2007 Senior Nationals Announcement

Member News

April 16, 2007

Senior Nationals and World / Pan Am Games Team Trials to be Held April 20-21 in Miami

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – The USA Judo Senior National Championships will be held April 20-21 at the Pharmed Arena at Florida International University in Miami, Fla.

The Senior Nationals will be attended by nearly all of the top candidates for the 2008 Olympic Team. The event also will include the Trials for the team that will compete at the 2007 Pan American Games, July 19-22, and the 2007 World Championships, September 16-19. Both the Pan Am Games and World Championships will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with the Pan Am Games serving as 33% of the qualifying process for the 2008 Olympic Games.

For the first time ever, the gold medal finals as well as the Pan Am Games and World Team Trials will be Webcast live for free at www.livesportsvideo.com beginning at 6 p.m. EST on Friday and 5 p.m. EST on Saturday.

Following the conclusion of each day’s Senior Nationals finals, in divisions in which the #1-ranked athlete at the start of the tournament does not win the Senior Nationals, a best-of-three fight-off will be held between that athlete and the Senior National Champion to determine athlete selection for the Pan Am Games and World Teams.

In addition, also at stake are berths on the team that will compete at the 2007 Pan Am Championships, May 24-28 in Montreal. The athletes with the highest U.S. ranking at the conclusion of the Senior Nationals will be named to the 2007 Pan Am Championships – also a qualifying event for the 2008 Olympic Games.

On April 20, the National Championships also will be held for the kata (forms) divisions, beginning at 1 p.m. while the International Masters Championships will be held on April 21, beginning at 1 p.m.

Competition schedule is as follows:

Friday April 20

9 a.m. – Preliminary Rounds (Women’s 63kg, 70kg, 78kg, +78kg and Men’s 81kg, 90kg, 100kg and +100kg)

1 p.m. – Kata (Forms) National Championships

6 p.m. – Gold Medal Finals*

* The Pan Am Games and World Team Trials will take place immediately following the Gold Medal Finals.

Saturday April 21

9 a.m. – Preliminary Rounds (Women’s 44kg, 48kg, 52kg, 57kg and Open and Men’s 55kg, 60kg, 66kg and 73kg)

1 p.m. – International Masters Championships

5 p.m. – Gold Medal Finals*

* The Pan Am Games and World Team Trials will take place immediately following the Gold Medal Finals.

The following are the athletes who are expected to enter the Senior Nationals as the top seeds. A detailed preview of the divisions will be available later this week.

Alexa Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 44kg) Sixteen-year-old Liddie, the daughter of 1984 Olympic medalist and three-time Olympic Coach Eddie Liddie, won a bronze medal at her first Senior Nationals in 2006. After defeating 2006 Senior National Champion Daimisy Porras (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 44kg) at the Rendez-Vous Canada International, Liddie moved into the #1 ranking in the division while Porras has since moved up to 48kg. NOTE: 44kg, a non-Olympic weight division, is only contested at the Pan Am Championships, not the Pan Am Games or World Championships.
Jeanette Rodriguez (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 48kg) The 16-year-old turned heads when she won the 2006 Senior Nationals, upsetting six-time reigning National Champion Sayaka Matsumoto (El Cerrito, Calif. / NYAC / East Bay Judo Institute). This time, Rodriguez is the favorite as the #1 seed. During their last match-up, Rodriguez defeated Matsumoto at the U.S. Open in October, also at FIU.
Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 52kg) Fifteen-year-old Durand will be on the hunt for her first National title. Durand overtook the #1 ranking in the division in January when she upset four-time National Champion Carrie Chandler (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center) at the British Open in January.
Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / USA Judo National Training Site at Harlingen / 57kg) Gotay is a 1992 Olympian who retired at age 18 only to come back to the sport in 2004. Now 33, Gotay has gone undefeated in the United States since 2005 and is coming off of one of the best seasons for an American on the European Tour where she beat former World Champion Yurisleidys Lupetey (CUB).
Kristen Allan (Springfield, Va. / Sport Judo / 63kg) Allan, a silver medalist at the 2006 Senior Nationals, will be the top seed in Miami as #1 Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE) has since moved up to 70kg. Allan, who won her first European medal in November at the Finnish Open, has been training in Brazil, one of the top judo nations in the world, and could come back with some surprises for her competitors.
Ronda Rousey (Wakefield, Mass. / USA Judo National Team FORCE / 70kg) Rousey earned her #1 ranking in the division after winning the Vienna World Cup in February – her first international event at 70kg. A 2004 Olympian and Junior World Champion, 20-year-old Rousey has never lost to an American at any level of competition.
Marina Lambert (Chesapeake, Va. / Washington Judo / 78kg) One of the youngest athletes at Senior Nationals, Lambert, who just turned 15, moved up to the #1 ranking in the division in October when she won a bronze medal at the U.S. Open – her second senior tournament ever. A top junior player, Lambert will be challenged by several World, Pan Am and Olympic Team member veterans.
Brittni Bradford (Live Oak, Texas / Universal Judo / 78kg) A 2006 Junior World Team member, Bradford finished second at last year’s Senior Nationals and third at the U.S. Open
Kayla Harrison (Middletown, Ohio / Renshuden / Open) A National Champion at 70kg last year, this 16-year-old also won the 2006 U.S. Open in the open weight division. NOTE: Open, a non-Olympic weight division, is only contested at the Pan Am and World Championships, not the Pan Am Games.
Frank Sanchez (West Covina, Calif. / Guerreros / 55kg) Sanchez will attempt to improve on his bronze medal finish at the 2006 Senior Nationals. NOTE: 55kg, a non-Olympic weight division, is only contested at the Pan Am Championships, not the Pan Am Games or World Championships.
Jean-Pierre Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 60kg) The older brother of Franchesca, Durand should enter the Senior Nationals as the top seed in the division after winning a bronze medal at the 2006 U.S. Open – the highest finish for an American in the division.
Justin Flores (Glenville, N.Y. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Jason Morris Judo Center / San Shi / 66kg) A 2005 World Team member, Flores returned to the #1 ranking two weeks ago after winning the Puerto Rico Open. After winning bronze at the British Open and placing fifth at the Warsaw World Cup earlier this season, Flores is on the hunt for his first National title since 2005 after pulling out with injuries at least year’s event.
Ryan Reser (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / 73kg) Just in the nick of time, this three-time World Cup medalist won a silver over the weekend at the Swiss Open to regain his #1 status after a three-week dip to #2.
Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / Cohen’s Judo / 81kg) The division’s reigning National Champion, Cohen also medaled in Switzerland over the weekend, going 5-1 to win the silver.
Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Starrett Judo / 90kg) A three-time medalist at B-Level tournaments in 2006, St. Leger is the most consistent player in the division, but hasn’t been seen in competition since sustaining an injury in Europe in February.
Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / USA Judo National Training Site at North Miami / 100kg and Open) A 1996 Olympian for Haiti, this dual citizen’s goal is to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team in 2008. Volmar is the top-ranked athlete in both the 100kg and Open divisions, although the Open division will only be contested at the World and Pan Am Championships, not the Pan Am Games.
Kirk Hoffmann (Colorado Springs, Colo. / USA Judo National Training Site at the Olympic Training Center / +100kg) A former World and Pan Am Team member, Hoffmann lost in the finals of the Senior Nationals last year to Joel Brutus (Matawan, N.J. / NYAC), a former Pan Am medalist for Haiti who recently received clearance to fight for the United States. Hoffmann and Brutus fought at the New York Open in March with Hoffmann taking the win.