| May 29: Pan American Sports Organization Meeting
USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez meets with dignitaries at the Pan American Sports Organization meeting in Buenos Aires... more>
May 28: Athlete Diary by Aaron Cohen
Finally Sunday came around after a long week of making weight and fighting. The team had a great time in Argentina and we got along great... Saturday was the team tournament and even though everyone was sore and not too happy to fight, we all came through and had an amazing time...
May 28: Coaches Notes by Team USA Coach Jason Morris
May 28: Kata Photo Gallery
May 28: Team Competition Photo Gallery
May 27: Men Win Silver; Women Bronze in Team Competition
After two days of intense individual matches, Team USA returned for one final day of competition at Saturday’s team event at the Pan Am Championships. In the team event, each nation has five athletes... more>
May 27: Kata Results
Team USA had another successful year, winning four medals at the Pan American Kata Championships... more>
May 26: Fullerton Inducted into PJU Hall of Fame
USA Judo would like to congratulate Dr. Frank Fullerton on his induction into the Pan American Judo Union Hall of Fame Ceremony, held Friday following the Pan American Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina... more> Completed Draw Sheets for Individual Competition, May 25-26
May 26: Coaches Notes by Team USA Coach Jason Morris
May 26: Liggett Pulls Upset En Route to Silver Medal
Seventeen-year-old Jeremy Liggett claimed the top finish for the Americans in the lightweight divisions Friday at the Pan American Championships, pulling one of the biggest upsets of the event in the process while Valerie Gotay and Sayaka Matsumoto each won bronze. more>
May 26: Six U.S. athletes advance to medal rounds
May 25: Competition Photo Gallery Day 1
May 25: Coaches Notes by Team USA Jason Morris
May 25: Final Results
Ronda Rousey, Katie Mocco and Aaron Cohen each made trips to the podium during Thursday's competition... more>
May 25: Preliminary Results
Ronda Rousey will fight for her third consecutive Pan American Championship title Thursday night while Aaron Cohen, Nikki Kubes, Katie Mocco and Djamaldin Aliev will fight for Bronze.
May 24: Pan Am Championships Day 1 Preview
Rousey, Cohen and Hoffmann Among Returning Medalists in the Middle and Heavyweight Divisions
The Pan American Judo Championships begin Thursday at the Polideportiveo Centro Nacional Alto Rendimento Deportivo (CE.N.A.R.D.) with competition beginning at 10 a.m. local time.
There will be a break after prelims and then Opening Ceremonies will begin at 6 p.m. followed by the medal rounds at 7 p.m...
May 24: Carrie Chandler Athlete Diary
Katie, Jeremy, Sayaka, Jason and I departed from Albany and met up with Aaron, Ronda, Eva and some of the team doctors in Washington Dulles airport where we took the 10 hour plane ride to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The flight was an over night flight so most of us tried to sleep except Jason who “white knuckled” it the whole way. We met up with the rest of the team who flew together from Dallas and checked into the Cristal Palace... more>
May 24: Coaches Notes by Team USA Coach Jason Morris
May 23: Team USA's First Practice Photo Gallery
May 23: Team USA's Arrival in Argentina Photo Gallery
  
May 22: Organizations, Individuals Support Team USA at the Pan Am Championships
The response from the USA Judo community has been overwhelming as state organizations, clubs and individuals throughout the nation have come out in force to support Team USA’s athletes as they prepare to depart for the Pan American Championships this week, May 25-27 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Just over a week ago, USA Judo had the pleasure of announcing that athletes in Olympic weight divisions will be eligible for $500 in award money for a gold medal and $300 for a silver.
Within just 24 hours members of the USA Judo family began to come forward to provide additional incentive dollars... more>
Athletes Begin Qualification for the Beijing Olympic Games at Pan Am Championships, May 25-27
USA Judo is pleased to announce the team that will compete at the 2006 Pan American Championships, May 25-27 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
This event kicks off the beginning of the qualification period for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. The qualifying events include the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Championships as well as the 2007 Pan American Games.
In order to qualify in each of the 14 Olympic weight divisions, a country must finish in the top three (for women) or top six (for men) overall rankings following the conclusion of the Olympic qualifying events.
Last year, USA Judo athletes had one of their most successful years on record, taking 10 medals out of 14 divisions entered.
Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo./Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Traininig Site/73kg), Valerie Gotay (Temecula, Calif./Judo America/57kg), Carrie Chandler (Scotia, N.Y./NYAC/Jason Morris Judo Center/52kg) and Ronda Rousey (Buffalo Grove, Ill./NYAC/Cohen’s Judo/63kg) are 2005 Pan Am Champions who are each looking to defend their title with Rousey aiming for her third consecutive gold medal at the event.
Reser and Rousey are both currently ranked in the top eight in the world following their wins on the 2006 European Tour.
In April, 19-year-old Rousey became the first American female to win a World Cup in nearly 10 years, moving her up to a top-six World Ranking. Rousey, the youngest judo player at the Athens Olympic Games, has rapidly become one of the players to watch in every tournament she enters and is considered by many to be a medal contender in Beijing.
One of Rousey’s top competitors in Argentina is expected to be Canada’s Marie-Helene Chisholm who finished fifth at the Athens Games and the 2005 World Championships. Also in Rousey's division is Vania Ishii (BRA), a five-time Pan American medalist. Rousey defeated Ishii at last year's Worlds, but the Brazilian is always an athlete to watch.
Reser won silver medals at the Rotterdam World Cup in The Netherlands and the Borras World Cup in Sweden to place him as the #8 73kg player in the world. Reser's division continues to be a strong one with tough competitors from Argentina and Cuba as well as Team Canada’s Nick Tritton. Reser defeated Tritton in last year’s quarter-finals as well as at Rendez-Vous Canada, but Tritton won their last final at the U.S. Open.
Gotay comes into the event as the U.S. Team veteran. A 1992 Olympian at 48kg, Gotay retired after the Games at 18, but returned in full force in 2004. Since then, the 32-year-old mother of two has continuously held the top ranking at 57kg in the United States, claiming one of the top finishes for an American at the 2005 Worlds and winning a bronze medal at the 2005 British Open in December.
Chandler, a former 57kg competitor, has dominated her division in the United States since moving down to 52kg and also had success on this year’s European Tour, winning a bronze medal at the Belgian Open in February.
Athens Olympian Nikki Kubes (Fort Worth, Texas/Fort Worth Judo/78kg) is returning for her first international competition since 2004. Following the Junior World Championships that year Kubes opted to take a break from competition. At 19, she is still one of the team’s youngest competitors, but is hoping to make a significant impact in her first Pan Am appearance.
Team USA features many returnees from last year’s Pan Am and World squads including Reser, Gotay, Chandler, Rousey, Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif./NYAC/East Bay Judo Institute/48kg), Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill./NYAC/Cohen’s Judo/81kg), Djamaldin Aliev (Greenwood Village, Colo./European Judo/Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site/100kg) and Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site/+100kg).
Athletes competing in the Shiai division at the Pan Ams are as follows:
Women
44kg: Veronica Prado (North Lauderdale, Fla./North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)
48kg: Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif./NYAC/East Bay Judo Institute) 52kg: Carrie Chandler (Scotia, N.Y./NYAC/Jason Morris Judo Center)
57kg: Valerie Gotay (Temecula, Calif./Judo America)
63kg: Ronda Rousey (Buffalo Grove, Ill./NYAC/Cohen’s Judo)
70kg: Katie Mocco (Glenville, N.Y./NYAC/Jason Morris Judo Center)
78kg: Nikki Kubes (Fort Worth, Texas/Fort Worth Judo)
+78kg: Eva Smith (Fall River, Mass./Taki-Gawa)
Open: Rhonda Morrell-Pruitt (Centerville, Ohio/Renshuden)
Men
55kg: Andre Taylor (Plano, Texas/Becerra Judo), 2-1.
60kg: Jeremy Liggett (West Glenville, N.Y../NYAC/Jason Morris Judo Center)
66kg: Taylor Takata (Wahiawa, Hawaii/Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site)
73kg: Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo./Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
81kg: Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill./NYAC/Cohen’s Judo)
90kg: Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y./Starrett Judo)
100kg: Djamaldin Aliev (Greenwood Village, Colo./Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site/European Judo)
+100kg: Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo./Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
Open: Jonathan Leonhardt (San Jose, Calif./San Jose State University)
Athletes competing in the Kata (forms) division are as follows:
Ju No Kata
Mike Sjerven (Kennewick, Wash./Columbia Dojo) and Delynn Purcell (Kennewick, Wash./Columbia Dojo)
Andrej Dajnowski (Oak Brook, Ill./Tohkon) and Doug Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon)
Nage No Kata
Diane Jackson (Silver Springs, Md./Hui-O-Judo Beltsville) and Karen Whilden (Vienna, Va./Baltimore Judo Club)
Andrej Dajnowski (Oak Brook, Ill./Tohkon) and Doug Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon)
Katame No Kata
Andrej Dajnowski (Oak Brook, Ill./Tohkon) and Doug Tono (Chicago, Ill./Tohkon)
Diane Jackson (Silver Springs, Md./Hui-O-Judo Beltsville) and Karen Whilden (Vienna, Va./Baltimore Judo Club)
Delegation staff include: Jason Morris (Shiai Coach), Israel Hernandez (Shiai Coach), Kuniko Takeuchi (Kata Coach), Sergeant Major Mayfield (Manager), Wiemi Douoguih (Team Doctor), Robert Fukuda (Referee) and Gary Takemoto (Referee).
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