ( Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at
the Jason Morris Judo
Center)
2. Harry St Leger ( Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett)
3. Maxime
Tremblay
(CAN)
Senior Men’s 90kg
1. Dariusz
Mikolajczak ( Brooklyn,
N.Y. / Starrett)
2. Vasil
Dimitrov ( Philadephia, Pa. / Philadelphia
Judo)
3. Carlos Moran (Clifton, N.J.
/ Camal Judo)
Senior Men’s 100kg
1. Oleg Uvarov
( Seekonk, Mass. / Mike's Dojo)
2. Shintaro
Higashi ( Scarsdale, N.Y. / Kokushi)
3. Nedjo
Sarenac
(CAN)
Senior Men’s +100kg
1. Anthony Turner ( Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site
at North
Miami)
2. Vinnie
Mancuso ( Clifton, N.J. / Camal)
3. Jamie Browne ( Lemonte, Pa. / Penn State Judo)
SERVING OUR COUNTRY
PVT Luke Jacobsen – Milwaukee, WI
LTJG Donny Newsome, Gurnee,
IL
LT Nick Oldfield, Navy, Virginia – home
base
Mike Preditus,
IL
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
Apr 14 Konjo
Dojo St Louis Spring Championships
Fenton, MO
Contact: Randy Pierce
636-464-6487 eve or 636-343-2481 days
Blackbelt6thdan@aol.com
Apr 14 2007 Morris Cup
- Burnt Hill, NY near Schenectady, NY
Contact Jason Morris silver92@albany.net
518-399-3936
Apr 15 RULES CLINIC – Chicago, IL
Contact Mary Gail Ford mgford@comcast.net
1-847-776-7233
Tohkon Judo Academy 1-773-784-7766
April 21 Junior
Workout – Chicago, IL
NEW!!!
Contact Brett Wolf
773-230-6070 azumah4@yahoo.com
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
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
Jun
9 Tohkon Classic – Chicago
IL
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
Sep 29 “THE ROCK & ROLL
CAPITAL OF THE WORLD” JUDO TOURNAMENT - Brunswick OH – near Cleveland
Contact Joe
Schmidt
Shane Hudson
(330) 273-1573
440-781-3444
schmidtjudo@verizon.net
shane-hudson@sbcglobal.net
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.