| Member News
July 20, 2007
Registration Underway At 2007
USA
Judo Junior
Olympic Championships
San Antonio, Texas (July
20, 2007) – Though the weather outside was frightful – a cool, rainy day in San
Antonio – the crowds of competitors were buzzing with excitement as the nations
best and brightest junior judo athletes registered for the 2007 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships on July
20.
Official competition
kicks-off at
9:00 a.m.
, on
July 21 at the Freeman Coliseum (
3201
East Houston Street
,
San Antonio
,
Texas
), following a brief opening
ceremony at
8:45 a.m.
Tickets are available for $10.00 per day and
can be purchased at the venue.
The spirit of sportsmanship
rang true during registration as kids greeted fellow athletes and their personal
competition with smiles. Among them was Josh Terao (
Honolulu
,
Hawaii
/Shobukan Judo Club) and Donald Moseman (
San Carlos
,
Calif.
),
both of which are scheduled to compete during the weekend match.
“We are here to have fun,
and Donald is my friend,” said Terao, who is fresh off of double wins in
Indianapolis
and
Detroit
. “When we are done competing we leave it on
the mat. Then we like to play in the
pool and hang out.”
Jace Bowling (
McCall
,
Idaho
/McCall Judo Club) arrived in
San Antonio
late last
night from
McCall
,
Idaho
. Speaking on her competition, she made it clear she is also on a mission to
compete and support her hometown team.
“We have a great group of
kids [ranging] from the senior level to really young. They are here to have a good time and do
something they love,” noted Bowling while waiting for her weigh-in. “For myself, I want to keep improving. Last year I placed third, and this year I am
shooting to better my performance.”
After her visit to the
weigh-in booth eight (and half)-year-old Alexah
Carbajar (
Mt. Home
,
Idaho
) wore her USA Judo beanie hat with
pride.
“This is her first year and
her third competition. She has already
won two gold medals in
Idaho
,”
said her father, Chris Carbajar. “Her coach is trying out for the Olympic Team
and has really taught Alexah a lot about the sport. She likes it, and she really enjoys beating
up on the boys.”
More than 700 athletes are
set to compete in the two-day event. In
addition to the prestige of becoming a Junior National Champion, the stakes
have been raised at this year’s event as the tournament’s point level has been
raised from five to 10 – an important distinction for athletes accumulating
points on the junior elite rosters in the hopes of qualifying for Junior Pan
American Championship Teams.
About The
USA
Judo National Junior Olympic
Championships
More than 700 athletes from
across the
United States
will compete in the USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships. The event, which is taking place in San
Antonio, Texas, July 21-22, is expected to be not only one of the largest in
recent history, but will include many young athletes who are outstanding
players on both the junior and senior levels. Competitors are between the ages of six and 19-years-old. The tournament will be held from
9 a.m.
until approximately
5 p.m.
at Freeman Coliseum.
Media
seeking more information or credentials for the
USA
Judo National Junior Olympic
Championships can contact Najasila Campbell in
San Antonio
at 719/330-4066 (cell) or via
e-mail at najasila@hotmail.com through
July 23, 2007
. Photos, results and quotes will be available
at www.usjudo.org.
For
more information about the National Governing Body for judo and for all
USA
Judo news,
contact Nicole Jomantas, Director of Communications and Media Relations, at
719.866.4732 or Nicole.Jomantas@usajudo.us.
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