| Member News
November 25, 2006
Video Highlights from the Dallas Invitational
Dallas Invitational Results
(Grapevine, Texas) – This year’s Dallas Invitational, a USA Judo Senior E Level Elite Tournament, drew many of the top-ranked players in the United States to Texas on Saturday with more than 450 athletes competing in the junior, senior and master’s divisions at the Hilton DFW.
The women’s 70kg final pitted Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif. / NYAC), an Olympian and Junior World Champion at 63kg, against Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden), the reigning National Champion in the division.
Although Harrison has never beaten Rousey in competition, the 16-year-old came into the final match, both more determined and aggressive than many of Rousey’s opponents tend to be.
After several attacks, Rousey scored first, throwing Harrison for a koka (smallest points) and later a yuko (quarter-point) before pinning her for ippon (instant win).
Harrison fought consistently throughout the match; however, making several solid attempts at throws and escaping Rousey’s early pulls into groundwork.
In the men’s 73kg final, Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site) fought 18-year-old Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site).
Reser won each of his preliminary matches by ippon, including his first against Leonardo Allan (BRA / Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site). Reser was down by a yuko against the quick-scoring Allan, who he also beat in the bronze medal final at the U.S. Open in February, but came back quickly, throwing Allan for ippon.
In the final, Reser and Lee, who won the Senior U.S. Open in October, started off cautiously and were quickly reprimanded with simultaneous shidos a minute into the match.
The pace picked up as the match went on and Reser took the win, and the Outstanding Senior Competitor Award, throwing Lee for a waza-ari (half-point), yuko and a koka.
The women’s 52kg final between Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) and Natalie Lafon (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site) was a much-anticipated match between the #2 and #3 players in the division, but Lafon failed to continuously attack, racking up three penalties to give Durand the win by a waza-ari (half-point).
Brian Picklo (Mustang, Okla. / USA Stars) was a crowd favorite in the 90kg final, but Gyula Kalman (Dallas, Texas / Dallas Judo) held him nearly scoreless after a first-minute throw for yuko. Kalman, continued to pick up points throughout the match before winning by a yuko (quarter-point).
Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site / +100kg) held off Daniel McCormick’s (Arlington, Texas / Pedro’s Judo Center) attempt to throw him, countering McCormick’s uchimata (inner thigh throw) to throw him for ippon early in the match.
Hoffmann’s OTC teammate Micah Bellamy (Colorado Springs, Colo.) won the 100kg division in an all-OTC final over Myles Porter (Toledo, Ohio). Bellamy threw Porter for a yuko almost immediately off the grip and tried to move into a pin, but Porter quickly escaped. Porter, a fifth-place finisher at the World Blind Championships, recently decided to relocate to Colorado to train in a quest for a Paralympic gold medal and begins his journey well as only the third visually impaired athlete to earn a USA Judo Senior Elite National ranking
Complete results are as follows:
Men's 55kg
1. Ruben Martin (Burleson, Texas / Ruben Martin Judo)
2. Jose Cos IV (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Keith Beauvais (Thornton, Colo. / Northglenn Judo)
Men's 60kg
1. Miguel Ballesteros (Miami, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Aaron Kunihiro (West Covina, Calif. / San Gabriel Judo)
3. Jean-Pierre Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
Men's 66kg
1. Islam Baralinov (KYR/ Denver, Colo. / OTC)
2. Ronnie Talledo (PER / Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Taylor Takata (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site)
Men's 73kg
1. Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site
3. Leonardo Allan (BRA / Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
Men's 81kg
1. Ivor Kostadinov
(Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Phillip Spano (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Bobby Yamashita (Denver, Colo. / Northglenn)
Men's 90kg
1. Gyula Kalman (Dallas, Texas / Dallas Judo)
2. Brian Picklo (Moore, Okla. / USA Stars)
3. Landry Ambouroue (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
Men's 100kg
1. Micah Bellamy (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Myles Porter (Toledo, Ohio / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Aaron Handy (Fairfield, Ohio / Renshuden Judo Academy)
Men's +100kg
1. Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Daniel McCormick (Arlington, Texas / Pedro's Judo Center)
3. Alex Zheleznov (Aurora, Colo. / Denver Judo)
Women's 48kg
1. Diana Yoshida (Allan, Texas / Tohkon Judo Academy)
2. Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Kayla Chappell (Oklahoma City, Okla. / USA Stars)
Women's 52kg
1. Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Natalie Lafon (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
Women's 57kg
1. Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Danica Kamekana (Honolulu, Hawaii / Kamekana Judo)
3. Danielle Greenstein (Wellington, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
Women's 63kg
1. Tessa Plana (Irving, Texas / Dallas Judo)
2. Kadee Shadden (Mineral Wells, Texas / Ruben Martin Judo)
3. Aubrey Aguire (Norman, Okla. / USA Stars)
Women's 70kg
1. Ronda Rousey (Santa Monica, Calif. / NYAC)
2. Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden)
3. Katie Sell (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site)
Women's +78kg
1. Brittni Bradford (Tampa, Fla. / St. Pete Judo)
2. Colleen Mocco (Stillwater, Okla. / Koketsu OSU Judo) |
