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ILLINOIS JUDO NEWSLETTER – IPPON!!!
April 3, 2008
President:
Tim Schultheis
VP: Chuck
Clark
Secretary:
Mary Gail Ford
Treasurer:
Frank Oliveri
Editor:
Kei Narimatsu
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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
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Contents:
EDITORIAL – ON BEING
PERFECT
Local News
USA JUDO NEWS
Youth and Scholastic National Championships – Day 1 and 2
results
Something to Think About – Why parents
imbibe?
Upcoming Events
USA Judo Life Members
*************************************************************************************
EDITORIAL – ON BEING
PERFECT
As Chief Referee of the Youth and Scholastic
National Championships, I had to interact with many judo
personalities. Most of the time, those interactions were cordial,
friendly and relational, from players, coaches, referees, administrators, table
staff, coach liaisons, spectators and other volunteers, it was enjoyable.
Being a National Championship that was extremely important to all of the
players, the intensity level was very high. The pressure was on to win,
the pressure was on for error-free refereeing, the pressure was on to run a
fair and efficient event. On the whole, I believe everyone did their very
best and the right players won. However, was it PERFECT?
I would say there were some less than perfect
performances. There were instances of senior point players who lost
because their attitude was less than perfect.
I would say there were some coaches who behaved
in a manner not in keeping with the grace and dignity of their position.
They were less than perfect.
I would say there were some referee errors, some
minor, some more serious. They too were not perfect.
I would say there were some administrative errors
in match ups or timing or scoring. Not perfect, but correctable.
I would say that in presenting the flag, there
was an error in the timing of the presentation of the flag and the playing of
the national anthem. Perfect? No, but the intent and the drama was
understood by all.
Of course, all of these things lead to less than
perfect performances. But I did run into one coach who questioned why we
were using National level referees for this most important of events – the
Youth and Scholastic National Championships of USA Judo. He questioned
why all the referees were not International (A)* level referees. I am not
even sure if this coach would have accepted Continental (B) level referees to
work this event. National Referees, certainly, were not worthy of
refereeing the high caliber players who graced the mat this past weekend in
their quest for National recognition and a potential invitation to the Junior
World Trials later this year. In his eyes, they were just “practicing” to
become better referees.
A simple explanation that all the national (N-2
and above) referees working this event have been judge worthy and capable of
working this event did not allay this coach’s fears and concern that they could
make mistakes. In his eyes, you need International Referees who rarely
make mistakes, will be less biased and will always make the right calls.
To his credit, he did say that we should pay the referees. Of course, he
did not suggest a fee.
Do coaches get paid to come and coach? In
many instances, YES. Do referees? NO. Therefore, I suggested
that he propose to USA Judo the following resolution and maybe he can achieve
that perfect nirvanic state of perfect refereeing (and A-level referees only
need apply):
- Invite
30 – 40 International Referees only to all National events (of course
finding that many referees of this caliber might be problematic)
Pay them each a per diem of $500/day. OK maybe this might be too much. Most of us would settle for $495/day.
Pay all transportation, hotel and meals expenses
Even with all of these benefits, some would questions if it is worth time away from family, missing your child’s soccer game, a wedding, a reunion. Maybe, maybe not. - If
ONLY the very best referees are required to attend the championship, then
the coaches should ONLY bring their very best players – the ones who will
win the gold medal. If the players and coaches only want the best
referees, then the referees should expect only best players. You
see, anything less would be below the dignity of our very best referees.
Seems fair to me.
So now we have the perfect referee
and the perfect player. What about the perfect coach?
- The
perfect coach might be defined as one who trains each and every player to
win the gold medal at the World Championships AND the Olympics
Games. So, if you are not the perfect coach, you need not attend
these Championships to berate the perfect player and the perfect
referee. Of course, these occurrences have been rather rare in the
past.
Tongue in cheek you may feel? Yes and
no.
Referees, regardless of level, are trained to be
honest and fair, courteous and generous. All of our referees attend these
championships at their own expense (transportation, food and hotels, although
at this event, the referees were housed by USA Judo). They do practice to
become better referees and use this forum to become better. All are
trained to work at an A-level regardless of their current level of
expertise. Referees do not purposefully make wrong calls. They do
not penalize your player because they do not like the coach. All do this
for the love of JUDO and maybe for the best seat in the Shiai-jo.
When a player makes a mistake, they lose the
match. They go home and practice more to become better. That is the
meaning of practice. It is not the bad call, or the other player’s good
luck or the draw. These are merely excuses for the fact that the other
player was better. If you defeat your opponent by IPPON, there is no
question in anyone’s mind as to who won or lost the match. This is the
goal of a competitor. Do not complain and certainly do not cry. It
does not do any good. Practice harder for next time. In all cases,
do your best. What more could be asked of you?
When a coach coaches a player, the player
benefits. If the coach is preoccupied with yelling nonsensical commands,
making calls for the referee, not knowing the rules, the player is
disadvantaged. Coaching is done in the dojo, not during the match.
Coaching is modifying a situation, not teaching a skill, coaching is anticipating
and watching opponents, not questioning the referees. Coaching is
character building, instilling spirit, conducting yourself with dignity and
belief in your player. And when you do all of these things, your player
wins both on and off the mat.
From a Chief Referee’s perspective, could I say
this was a perfect event by the guidelines above? NO. But for all
participants of Judo tournaments, it would be wise to think about what we wish
for and focus on what is right. This is a good expectation and something
achievable for all in the Judo community. In the end, please remember,
this is a GAME.
*International (A) level referees are World and
Olympic qualified referees.
LOCAL NEWS
Illinois wins the High School National Championships on
total points achieved with 48 points. Placing 2nd with 38
total points was California and 3rd was New York with 34
points. San Jose State wins the collegiate division with 27 total points
and the US Military Academy West Point placed 2nd with 11
points. Congratulations to Illinois and San Jose State.
USA JUDO NEWS
Complete coverage of
these articles are available at the USA Judo website at http://www.usjudo.org/.
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.
Youth and Scholastic National Championships Day 1 Results
(Menomonie, Wis.) – Athletes from
9-years-old through collegiate players competed in the first day of the USA
Judo Youth and Scholastic National Championships at the University of Wisconsin
– Stout.
Ross MacBaisey (Atlanta, Ga. /
Emory) and Allison Clifford (San Jose,
Calif. / San Jose State University) both won their second consecutive
collegiate national championship titles in the 81kg and 78kg divisions,
respectively.
Adam Moyerman (Philadelphia, Pa. /
Boston University) was named the Outstanding Male Competitor
of the tournament after winning four matches all by ippon (instant win) to earn
the 73kg gold medal… more>
Youth and Scholastic Nationals Day 2 Results
(Menomonie, Wis.) – With the Junior
World Championship Trials five months away, the IJF-Junior (under 20) divisions
continue to have some of the most exciting rivalries in the sport. These
hotly contested matches continued on Sunday at the Youth and Scholastic
National Championships at the University of Wisconsin – Stout.
Fifteen-year-old Andrew Porras
(Hialeah, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami) established
himself as a contender for the 73kg Junior World Team slot when he upset
top-ranked Nick Delpopolo (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site
at the Jason Morris Judo Center), a 2007 Senior Nationals silver medalist… more>
Something to Think About
– Why parents imbibe.
A boss wondered why one of his most valued
employees had not phoned in sick one day. Having an urgent problem with one of
the main computers, he dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted
with a child's whisper. “Hello"
"Is your daddy home?" he asked.
"Yes" whispered the small voice.
"May I talk with him?" The child
whispered, "No".
Surprised and wanting to talk with an adult, the
boss asked, "Is your Mommy there? "Yes"
"May I talk with her?" Again the small
voice whispered, "No"
Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave
a message, the boss asked, "Is anybody else there?"
"Yes" whispered the child, " a policeman "
Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked,
"May I speak with the policeman?"
"No, he's busy ", whispered the child.
"Busy doing what?"
"Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman,” came the whispered
answer.
Growing more worried as he heard a loud noise in the background through the
earpiece on the phone, the boss asked, "What is that noise?"
“A helicopter " answered the whispering voice.
"What is going on there?" demanded the boss, now truly
apprehensive.
Again, whispering, the child answered, “The search team just landed a
helicopter."
Alarmed, concerned and a little frustrated the boss asked, "What are
they searching for?"
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a muffled giggle... “ME”
UPCOMING EVENTS - 2008
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.
2008 dates
Apr 5 –
6 21st Liberty Bell
Judo Classic Philadelphia PA
Contact
Lou Moyermann Home
(215) 698-1289 Email LMoyerman@aol.com
National
Referee Test Site
April 10 – 11 Senior
National Judo Championships
Virginia Beach VA
Contact Sherrie Phillips
tel. 719.491.9682 fax
719.487.0989 sportsconsult@aol.com
Apr
26 Welcome
Mat Open Fond du Lac WI
Contact Brett Wood-Taylor welcomemat@charter.net
Information available www.judofdl.com
May
3 24th
Annual N-S Open Judo Tournament Glen Carbon IL
Contact
Quentin
Thompson 618-476-1976 H
qthom2@juno.com
Eiko
Shepherd
618-781-5157 Cell eikojudo@apci.net
Jun
21 1st
Annual Northcoast Championships
Lorain OH NEW!!
Contact
Paul Jordan judojordan@yahoo.com
Lorretta Edwards judolorey@aol.com
Jun 23 – 29 Elite
Summer Training Camp – Warwick RI
Contact
Serge
Bouyssou judocoach@cox.net 1-401-647-4678
Jun 27 – 29 USJA Junior Nationals
Judo Championships Boston MA
Contact
Jimmy Pedro
http://www.pedrosmartialarts.com/JA08/home.htm
Jun 27 – Jul 3Elite Summer
Training Camp – Warwick RI
Contact
Serge
Bouyssou judocoach@cox.net 1-401-647-4678
Jul 4 -
6 USJF Junior National
Judo Championships Tinley Park, IL
Contact
Doug Tono info@tohkon.com 1-773-784-7766
Robert Fukuka ed@usjf.com
Jul 18 – 20 2008 Junior US Open
Judo Championships – Ft Lauderdale FL
Contact
Gerry Navarro gerrynavarro@aol.com
The
complete entry package can be obtained at: http://judonationals.net/
Jul 25 - 27 2008 Junior USA
Judo Junior Olympics Judo Championships – Orlando FL
Contact
Sherrie Phillips tel. 719.491.9682 fax
719.487.0989 sportsconsult@aol.com
Nov 6 -
8 4th All Women’s Championship
Kalamazoo, MI
Contact:
Deborah Fergus email: defrgs6@cs.com
www.southsidedojo.com
Nov
8 Gurnee
Veterans' Day Judo Tournament Lindenhurst, IL
Contact:
Tim Schultheis
(847)244-7847
Email: tschulth@warpnet.net
www.gurneejudoclub.com
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.