Young Judo Club Bredgar Club Championships
Saturday July 11th 2009
Bredgar Village Hall
This was the Clubs 3rd Championships and they invited their sister club from Sittingbourne, Bexley and Bromley. The venue of the Village Hall was excellent big enough to get a reasonable size mat down and small enough to get the audience involved. This competition was arranged so the youngsters could get a taste of tournament to encourage them to enter larger ones, it was a very informal so as not to intimidate the newer junior Judoka, Referees Miles Brown and Dave Boulding wore informal clothing and the categories were matched on the day. It seems with the decline of people participating in sport generally we have to find ways of encouraging people to participate again, one way is to take Judo to the Villages YJC Bredgar Instructor Drew Cullen 2nd Dan done this about 6 years ago by starting the club at Bredgar he now has about 40 members coming from all the surrounding villages , Miles and Dave are restarting the YJC at Milton Regis (next to Nobby’s Gym) on a Wednesday in September a valuable asset to the people in Milton, Kemsley, Iwade, Bobbing and Senora Fields and finally Keith Costa 3rd Dan is looking to start a club in Teynham if he can get a venue.
The day saw some superb Judo and I expect everyone writing an article would say that but on this occasions it was true, several Ippon’s (total Victory) were performed something you do not see a lot of . Nine year old Liam Jordan impressed me with his Ippon Seoi Nage (One arm shoulder throw) where he scored Ippon, I have not seen this particular throw in competition for years he also was well versed in many techniques. He comes from a family of Judoka with his mother Black Belt Sarah being one of the clubs instructors.
It was nice to see my grandsons Lewis and Harry winning Gold a forth generation of Clarke’s but was most enjoyable was seeing Judo at the YJC still recognisable as the Martial Art/Sport my parents Margret and Nobby new when they founded the club in 1957 because modern National Judo has become more like Free Style Wrestling with Jackets. Well done all those that competed and a special well done all the YJC instructors who have excelled in producing a very high standard of Judoka.
Next on our competition list is a trip to the Scottish Open, followed by the Spitfire Open at Capel Le Ferne unusual one this as it is outside with side show and a boot fair, the big one which is open to all Judo Clubs and all Associations is the Young Judo Club Garden of England Championships at the Swallows leisure Centre in November. For this event the club has invested in two new 11m x 11m canvas with the new competition markings.
For more information on Judo contact youngjudoclub@yahoo.co.uk, www.youngjudoclub.co.uk www.sittingbourne.org or telephone 07894145187 or 01795 437124
Martin Clarke 8th Dan YJC President