BUDOKAN IS 2016 JUDO NSW CLUB OF THE YEAR !!!
The 2016 Judo NSW Annual Awards Dinner was convened only 2 days before our AGM. Budokan was well represented in the nominations list with 15% more athletes nominated compared to 2015. There are 5 Age Categories each with 10 male and 10 female nominations i.e. 100 available nominations. Budokan athletes were nominated in every category, a total of 26 Budokan athletes nominated 31 times i.e. 31% of all athletes nominated are Budokanis. Additionally Budokan had 3 of 18 nominations for Junior NSW Squad awards, 5 of 18 for Senior NSW Squad awards and 1 of 2 Junior Kata nominations. Two of our referees were also nominated for referee awards and Budokan was nominated for 2016 Club of the Year.
With our membership growth, exceptional participation and performances at Nationals, Oceania and international events, we were in a very strong position to win Club of the Year for the third consecutive year and we did just that - CONGRATULATIONS BUDOKAN, the 2016 JUDO NSW CLUB OF THE YEAR. Budokan has now won this award 4 times in 7 Award Nights and has also won Junior Development Club twice. Congratulations to Budokan’s Judo NSW individual award winners for 2016:
Saskia Brothers - Best Senior Girl Lubo Petr - Outstanding Referee
Emma Leishman - Junior Coaches Award Cadet Girl Kyle McIndoe - Senior Coaches Award Junior Men
Naomi de Bruine - Senior Coaches Award - Senior Women
Well done to our many friends at Tiger-Do for the well deserved Junior Development Club Award and their individual winners, and to our regular visitors and friends from Illawarra International on their awards, in particular Anthony Kouros and Tinka Easton. Similarly, well done to Kido Mingara and regular visitor Daniel Villani.
I wrote to Judo NSW on the disappointing lack of acknowledgement on the night of NSW’s Olympians, and the obvious award criteria anomalies that still appear to underpin these awards, but sadly it is unlikely that things will change. Congratulations to our Olympians Nathan Katz and Josh Katz for carrying themselves with such humility and dignity during the Awards Night, making presentations on behalf of the Junior State Coaches. 22 Budokanis enjoyed the night.