Campbell River Judo Club sent out four Judoka to compete on behalf of Campbell River at the Canada West Invitational in Burnaby Dec. 1.
Three Campbell Riverites brought home medals: Anthony Henry with Gold; Wyatt Huggins with Silver and Haley Henry with Bronze, all within their respective divisions. But one of whom brought home an experience not seen in over 30 years.
Retired from fighting 31 years ago, or so he thought, Bob Smythe re-entered competition placing fourth in his division. The whole tournament was exhilarating, stirring up memories of years gone by, but it was in his third match that he returned to the flow and grace of his youth. As Sensei Bob and his opponent struggled to gain control over each other, moving round and round the mat, it was only 28 seconds into the match when his opponent made his move and attempted an attack with a leg throw and without hesitation Sensei Bob countered with a foot sweep and down the opponent went and with that, the point was won and the match was over; exciting to see and even more exciting to do.
The 2012 season is winding down but the new 2013 begins Monday, Jan. 7. Please feel free to drop by 450B Merecroft Road to watch a class, we are always looking for new members or just email crjudoclub@hotmail.com for more information.
