Member News

January 25, 2007

Team USA to Compete at British Open This Weekend

Bobby Lee goes for an armbar at the 2005 British Open.

Taylor Takata (right) won bronze at the 2005 British Open.

Daniel McCormick (second from right) finished third at the 2005 British Open.

Taylor Takata (white) won bronze at the 2005 British Open

Valerie Gotay (far right) accepts her bronze medal at the 2005 British Open.

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Forty-six U.S. athletes will be competing at the British Open, a USA Judo B-Level Elite Point Tournament in London this weekend.  More than 300 competitors from countries including Canada, Great Britain, Germany, Portugal, Sweden and Belgium are expected to compete.

Among the U.S. delegation are four of the five athletes who won medals at the last British Open in 2005:

• Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site / 73kg), two-time 2006 World Cup silver medalist
• Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site / 57kg), 2006 Pan American Championships bronze medalist
• Taylor Takata (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site / 66kg), 2006 Pan American Championships fifth-place finisher
• Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / Team FORCE / +100kg), 2006 U.S. Open bronze medalist

The British Open will be the first competition of the year for members of the USA Judo Elite U-23 Team.  

Coached by two-time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.), the U-23 Team is a USA Judo program developed in 2005 to create a pipeline between the junior and senior ranks.  In its first year, the athletes had immense levels of success with several many members winning B-Level events and bringing home medals from European events.  U-23 athletes competing at the British Open include:

• Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / Pedro’s Judo Center), 2006 Birmingham World Cup gold medalist and 2004 Olympian
• Jeanette Rodríguez (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 48kg), 2006 U.S. Open and Senior Nationals Champion
• Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 73kg), 2006 U.S. Open Champion and Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Travis Stevens (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center / 81kg), 2006 U.S. Open Champion and Rendez-Vous Canada bronze medalist
• Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden Judo Academy / 70kg), 2006 U.S. Open silver medalist and Senior National Champion
• Jeremy Liggett (Glenville, N.Y. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center / 66kg), 2006 Pan American Championships silver medalist at 60kg
• Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo / 90kg), 2006 Tre-Torri International and Rendez-Vous Canada bronze medalist
• Ann Shiraishi (Elk Grove, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute / 48kg), 2006 U.S. Open and Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 52kg), 2006 U.S. Open and Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Daniel McCormick (Wakefield, Mass. / Team FORCE / +100kg), 2006 U.S. Open bronze medalist
• Nick Kossor (Glenville, N.Y. / 60kg), 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Harry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo / 81kg), 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Yuko Sin (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center / 81kg), 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Michael Eldred (Fruitland, Idaho / Western Idaho Judo / 73kg), 2006 Senior Nationals bronze medalist
• Nick Delpopolo (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center / 73kg), 2006 U.S. Open and Senior Nationals fifth-place finisher
• Josh O’Neil (Colorado Springs, Colo. / 66kg), 2006 Puerto Rico Open silver medalist

Other athletes to watch for this weekend include:

• Chuck Jefferson (San Jose, Calif. / San Jose State University / 73kg), two-time Pan American Champion and 2006 U.S. Open silver medalist
• Justin Flores (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center / 66kg), 2006 U.S. Open and Rendez-Vous Canada silver medalist
• Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute / 48kg), 2006 Pan American Championships bronze medalist
• Kristen Allan (Springfield, Va. / Sport Judo / 63kg), 2006 Finnish Open silver medalist
• Rick Hawn (Wakefield, Mass. / Pedro’s Judo Center / 81kg), 2004 Olympian and 2006 Tre-Torri International silver medalist
• Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site / +100kg), 2005 Senior National Champion and 2006 Pan Am Team member
• Brittni Bradford (San Antonio, Texas / Universal Judo / +78kg), 2006 U.S. Open bronze medalist
• Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site / 100kg), 2006 U.S. Open silver medalist in the Open division

Competition begins Saturday with the men’s 60kg, 66kg and 73kg and the women’s 63kg, 70kg, 78kg and +78kg divisions.  The men’s 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg divisions and women’s 48kg, 52kg and 57kg divisions will be fought on Sunday.

Complete results will be available at www.usjudo.org.