Fifty years ago Richard Mori was handed the reins of the Salmon Arm Judo Club, which was in its infancy as a club, and he is still coaching to this day.
The club was started in 1965 and was operated by instructors from the Vernon club, but when Mori moved to Salmon Arm in 1966, they handed him the coaching duties.
“They told me you are here, you coach. I was coerced into manning the club,” jokes Mori. “I took the coaching duties reluctantly at first but I am glad I did…,” says Mori.
Originally from Steveston, Mori’s family relocated to Vernon when he was six. There he first enrolled in a judo class in 1944.
Mori says he followed his cousins into the sport where he excelled, becoming a brown belt before leaving to become a dentist.
After a 10-year hiatus from the sport, Mori picked up judo once again, entering competitions and earning his black belt. He says keeping up with the training, competitions and instructing was too much to handle so he turned his focus towards coaching. The decision to get back into the sport came from a belief, instilled as a child, to live a physically active life and be as healthy as possible.
Mori has dedicated 62 years of his life to judo and remains just as dedicated as day one.
Without fail Mori is the first one at every practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings setting up the mats in the gym at Hillcrest Elementary.
“Day in and day out, he is the most committed coach I have ever seen and I’ve played a lot of sports,” says Sean Weissenborn, a former judo student of Mori’s who now helps Mori with instructing.
Only in the last two years has Mori stopped allowing students to practice tossing and takedown techniques on him, which is where Weissenborn stepped in.
“You would feel bad practicing takedowns on him – you didn’t want to hurt him, but he could take it and encouraged you to take him down,” laughs Weissenborn.
A broken leg, a pin in the shoulder and a plate in the knee has not stopped Mori from attending and participating in practices.
In Japanese, judo means “gentle way,” a phrase that perfectly describes Mori’s mentality and coaching style.
“I think judo has been a lifelong way of life for him,” says his daughter Lisa, who found out he had been coaching the club for 50 years in an old Observer article from the ’80s.
“He displays such a calm, peaceful facade and I think his students feed off of that,” says Lisa. Over the years Mori has seen numerous students become black belts, and has made a name for the club in the B.C. judo scene. Mori has three students, Casey Bourassa, Reese Richardson and Kendall Turner, who will represent Salmon Arm in the upcoming BC Winter Games in Penticton.
“He has had a very positive impact on my life. He pushes you out of your comfort zone and that has helped my confidence,” says Bourassa.
The girls unanimously agree they would not be at a level to compete in the Games if it wasn’t for Mori.
“He keeps everyone involved and engaged. He leaves us yearning for more judo all the time,” says Richardson.
Mori says the most important part of coaching for him is to instil self discipline in his students.
“With judo it’s definitely about teaching self-discipline and how to control your emotion – it’s great for kids,” says Mori.
There is a quiet confidence to Mori as he walks around the gym critiquing and coaching his students during practice. He is not afraid to get down to the students’ level and show them the proper way to execute a certain technique, even as he is pushing 78-years-old.
Weissenborn insists Mori is more than just a judo coach.
“He teaches you how to be a respectful participant in sport, at work, in your community and your family,” says Weissenborn.
After five decades of teaching the “gentle way,” Mori admits he is thinking of retiring from the coaching role. When he does, Mori says he will “bow out quietly.”
