I mentioned in my opening message how well our 28 Budokan athletes competed at Goulburn and what a great time we all had. 27 of our athletes competed in 36 divisions over 6 age categories, for the first time that the Junior and Senior Boys/Girls age categories were replaced by U11, U13, and U15 categories. Our athletes won 21 medals: 10 Gold, 5 Silver, 6 Bronze and 3 x 5th places. This means that 60% of divisions entered by our athletes resulted in a medal. Additionally, 3 other athletes fought for a medal. We also had 2 athletes contest Kata winning a Gold medal. Details of the results for all our athletes are attached to the email accompanying this Newsletter. You can also find the completed draws at Judomanager.com
- We set many challenges for our athletes when we think they are ready for them, and whilst most competitors have 2-4 matches in their weight division on a competition day, we encourage very competitive Budokan Cadet athletes to contest higher age categories to get more matches and experience, and in doing so build resilience. A great example was Max Zollinger who fought in Cadet, Junior Men and Senior Men categories, having 12 matches in total and winning 2 Gold medals and fighting for a medal in Seniors, a great outcome. Bianca Tandean also fought in 3 age categories having 9 matches and winning Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. It takes courage and both physical and mental strength to say focussed over a full day of competition.
- At the competition, we also had 3 coaches (Rob, Kerrye, Josh), 1 Referee (Lubo) and 2 Kata judges (Dale, Franz) as well as our famous Budokan travelling circus of families who, as is customary in the club, spent valuable downtime together after each day of competition.
- The last time Budokan won 10 or more Gold medals at an ACTIO was in 2013 (12 Gold) and the last time in any State Open was in 2017 SIO (11 Gold).
- The competition management system “Judomanager.com” indicates that Budokan had the highest medal tally in both Juniors (U11, 13, 15) and Seniors (Cadets, JM/W, SM/W) which is a great achievement for the club and a great start to the competition year – keep it up guys and stay focussed on your goals.