Yukoners host Alaskans at judo championships

Judo is practised the same around the world.

Judo is practised the same around the world.

“Kodokan Judo is taught the same style in more than 100 countries, so really we use the same syllabus right from Japan – just about any dojo you go into in the world is going to have the same feel,” said Robert Bellon, sensei at the Hiroshikai Judo Club in Whitehorse.

Three Alaskan judo clubs got that same feel when they came to town for the 2011 Yukon Open Judo Championships on Saturday.

The Capitol City Judo Club from Juneau and two Anchorage-based clubs, the Mountain View Judo Club and Fireweed Judo Club, competed in Whitehorse for the first time since 2000.

Yukoners won 37 medals and the Alaskans won 14 in age categories ranging from boys and girls U9 up to senior men, including Judo Knowledge and Ukemi (break falls).

“Years back, they used to go back and fourth, but it dwindled off a bit – and we’re trying to revitalize that in the spirit of competing with each other back and fourth,” said David Cheverie, instructor with Mountain View.

“Back in Anchorage, we got roughly the same size judo community, four or five clubs with roughly the same number of people, so it’s nice to be able to go and compete with new people.”

The Yukon sent a small contingent to compete in the Alaska State Judo Championships in March.

“We figured we would reciprocate and come down to their championships,” Cheverie said.

And Dan Poelman, president of Judo Yukon and head referee at the Yukon championships, is glad they did.

“It’s a great boost; and I think we’re getting momentum, building up judo again,” Poelman said.

Bellon has seen the sport grow in the Yukon since he started back in the ’70s.

Over the past year, he noted, 20 new students have signed on.

“It’s good for the kids from another nationality coming to meet each other. They’re just our neighbours next door, so it’s good for them,” Bellon said.

Dan Baird, who won bronze for Mountain View in senior men’s, said the popularity of the sport is likely due to the instructors’ enthusiasm.

“If anyone’s interested in learning judo and being competitive, you guys have got some great instructors here,” Baird said.

“It was pretty comparable to what I experience in Anchorage, or even a little more (intensity); you guys wore me out more than these other tournaments I’ve done this year. They’ve got some good competitors here, some good instructors.”

This was Baird’s first competition outside of Anchorage, he said.

“You kind of get used to the same faces, get used to a certain person’s style. With this you get to mix things up a bit and try something new.”

Besides: “The experience of the trip is a big part of the fun,” Baird said.

Cheverie is “definitely” willing to continue the Alaska-Yukon judo partnership in the future.

“We looked at this as a nice way to reward the kids with a nice trip out of town,” Cheverie said.

Judo Yukon had a trip out of town themselves recently, when the four clubs collected nine medals at the Edmonton International Judo Championships.

It is in events like this and the Yukon championships over the weekend where
Poelman sees the same style across the board.

The skill-level changes, he noted.

“And I think that’s what the attraction is, because when we went there, we faired quite well. It doesn’t matter where you are,” Poelman said, adding that there’s not even a language barrier, since they all use Japanese terms.

“When they say ‘hajime’, for example, that means ‘begin’,” Poelman said. “It is really, really universal.”