Of Northern Virginia
We have a mailing list for our members and interested judoka. It is a good way to stay in touch and to find out about upcoming competitions and other events. Unsolicited ads and spam are strictly prohibited.
Both the Junior and Senior competitors won the Outstanding Team Trophy for their divisions on Saturday. Click here to read more.
One of our judo guys, Nick, will be holding an introductory Krav Maga class after practice on Saturday from 1:00PM to 2:30PM in the Martial Arts Room. Class will cost $10 per person. Check it out!
The club Christmas party this passed Saturday was a great success. Thanks everyone for coming!
Krav Maga is also on at the Reston One Spirit 5 days a week. Call 703-796-5508 for times.
The club Christmas party will be held at SportJudo on Saturday, Dec. 12th. at 10AM. Click here for details.
One Spirit Martial Arts in Alexandria, VA is now holding Krav Maga, MMA and boxing classes in addition to Judo during the weeks. There is also a brand-new, full size boxing ring at the gym for use by gym members. Click here for details or call One Spirit at (703) 941-4848.
Ivan and Lela Veskov won two golds each this passed weekend in Norfolk, VA. Congratulations, guys!
Willie fought hard to a 5th place finish at the Junior PanAm Judo Championships in Brazil yesterday. On the way he faced 3 difficult opponents in matches that all went the distance. Pictures can be seen on the USA Judo web site. An article about the tournament can be found here.
We would like to wish Aaron Riley good luck in the upcoming UFC 105 event. He coaches MMA at One Spirit Martial Arts in Alexandria, VA and trains at SportJudo, also based in Alexandria. If you'd like to train with Aaron, give us a call at (703) 941-4848 or email us and ask about his class.
Congratulations to the Junior and Senior teams! Both the Juniors and the Seniors took their respective team trophies on Saturday at the Maryland Open Judo Championships in College Park, MD. In addition, Lela Veskov was named Outstanding Competitor in the Junior competition! Good job, everyone!
Willie and Giuseppe Inserra both won gold at the national trials. Michael Harrison won silver. This means the possibility of international berths for these young competitors. A great job all around. Results are still being posted. Right now, Willie's victory is on the U.S. Judo website.
Michael Harrison is overseas June 2009 competing in three tourneys:
As of 15 June, he won a bronze in the PanAm Games and 5th place in the Vereniging Tournament. Great Job! To find out more, click here.
Next, he travels to South Korea to represent the USA in the Jikji Cup. Best of luck!
UFC legend Royce Gracie will conduct a training seminar open to the public on 16 May 2009. The seminar will be held at our Olympus Gym Headquarters from 5-7pm. The cost is $60 per person. Space is limited. Pre-register by calling Lamonte Tyler at (434) 825-2734 or emailing him at lamonte.tyler@gmail.com. To learn more about Royce's MMA career, visit his website at www.roycegracie.tv.
Dr. Ann Maria DeMars visited Sport Judo on Monday, 23 March 2009, leading instruction of the evening adult class. Dr. DeMars won the world Judo Championships in 1984, the first and only American to do so. In addition to consulting, Dr. DeMars travels the country, coaching judo. Her daughter, Rhonda Rousey, won bronze in the Beijing Olympics. Dr. DeMars blogs about her judo experiences. Everyone from Sport Judo learned a lot from Dr. DeMars and appreciated the visit.
Congratulations to Joe for winning Silver in Colorado at the United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Judo Camp. Joe trained for 2 weeks with fifteen other competitors. He competed in his first tournament on Saturday, February 28, coming in second place in the 220+ mens division. Click here for more info.
Sport Judo won at least 2 first place trophies in the juniors and multiple first place trophies in the adult divisions at the Virginia State Judo Championships held in Arlington, VA on February 21, 2009. We also won a large number of second and third place trophies. Our success is the result of a lot of hard work and great turn out. Congratulations to everyone that competed! We'll post the indivdual results as they come in.
Sport Judo won the team trophy and a number of first and second place victories at the 2008 Maryland State Championships. Great showing!
USA Judo issued its 2009 junior rankings. Willy Inserra rose to #1 for Male 13-14 YOA under 44kg division. Congratulations to Willy. Keep it up and good luck with the winter wrestling season!
SportJudo judoka, Joel Brutus, returned from the 2008 Beijing Olympics after a fierce, but disappointing bout with the player from South Korea. He led the Haiti delegation in the Olympic Opening Ceremony. After a trip to the Great Wall, he is back in Northern Virginia and training again. Welcome Back! More info here. Check out NBC, the official Olympic host, for 2008 Olympic Judo news.
Mike Harrison wins third at Junior Olympics
Congratulations to Sportjudo's Mike Harrison. He placed third in his black belt weight class at the Junior Olympics held 25-27 July at Disney's Cornonado Springs Resort Convention in Kissimmee, FL. For more information, click here.
Jeff Steel Wins 100Kg Division at Nationals!
Congratulations to Coach Jeff Steel for winning the 100Kg Masters division at the 2010 National Championships! Jeff was competing up a weight class and won a gold medal despite this. Great job, Jeff!
Sport Judo takes Outstanding Team Trophies at Virginia Open Championships!
Congratulations to both the Junior and Senior competitors! Their performances earned Sport Judo the Outstanding Team award in both the Junior and Senior divisions. Sport Judo blew passed Navy with a number of medal finishes late in the night to cinch the Senior prize, having already earned the Junior trophy earlier in the day.
Great job guys, and congratulations to all Sport Judo members!
Holiday Party on Saturday the 12th!
The Sport Judo Holiday Potluck will be held this saturday at the Alexandria One Spirit Gym from 10AM to 12PM. Bring some food to share and the Sport Judo holiday spirit! We'll be watching the new 101 Ippons by Fighting Films, too, so expect to be entertained!
New at One Spirit Martial Arts
One Spirit Martial Arts in Alexandria, VA is now holding Krav Maga, MMA and boxing classes in addition to Judo during the weeks. Krav Maga is being offered under the direction of Brad Burnett on Tues. and Thurs. afternoons, while Aaron Riley, UFC veteran, is teaching the MMA class on Tues. and Thurs. evenings. Boxing will be offered Wed. evening and Sat. morning.
In addition to the new classes, there is also a brand-new, full size boxing ring at the gym for use by gym members. Members of any martial arts class have access to the full service gym facilities at One Spirit Martial Arts.
Call One Spirit at (703) 941-4848 to sign up!
Willie and Giuseppi Inserra Ranked 1st By USA Judo
Willie has officially claimed the #1 Junior National Ranking for the 53Kg Juvenile A division for 2009, while retaining a tie for 3rd with points he had previously aquired in the 48Kg division. The official record is available at the USA Judo site Besides bragging rights, this means that if USA judo decides to assemble a junior (cadet) national team to compete abroad, Willie would be afforded the top slot at 53Kg.
If points were kept for Junior Bantam players, Giuseppi would also be ranked number one in the nation. Using the same point system he would actually have 24 points in the Bantam 3 - 31kg division for 2009 competitions.
Congrats to Willie and Giuseppi!
Blind Athletes Prove Victorious
(March 1, 2009, Colorado Springs, Colo) -- The United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Judo Camp concluded triumphantly Saturday, February 28, with the Mid-Winter Classic in Westminster, Colo. Sixteen blind and visually impaired judo athletes competed in the tournament against sighted and blind athletes to prove victorious on the mat. "For someone with just six months judo experience, I felt welcomed, empowered and inspired to work hard in this sport and excel in my personal life," said Joe Orozco of Washington, D.C. Orozco was one of eleven judo athletes who are blind to medal in their division at the Mid-Winter Classic. With the 2009 IBSA Pan American Games months away, the athletes came to the U.S. Olympic Training Center with aspirations of fighting for their country this summer in the Pan American Games to be held in Colorado Springs, Colo. Several also attended with hopes of competing in the 2012 Paralympic Games three and a half years away to fight for gold in London. "I'm training and dreaming of London, but I know I have a lot of work to obtain that goal and this clinic was the next step," said Christella Garcia of Sacramento, Calif.
Athletes arrived at the OTC on Wednesday and participated in twice-daily training sessions on Thursday and Friday, first with a two-hour morning session and later working out with the USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center Team in the evening. In addition to on-the-mat sessions, athletes also worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee Strength and Conditioning Staff in the weight room and were educated on anti-doping policies by the staff of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. "This was an incredible experience that enriched my judo skills. I am looking forward to future camps," said Muneer Tawam of Philadelphia, Pa who placed second in the Novice 198 lbs. division.
Released by Amanda Fasset, Media@usaba.org, 719-630-0422
USA Judo issued its 2009 junior rankings. Willy Inserra rose to #1 for Male 13-14 YOA under 44kg division. Congratulations to Willy. Keep it up and good luck with the winter wrestling season!
One Spirit hosts 2009 Erik Paulson MMA Seminar at Olympus Gym
One Spirit Martial Arts is hosting an MMA seminar by Japanese Shooto Champion, Erik Paulson. Erik is the only foreigner to win the Shooto Light Heavyweight Belt. He is a Machado BJJ Blackbelt and submission wrestling expert who has trained Ken Shamrock, Sean Sherk, Brock Lesnar, and Josh Barnett.
The dates are 10 and 11 January 2009. Training begins at 10AM and ends at 4pm. Arrive at least thirty minutes before the start time in order to sign in and change. There will be a one-hour break for lunch. The location is Sport Judo's Olympus Gym. Cost is $100 for one session and $150 for both days.
To pre-register, contact Dave Anderson at One Spirit. SportJudo members can also pre-register with Maurice. To find out more about Erik, visit scientificwrestling.com.
SportJudo's Joel Brutus leads Haitian Team in Olympic Opening Ceremony
SportJudo judoka, Joel Brutus, led the Haiti delegation in the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Looking at the schedule on nbcolympics.com, it looks like the heavyweight fights are on Day 7, Friday, August 15, 2008. Best wishes for Joel! Bring home a medal!
NBC is the official host for Olympic Judo news:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/judo/index.html
The results and scheduled matches are listed here.
2008 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships
Below are more results from the Jr. Olympics held at Coronado Springs Resort Disney, Orlando, FL on July 25-27, 2008:
Congratulations to our competitors! A job well done! For photos and results, click here.
Sport Judo Players place at Keystone State Games held in York, PA
Dethrell Garcia placed first in the Sankyuu 100kg male division and Jeff Steel reportedly placed second in both the Senior and Master 100kg black belt competitions on 27 July 2008. The hosts' website is here, but no results have been posted.
Mike Harrison wins third at Junior Olympics
Congratulations to Sportjudo's Mike Harrison. He placed third in his black belt weight class at the Junior Olympics held 25-27 July at Disney's Cornonado Springs Resort Convention in Kissimmee, FL.
Nearly 800 athletes were scheduled to compete at the USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships beginning on Friday at Walt Disney World® Resort.
As the final qualifier for the 2008 Junior World Trials, athletes in the IJF-Junior (under-20) division all will be vying for one of four berths to the Trials where they will fight for the ability to represent Team USA at the Junior World Championships, Oct. 23-26 in Beijing.
Male IJF-Junior 90kg RESULTS
For more information on the Junior Olympics Competition, click here.
Sportjudo Youths place at Junior Nationals
Congratulations to our students who competed at the US Junior Open Judo Championships in Fort Lauderdale. The event ran 20-21 July and brought competitors from all over the country. Four of us placed:
This has been a great competitive season for the JudoKids and our teenage players.
Sportjudo Player goes to '08 Olympics
Sportjudo congratulates one of our own, Joe Brutus. Joe will be competing at the 2008 Beijing Olympic games in the Judo heavyweight division. Joe will be representing his home country of Haiti. Joe just got back from a tough training camp in Europe where he worked hard for the upcoming games. Best of luck! Heavyweight judo players are welcome to come train with us and give Joe partners to work with.
Congratulations to Jelena Veskov and Mike Harrison. Both competed at the USJA Jr. Nationals held in Chicago, Il on July 4-6, 2008. Nine-year-old Jelena placed first in the girl's 43KG and under Intermediate Class 1 event. This is Jelena's fourth national victory. Mike Harrison won second place in the Male IJF Junior 90Kg and under category. Mike starts as a freshman at William and Mary this fall. He did a great job this year with judo and school!
Click here for more info.
Congratulations to our own Giuseppe Inserra, who won first place at the USJA Junior Judo National Championships! Four of our competitors earned national rankings. Great Job! The tournament, hosted by Jimmy Pedro's judo and martial arts club, was held in Boston at the Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center on 27-29 June, 2008. Four of our students placed:
click here for the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star article on their wins.
Dave Anderson and One Spirit Martial Arts brought the reigning UFC Welterweight Champion, George St. Pierre, to Sport Judo for a 3-hour MMA Seminar. St. Pierre started off with a number of "clinch" moves to block a grappler and to take a grappler down. He added in a defense to the double leg to round out the standup grappling portion of the seminar. Next, he moved on to a number of kicking and punching combinations that he demonstrated with his Muay Thai trainer. The highlight was a demonstration for setting up the superman punch with low kicks. St. Pierre was gracious and energetic throughout the day, fielding questions, taking photos, and cracking jokes. It was a fun, informative day for everybody. Thanks to Dave Anderson for making it happen. Click here for St. Pierre's website.
Judoka Ervin Brandon won silver in the Men's 2008 Purple Belt Super Pesado (Heavy) Weight Division at the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships. Congratulations! Click here for complete results.
Team Results
As a team, Sport Judo scored 21 points, coming in ninth.
