By Diane Hasili
On April 3rd over 160 participants competed in the 2011 New Jersey State Senior & Junior Judo Championship at the YWCA Princeton. Hosted by the Princeton Judo Club, the event drew participants from 5 to 50 years of age and represented 22 of the top Judo schools from across the state.
Tech Judo of North Bergen NJ, coached by 1976 Pan American Game Gold Medal winner and four time World Championship Team member Clyde Worthen, brought home the most medals of the day garnering 21 in total. Rounding out the top club medal winners were the Cranford Judo Karate Center, Westchester Judo Club, and YWCA Princeton Judo Club.
YWCA Princeton Judo Club had six of their ten competitors place in the state championship, qualifying them to compete in nationals later this year. Three gold medals were earned. The gold medalists included returning four-time State Champion Michelle Arias of Cranbury in the Girls 13-16 year old Advanced 105lb Division. Also in the gold medal winners circle were two-time Men’s Novice + 220lb gold medal winner Marc Diamondstein of North Brunswick and first-time gold medal winner Jason Kearns of East Brunswick in the Men’s Novice 161lb Division.
The club’s other notable medal winners included Christopher Lynch of Hillsborough who improved on his 2010 third place finish by bringing home the silver medal in the Boys Advanced 11–12 year old Division and longtime Princeton Judo competitor Dan Fisher who brought home the silver medal in the Boys Advanced 13–14 year old Division. Milia Zovich of Plainsboro earned a silver in the Girls 5-8 year old Division.
As a USA Judo sanctioned event, winners will be eligible to compete in the 2011 USA Judo Senior Nationals in Orlando, Florida in late April and the USA Judo Junior Nationals to be held in Toledo, Ohio in July
Cory Cuomo, Princeton Judo Club coach, said “I am proud of the effort that all Judoka who participated gave. Stepping on the mat is a great accomplishment in itself. We are pleased that our club has continued to grow in both the female and male divisions as well as our continued success against quality competitors.”
This comes on the heels of Alain Abuan’s exciting win just weeks ago where she clinched a gold medal at the 2011 National Collegiate Judo Association Championship in the Women’s Advanced Rank 52 Kilogram Weight Division at West Point. The win qualifies her to participate at Universiade 2011 Championship, a world collegiate championship event, to be held August 13-17, 2011 in Shenzhen, China. She may also have the distinction of being be the only female to represent the United States at the games. In addition to being an elite athlete, Alain is a judo instructor and student at the YWCA Princeton Judo Club and attends The College of New Jersey.
Judo is an http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=JU http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=JU blocked::http://www.olympic.org/uk/spo" target="_blank" href="http://www.olympic.org/uk/sports/programme/index_uk.asp?SportCode=JU">Olympic sport that can be played by people any age, weight, gender, or strength. It is a sport, an art, a means of self-defense and a fitness program. Steeped in tradition and respect, it does not involve kicking or punching. It teaches the use of maximum efficiency with minimum effort by using the opponent’s weight, balance, and momentum against them. The Princeton Judo Club was established in 1994 and practices at the YWCA Princeton. It has both female and male students ranging in age from 5 to 55 and year-round enrollment for all skill levels.
For more information please visit the Princeton Judo Club web page at http://www.princetonjudo.com/ http://www.princetonjudo.com/ blocked::http://www.princetonjudo.com/ http://www.princetonjudo.com/" target="_blank" href="http://www.princetonjudo.com/">www.princetonjudo.com or the YWCA Princeton web page at www.ywcaprinceton.org
