Member News

April 11, 2007

U.S. Team Leaves for Pan Am Junior Championships Today

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – Thirty athletes between 15 and 19-years-old departed on Wednesday to compete at the Pan American Juvenile and Junior Championships being held Thursday and Friday in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Athletes born in 1991 and 1992 (approximately 15-16-years-old) will compete on Thursday while athletes born in 1988-1990 (approximately 17-19-years-old) will compete on Friday.  This elite event is considered to be the most difficult tournament for athletes under 19-years-old in the Americas.

Nine members of the 2006 Pan Am Junior Team will be returning to the event this year, including four defending champions from the USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami.

Bobby Lee (73kg), Franchesca Durand (52kg) and Jeanette Rodriguez (48kg), all of Coral Springs, Fla., have each acquired rankings as not only the top juniors in their respective divisions, but also as the #1 U.S. senior athletes.

Lee, last year’s Pan Am Junior Champion at 73kg and the 2006 Senior U.S. Open Champion, won the Most Inspirational Male Judoka award and is a favorite to defend his title.

In her first year at the Pan Am Juveniles, Durand, the 2007 Senior British Open Champion, won the gold medal and the “Ippon Trophy” in 2006 and will return to the division again this year.

Rodriguez, who won the title in the 48kg juvenile division last year, has moved up to the junior division this year, but the 2006 Senior National Champion and fifth-place finisher at the 2006 Junior Worlds will be using this event as her first return to competition since sustaining an injury at the Belgian Ladies’ Open in February.

North Miami athlete Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla.) also has moved up this year, from the 40kg juvenile division where she won gold in 2006 to the 44kg junior division.

Other athletes returning to the team from the 2006 squad include:

Although the team consists of a number of newcomers to the event, look for several key athletes to be strong medal contenders, including:

The complete roster of U.S. athletes competing is as follows:

Pan Am Juvenile Team (15-16-year-old, Born 1991-1992)

Female

40kg:     Carly Marcella (Spokane, Wash. / Pacific Judo Academy)

44kg:     Taylor Ibera (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)

48kg:     Ashley Cameron (Garland, Texas / Becerra Judo)

52kg:     Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

57kg:     Danielle Greenstein (Wellington, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

63kg:     Shaniqua Brown (Atlanta, Ga. / Waka Mu Sha)

70kg:     Emily Lilly (Camarillo, Calif. / Nanka)

+70kg:   Kate Patton (Zephyrhills, Fla. / El Mambi Judo)  

Male

51kg:     Aaron Fukuhara (Torrance, Calif. / Gardena Judo Club)

55kg:     Jose Cos (Elbert, Calif. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center)

60kg:     Miguel Ballesteros (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

66kg:     Dariel Porras (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

73kg:     Antonio Rodriguez (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

81kg:     Daniel Palatnik (Rego Park, N.Y. / Spartak Sports Club)

90kg:     Colin Robinson (Atlanta, Ga. / Waka Mu Sha)

Pan Am Juvenile Team (17-19-year-olds, Born 1988-1990)

Female

44kg:     Veronica Prado (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

48kg:     Jeanette Rodriguez (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

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

57kg:     Angelica Delgado (Miami, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North  Miami)

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

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

+78kg:   Stephanie Schrenk (Kent, Wash. / Zeny Judo)

Male

55kg:     Arnold Toriumi (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)

60kg:     Jean-Pierre Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

66kg:     Ross Nakamura (Mission Hills, Calif. / Valley Judo)

73kg:     Bobby Lee (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami)

81kg:     Wesley Thomas (San Mateo, Calif. / Palo Alto Judo)

90kg:     Jacob Larsen (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen)

100kg:   Mike Kannianen (Northglenn, Colo. / Northglenn Judo)

+100kg: Daniel Yuabov (Flushing, N.Y. / Spartak Sports Club)

The team is being coached by Jhonny Prado and German Velazco, both of Coral Springs and the USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami.  Tony Rodriguez (Miami, Fla.) is the team manager.