Member News
October 26, 2007
U.S. Kata Teams to Compete at the Kodokan this Weekend
(Colorado Springs, Colo.)
– Four
U.S.
kata teams will compete at the Kodokan
International Judo Kata Tournament from Oct. 27-28 in
Tokyo, Japan.
These eight athletes will be part of eight teams selected by
the Pan American Judo Union to compete in this prestigious event.
A maximum of 10 teams selected from each of the five IJF
regions, including two from host country Japan will compete in each of four
katas: Nage no kata, Katame no kata, Kime no kata and Ju no kata.
In a unique finals format, all teams will be judged on their
katas after competition on Oct. 27 with the top three teams in each division
advancing to finals on Oct. 28 where they will each present their kata again
and medals will be awarded based upon the finals scores.
Among the
U.S.
teams are two pairs that won medals at the 2007 Pan American Championships.
Jeff Giunta and Heiko
Rommelmann, both of the Bushido Kai Judo Club in Webster, N.Y., swept all three of
their katas in Montreal, winning gold in the Katame no kata, Ju no kata and
Nage no kata divisions. Giunta and
Rommelmann will be competing in the Ju no kata division at the Kodokan.
Karen Whilden
(Vienna, Va. / Baltimore Judo) and Diane
Jackson (Silver Spring, Md. / Hui-O Beltsville Judo) also reached the medal
stand three times at the Pan Ams, successfully defending their 2006 Katame no
kata title and winning silver medals in the Ju no kata and Nage no kata
divisions. The duo will be competing in
the Katame no kata.
Barbara
Houston-Shimizu
(Des Moines, Wash.
/ Tobay Judo) and Jann Moss
(Bremerton
,
Wash.
/ Kitsap Judo Club) also will be competing in the Katame no kata division.
Frances Glaze
(Maumee,
Ohio)
and Ryan O’Connor
(Toledo, Ohio)
,
both of the Toledo-Maumee Judo Club, will be competing in the Kime no kata
division.
A complete list of teams representing the Pan American Judo
Union in
Tokyo
is as follows:
Nage no kata
1.
Rio
Uchida (BRA)
Luis Dos
Santos
(BRA)
Katame no kata
1. Barbara Houston-Shimizu (
Des Moines
,
Wash.
/ Tobay Judo)
Jann Moss (
Bremerton
,
Wash.
/ Kitsap Judo Club)
2. Karen Whilden (
Vienna
,
Va.
/
Baltimore
Judo)
Diane Jackson (
Silver Spring
,
Md.
/ Hui-O Beltsville Judo)
Ju no kata
1. Jeff Giunta (
Webster
,
N.Y.
/ Bushido Kai Judo Club)
Heiko Rommelmann (
Webster
,
N.Y.
/ Bushido Kai Judo Club)
2. Kelly Yamamoto (BRA)
Suzi Yamamoto
(BRA)
Kime no Kata
1. Frances Glaze (
Maumee
,
Ohio
/ Toledo-Maumee Judo Club)
Ryan O’Connor (
Toledo
,
Ohio
/ Toledo-Maumee Judo Club
2. Gesele Gravel
(CAN)
Monette Leblanc
(CAN)
Judges from the Pan American Judo Union include:
Nage no kata
Miguel Angel Russo (ARG)
Katame no kata
Jose Gerardo Serna Norena (
COL
)
Kime no kata
Hiroshi Nakamura (CAN)
Ju no kata
Takayuki Yoshinaga (
Hoffmanestes
,
Ill.
/
Kokoshikau
Judo
Academy
)
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