Saturday, November 16, 2013
Judoka from throughout Shufu converged on Lancaster, Pennsylvania and the Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology for the 2013 Shufu Open Championships, hosted by the Lancaster Judo Club.
The last major tournament of the calendar year, the Shufu Open was directed by Barry Snader,
the head sensei of Lancaster Judo, who was happy with the long day of competition. “This year we featured competition in kata, masters, juniors, and seniors, accommodating just about any type of judo player there is. We’ve had a number of good competitors come out, juniors and seniors, to compete, and I’m pleased with the turnout.”
The number of kata divisions and participants continued to rise as novice and advanced teams competed in four different katas. This annual championships also included junior, senior, and masters competitors, all of whom fought intensely to earn the honor of being Shufu Yudanshakai Champion.
Diane Jackson, chairperson of Shufu’s Kata Development Committee, and Senior Sensei of the Huio-O Judo Club in Beltsville, Maryland, was also satisfied:
“Today’s kata competition was anther good local tournament – we had nine different kata teams coming to compete in four different katas, novice and advanced. It’s good to see different teams come out and staying with it. When they come to the local tournaments it’s very good because we have experts as judges and they volunteer their time afterwards (to help the competitors) so that Shufu can improve the katas of the teams and as a region.
“For our teams that were competing, we had some that were returning, and we could see improvement and learning in their katas. We also had several new teams come in, which is good to see. They are seeing kata in their clubs and they are picking it up and coming to compete as well. Practicing the kata with your shiai is very important. It gives you the body positioning that we use in shiai, it teaches us defense and attack just like in shiai.”
The Outstanding Junior Competitor, with six Ippon (full point) wins was 12-year-old Darrell Baker , coached by Mike Veader of Seigneury Judo Club in Baltimore, Maryland.
The overall junior team trophy was won by the College Park Judo Club.
Mark Dantzler, Shufu’s Junior Development Chairman, and head instructor of the Maryland Judo Team in Montgomery County, saw continued improvement in the development of junior competitors in Shufu.
“It’s nice to see different levels of judo competition out here. When people travel and come together they see a lot of different skills. It’s important for the parents as well as the juniors on the mat to see different techniques being used. Maybe you see some techniques that aren’t practiced much in your club –and you take it back to your club and practice it. It’s a good way to share information.”
The Outstanding Senior Competitor, with seven Ippon wins, was Chima Uwazi of the US Naval Academy, coached by Edwin Takemori.
The overall senior team trophy was won by the US Naval Academy.
The tournament was also an excellent site for continued referee development. Tournament Chief Referee Roy Englert, who holds the top international rating as an IJF-A referee, was encouraging toward other potential referees.
“We are always happy to have new referees and those who do come out find that it’s an enjoyable and educational experience and good for their judo. I would encourage people to look into refereeing whenever they are not competing, whether it’s because their competition career has ended, or they are taking a temporary hiatus or they choose not to compete. I would encourage people of sufficient rank to become referees.”
Full Results