Member News

November 1, 2007

Team USA to Compete in Mexico This Weekend

For some of the more than 50 athletes fighting at the Benito Juarez Championships in Merida, Mexico on Friday and Saturday, winning a medal at this international D-Level point tournament may mean the ability to punch their tickets to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Judo.   

Competition begins on Friday with the men’s 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg and women’s 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg divisions.  Competition continues on Saturday with the men’s 55kg, 60kg, 66kg, 73kg and Open divisions and women’s 44kg, 48kg, 52kg, 57kg and Open division.   

Among the athletes competing this weekend are some of the top-ranked American players in their division, looking to earn valuable points as they head toward Trials as well as less seasoned athletes entering their first international event. 

Taylor Takata (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center), the 2006 Senior National Champion, will be competing in the 66kg division to help solidify his #1 ranking.  Takata, like many of the athletes this Mexico, will be competing for the third consecutive weekend internationally after placing second at the U.S. Open and Rendez-Vous Canada. 

Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / NYAC / Cohen’s Judo), who lost his #1 ranking in the 81kg division after placing fifth in Canada on Saturday, will be making his first appearance in a Pan American event since placing third at the Pan Am Championships in May. 

Anna Palmer (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center ) is the top-ranked actively competing athlete in the 52kg division, but will be fighting up at 57kg in Mexico . 

Also making a significant weight class shift is Carrie Chandler (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) who will be fighting in the 63kg division after fighting as a 52kg player at the World Championships in September.  Chandler moved up to 57kg for the last two weeks where she placed third at the U.S. Open and second at Rendez-Vous and this will be her first point event ever at 63kg.  

Chandler ’s JMJC and NYAC teammate Katie Mocco ( Glenville , N.Y. ) also moved divisions earlier this year, moving up from 70kg, and is now the #2-ranked player in the 78kg division after placing second at the Open and fifth in Canada .   

Natalie Lafon (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen) moved from 52kg down to 48kg in August and impressed an international field when she won a silver medal at Rendez-Vous Canada.  Now the #4-ranked player in the division, a top-three finish in Mexico may be all Lafon needs to move into the top three.   

Athletes scheduled to fight this weekend include: 

Men

55kg:     Jarra Maratea ( Livermore , Calif. / Amador Judo Team) 

60kg:     Jeff Fujimoto ( Los Angeles , Calif. / Sawtelle Judo)

60kg:     Dan Gomez ( Cypress , Texas / Texas A & M University Judo)

60kg:     Jeff Sato ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )    

66kg:     Jeff Fong ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )    

66kg:     Efren Maldonado ( Simi Valley , Calif. / Mojica Judo Club)      

66kg:     Tyrone V. Mendez ( Simi Valley , Calif. / Mojica Judo Club)

66kg:     Tanner Singh ( Plano , Texas / Dallas Judo)

66kg:     Taylor Takata ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )   

73kg:     RJ Cohen ( Buffalo Grove , Ill. / Cohen's Judo Club)

73kg:     Walter Mendez ( Simi Valley , Calif. / Mojica Judo Club)

73kg:      AJ Silverman ( Scotia , N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center )       

73kg:     Aaron Villarreal ( El Paso , Texas / Fort Bliss Judo & Jujitsu Club)

81kg:     Aaron Cohen ( Buffalo Grove , Ill. / NYAC / Cohen's Judo Club)        

81kg:     Francisco Torres ( Las Vegas , Nev. / Rising Sun Judo Club)

81kg:     Robert Turnquest ( Honolulu , Hawaii / Kamehameha Judo Club)         

81kg:     Davor Vasiljevic ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )    

90kg:     Erik Duus ( Saratoga , Calif. / Stanford University Judo)           

90kg:     Jacob Larsen ( Santa Rosa , Calif. / Redwood Coast Judo Club)         

90kg:     Alex Maratos ( Palmetto Bay , Fla.  / Miami Judo Academy )    

90kg:     Yuko Sin ( Scotia , N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center )  

90kg:     Atsushi Yoshinaga ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )

100kg:   Joseph Aceto ( San Jose , Calif. / San Jose After School All-Stars)

100kg:   Micah Bellamy ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )

+100kg: Derek Alef ( Santa Barbara , Calif. / Santa Ynez Valley Judo) 

+100kg: Nicholas Gohn ( Livermore , Calif. / Amador Judo Team)       

+100kg: Jon Leonhardt ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University Judo)

+100kg: Daniel Pagter ( San Geronimo , Calif. / Cahill's Judo Academy )

Women

48kg:     Lisette Abad ( San Jose , Calif. / San Jose After School All-Stars)

48kg:     Natalie Lafon ( Harlingen , Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen )        

48kg:     Meg Maceau ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )

52kg:     Tara Clark ( Livermore , Calif. / Amador Judo Team)  

52kg:     Jessica Sternick ( San Antonio , Texas / Universal Judo)          

57kg:     Laila Carmichael ( Wellington , Fla.  / Budokan Judo Club)       

57kg:     Hana Carmicheal ( Wellington , Fla.  / Budokan Judo Club)      

57kg:     Corinne Geier ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University Judo)

57kg:     Michelle Hagerty ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )            

57kg:     Larisa Lindstrom ( Livermore , Calif. / Amador Judo Team)     

57kg:     Anna Palmer ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )

57kg:     Jackie Perez ( College Station , Texas / Texas A & M University Judo)

63kg:     Nicole Archuleta ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center )              

63kg:     Carrie Chandler ( Colorado Springs , Colo. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center )

63kg:     Natalie Laursen ( Livermore , Calif. / Amador Judo Team)       

70kg:     Kathleen Sell ( Harlingen , Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen )         

70kg:     Tomoyo Yoshinaga ( San Jose , Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at San Jose State University )

78kg:     Sasha Liege ( Huntington Beach , Calif. / Mojica Judo Club)    

78kg:     Katie Mocco ( Glenville , N.Y. / NYAC / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center )  

78kg:     Rhonda Morrell-Pruitt ( Centerville , Ohio ) Carrie Chandler ( Scotia , NY  / Jason Morris Judo Center )  

+78kg:   Joellen Friesner ( Albany , Calif. / Cahill's Judo Academy )