Rick Kenney OBE 8th Dan Appointed as JudoScotland Director of Examiners
JudoScotland is delighted to announce the appointment of Rick Kenney OBE 8th Dan to the role of JudoScotland Director of Examiners. Following a comprehensive recruitment process, the Nominations Committee recommended Rick based on his wealth of experience and knowledge which will have a positive impact in developing this area of the sport.
Rick will play a vital role over the next 4 years working with JudoScotland’s Business Delivery Team to recruit, train and supervise Senior Examiners, and to deliver, develop and promote opportunities for Scottish judoka to participate in the BJA Dan grade scheme.
On his appointment, Rick said, "I look forward to working with the team of Senior Examiners to provide wider opportunities for all judoka to progress along the grading pathway, both competitive and technical."
JudoScotland CEO, Judith McCleary added, “Gradings reward the development and accomplishments of judoka during what we encourage as lifelong involvement in the sport. The pride associated with earning grades at all levels is something to recognise and embrace. In the coming months, we will start a review of our gradings at all levels and I am delighted that Rick will be involved in shaping the Dan grade syllabus as part of this review.”
JudoScotland would like to wish Rick the best of luck in the role.
JudoMark 2023
JudoMark has just become more straightforward!
Club accreditation schemes can often seem daunting, but here at JudoScotland, we are looking to change the club’s experience into a positive one. We see JudoMark as a club development tool, where clubs can pick and mix the different areas that meet their clubs’ needs, breaking the task into bite-size pieces. Our aim as a governing body is to ensure that all our affiliated clubs have access to the resources they need to make Judo a safe and welcoming place for anyone who walks into a dojo. We have introduced a new online system that will make the process of JudoMark more straightforward, more secure and easier to complete.
The bonus is if you choose to complete all areas of JudoMark your club will then receive JudoMark accreditation which will open up a variety of club benefits, benefit your club when working with local partners and may even open up funding opportunities!
To find out how your club can get involved click here.
Clean Sport Alliance: Sam's Viewpoint
Clean Sport: Sam's Viewpoint
The Clean Sport Alliance presents a series of videos on the topic of Clean Para-Sport. In 2022, as part of the RESPECT-P project they invited several international para-athletes to voice their thoughts and opinions on clean sport and anti-doping. These videos showcase some of the most interesting views expressed by the athletes. The Clean Sport Alliance was founded by the RESPECT team in 2018. They aim to bridge the gap between anti-doping research, policy and practice to shape the future of anti-doping education. As part of of their work they have created a knowledge exchange platform for athletes, researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders to facilitate dissemination of clean sport research and its implementation.
First Guests Announced for The Gathering 2023
When: 30th September – 1st October
Where: sportscotland National Centre, Inverclyde
We are pleased to be back at sportscotland National Centre, Inverclyde for our flagship development event. The Gathering is so much more than just a revalidation event, with an action-packed weekend both on and off the mat for all Judoka over 14 years old.
We are delighted to announce our first guests for The Gathering 2023! After an excellent session at The Gathering 2022, we are pleased to welcome back Three-time World Champion, Masashi Ebinuma and Two-time All Japan Champion Kana Ebinuma to The Gathering 2023!
What you said about, Masashi and Kana’s sessions.
“The technicity and the importance of uchikomis and repetitions with attention on the details”
“Simple clear instructions, plenty of time to practice each stage. Point-by-point corrections delivered in a very clear visual manner.”
“Fantastic and very valuable techniques demonstrated which I’ll continue to practice.”
Keep your eyes peeled for more guest announcements and booking details.
Weekend Round-Up
A busy weekend for Scottish Judoka as they attended competitions and training camps across Europe with some fantastic results.
At the IBSA VI German Open it was Gold for both Scottish Judoka Kirsten Taylor (+70 kg J2) and Murray McConnell (-60kg J1 + J2 JNR). A brilliant result for both Judoka.
In Denmark, James Gray (Junior -66kg) fought to take home the silver medal at the Matsumae Cup.
Whilst in Spain, there were some strong finishes for the cadets, who will now go on to gain some valuable experience at the training camp which follows. In Poland National Squad and Talent Development Judoka, both took part in a training camp providing an excellent training opportunity.
Represent Your Club!
There are more ways to be part of the team outside of competing, so why not take on a new challenge and become part of your club’s team as a referee or technical official? Support your club by supporting local events. If you are interested in representing your club as a referee or official representative, then why not register your interest for our up-and-coming courses by emailing us at info@judoscotland.com
Next Course: 23th March 2023 JudoScotland Time Keeping Online Course
Become a Technical Official
Who is a Technical Official?
From Timekeepers to Competition Controllers Technical Officials are the volunteers at events that carry out roles other than the referee.
What Does A Technical Official Do?
There are several different positions of a technical officials in Judo. Usually found at the control table or mat side, a technical official ensures the smooth running of an event.
How Do I Become A Technical Official?
The great news is that to start your technical official journey, no judo experience is required! JudoScotland will provide all the training you need to start as a timekeeper.
Become a Referee
Who is the Referee?
The referee is the volunteer who can be found at the centre of all the action at tournaments and gradings ensuring the contests are conducted in a fair and safe way.
What Does the Referee Do?
Referees ensure that contests are conducted safely and correctly, following approved contest rules, and ultimately making the call on who wins or loses by giving scores/penalties to Judoka.
How Do I Become A Referee?
If you are at least a green belt and over the age of 12 you can start your refereeing journey. As you build your skills and experience you will have the opportunity to advance through a structure of eight levels.
New Coaches January 2023
Congratulations to our recently qualified coaches!
Coaches are at the front line of judo and are an integral part of our sport. We are pleased to announce that the following coaches have successfully completed their coaching qualifications and will go on to inspire Judoka to achieve their potential.
Achieving their Level 1 qualification:
Douglas Hughes – Tayside
Jean-Luc Livingstone – Pro Judo
Katie Taylor – Randori
Achieving their Level 2 qualification:
Luke Caldwell – Pro Judo
JudoScotland Launches Whistleblowing Policy
JudoScotland is pleased to announce the launch of our Whistleblowing Policy. JudoScotland has created this Whistleblowing Policy to provide a framework and process to support persons to raise and report any suspected wrongdoing or dangers affecting JudoScotland’s activities.
Sport has the inherent ability to create a ‘family’ and although this is the reason why many become involved in sport, it can also have its disadvantages when it comes to speaking out. We would like to encourage all our members to speak up and come forward when they feel that they have witnessed or experienced wrongdoing, we hope that our policy will provide guidance for anyone involved in Judo in Scotland to do so.
If you would like more information about our policy and how to raise a concern, please click here.
News From the Chair
A Brief update from the Chair of some key events and recent news from January:
Hi Judo Community,
Happy New Year! I’m sure 2023 is going to be a great one for our sport!
In January, the major event for JudoScotland was our very own Scottish Open, held at Inverclyde, Largs on 21-22nd January. This was the biggest event we’ve run for many years and, in my opinion – based on numbers, presentation and the use of new technology – certainly one of the best.
Over 550 competitors from 15 different countries took part, the Telegram app was well used and the live streaming, which we tried for the first time, generated tremendous interest.
We had some great feedback, both during the event and afterwards. As always after our events now, our office colleagues will hold a thorough review, to affirm what went well and to identify where we can improve for 2024 and beyond. They will be asking the question “The Scottish Open will be even better if …”.
And, talking about that, we’ve already announced and started to promote the date for next year. The 2024 Scottish Open will take place on the 20th & 21st of January at the National Centre Inverclyde.
Get the date in your diary!
Towards the end of the month, on 28th January, I had the pleasure of working with Paul and Alec at the Kata course in Kilmarnock. For those of you who’ve not tried Kata, I’d highly recommend it. I’m sure you would enjoy your day with the witty duo! Keep your eyes open for the next one.
We ended the month, with the Board of Directors Meeting on the 31st. We used Teams to hold the session online.
Personally, I’m always keen on seeing the team face-to-face, but there’s a place for technology and ‘virtual’ sessions – especially in January when the Scottish weather can turn and make it difficult for those who have a long way to travel.
One of the things we discussed was our new sponsorship policy and strategy. And this is where I’d like to ask for your help; Do you know of any person/organisation or company who’d be a good match for our sport – and who might be interested in discussing a sponsorship deal? Could you ask anyone who’s interested to contact the office to see if there is a fit and a way forward? You’d be amazed at how many contacts we have as a community!
Congratulations to the eight coaches who have completed their first year of a 2-year coaching programme at the JudoScotland Coaching Academy, an initiative that’s been set up to help push Scottish Judo to the forefront. I’m sure we’ll all see the benefits in the future.
And finally, I’d like to end this short update with my own feelings. I absolutely believe that 2023 is going to be a massive year for JudoScotland and for our community. Many of the initiatives that were started in 2022 will be coming to fruition, and there are lots more in the pipeline. I, for one, am excited!!
Marc Preston, Chairman, 6th Dan
Eight Coaches Complete Year One of The JudoScotland Coaching Academy
Over the past year, eight coaches have embarked on the first-ever JudoScotland Coach Academy. The Coach Academy aims to develop the ‘craft of coaching’ through technical knowledge and supports individuals on the road to independent coaching through a dedicated programme of continued professional development over a two-year programme. Across the first year, the coaches have taken part in a series of different opportunities including Technical Excellence sessions, Kata courses as well as online one-to-one sessions with Neil Adams MBE.
David Scobbie from Tayside Judo reflected “Every time I go on some sort of coaching course, I come away more motivated and the Coaching Academy has been no different, each session has given me that buzz. Being part of a group has meant we can consolidate what we have learnt and bounce things off each other, which motivates me even more. Being brought together by the programme has given us the opportunity to collaborate with other coaches on the course, as we are all on the same journey. Working with Neil Adams has been surreal, you don’t get much bigger in Judo than him.”
Andrew Swinburne from Carnegie Judo Club added “The technical side of judo can easily be missed while learning to coach but this academy programme really changes the mindset on how to coach, especially with the knowledge and skills to be taken from Neil Adams.”
“The Coaching Academy has provided me with a good platform to build on for the future. Access to coaching techniques, information and also the benefit of mixing with top quality coaches around the country is a great benefit to everyone involved.”
If you would like to find out about how you can get involved in The JudoScotland Coach Academy and sign up for year two, applications are now open you can sign up here.