Twenty-three Kokoro Judo Club members travelled north to the Prince George Open recently and came home with a bucket full of medals.
Six members of the club are beginners and they did skills demonstrations, which head Sensei Ian Briggs says is a good way for the new students to get used to the process of competition.
Noting it’s relatively new, they do throws and go into a hold-downs. Then they change places and work through the process, Briggs says, adding the judge always awards a tie.
“It’s fun and the kids love it. It’s a good addition for the first- and second-year students.”
Briggs notes another recent addition is having the students who are 12 years and younger competing for a full two minutes regardless of the score.
“That way kids don’t travel all the way to a tournament and find themselves in a mismatch and get thrown in the first 10 seconds. Then it’s over for them; we used to lose quite a few after their first tournament.”
With 17 club members competing, Kokoro took home 16 medals, with eight firsts, five seconds, three thirds and a fourth.
Briggs notes everyone won at least one match and Kokoro finished second in team standings even though they took fewer competitors than the other clubs.
“It was an awesome tournament; everyone did well. They all worked hard, as this is the main tourney of the year.
“It was the last one of the year, so a lot of people went.”
How they finished:
Novice girls 2 C – Teylor Corno, third.
Novice boys 3 B – Wylon Hall
Novice boys 3 C – Ryan Chamberlain, third.
Novice boys 3 D – Mason Sanders, first.
Novice boys 3 E – Pascal Glanz, first.
Novice boys 3 F – Logan McFee, second.
Novice boys 3 K – Jackson Sanders, first.
Junior girls 4 B – Avery Collinson, second.
Junior boys 5 C – Reid Collinson, first.
Junior boys 5 D – Adam Sullivan, third.
U15 novice juvenile boys 7 A – Matei Shaver, second.
U15 girls 8 A – Paige Hall, second.
Novice (yellow-orange) 11 A – Jesse Chamberlain, first.
Novice (yellow-orange) 11 A – Richard Tracey, second.
Novice (yellow-orange) 11 A – Aaron McDermid, fourth.
U17/20 women 16 A – Ali Briggs, first.
Sr. Blue-black 26 A – Jay Pickering, first.
