Colin Woods Steps Down as Talent Development Support Coach
JudoScotland would like to extend our thanks to Colin Woods who, after 7 years in the role, has decided to step down as JudoScotland Talent Development Support Coach.
During his time in the role, Colin has delivered a thriving Wednesday night Talent Development Session that has gone from strength to strength. He has supported the development of Judoka to help them reach their full potential on and off the mat. A firm favourite with Judoka and Coaching staff alike, Colin will be missed in the role.
National Talent Development Coach, Gary Edwards, said " It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Colin. I can’t thank him enough for helping to run the programme, I have been able to put my full trust in him to run the East Wednesday Night session knowing that it is in safe hands. It will be a tough job trying to replace him."
Although Colin will be stepping down from the Wednesday Talent Development session, he still hopes to keep closely involved with the programme. JudoScotland would like to wish Colin all the best in the future and thank him for his dedication to the role.
Scottish Judoka Perform at the British Championships
Over the past two weekends, Judoka from across the UK have gathered at the EIS Sheffield for the British Judo Championships. The Championships are the pinnacle of domestic Judo in the UK and are a fantastic opportunity for the Judo community to get together.
Pre-Cadets and Cadets
On the first weekend, the Pre-Cadet and Cadets took to the mat, experiencing an incredible development opportunity as they faced competition from across the home nations. The results spoke for themselves with a total of 29 medals collected over the first weekend, not far off of the best result ever.
Juniors and Seniors
On the 10th & 11th of December, it was the turn of the Juniors and Seniors with some fantastic performances across the two days. The Scottish Juniors tallied up a total of seven medals with the Seniors following on Sunday with 11 medals.
Congratulations to all Scottish Judoka, their clubs and coaches.
View the full list of results here:
Thank you to the BJA for hosting a fantastic event!
Gordon McCathie Appointed Vice-Chair of JudoScotland
Gordon McCathie has been voted into the role of Vice-Chair by the Board at the December Board meeting. Serving on the Board for the past year, after being elected by the JudoScotland membership at the 2021 AGM, Gordon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role.
Gordon commented “It is a great honour to be voted into the role of Vice-Chair. I genuinely think there is no better time, within the past 20 years, to be involved in JudoScotland. A strong professional relationship between, the Chair, CEO and Board is incredibly important for developing and growing the sport through positive change. Part of our legacy as the Board is to leave the sport and the organisation in better position, than when we join, and I hope to be held accountable to this task.”
We look forward to the direction and assistance to the Chair that Gordon will bring to the role.
Judo Shortlisted at the 2022 Scottish Sports Awards
Tonight, the Scottish Sports Community will come together to celebrate the best of Scottish Sport at the Scottish Sports Awards 2022. JudoScotland are pleased to share that our members are up for two awards!
Sarah Adlington – Female Athlete of the Year
Sarah has been shortlisted after she made history at Birmingham 2022 by becoming the first Scottish Judoka to claim two Commonwealth Games gold medals, successfully defending her +78kg title from Glasgow 2014. In 2022 she also claimed gold at the Winterthur Senior European Cup and Bronze at the Dubrovnik Senior European Cup.
Sarah has been shortlisted alongside Neah Evans (Cycling), Eilish McColgan (Athletics) and Laura Muir (Athletics). Making the top four female athletes of 2022 in Scotland is an incredible achievement, good luck Sarah!
Hamilton Judo Club - Club Sport Award
Hamilton Judo Club has made a shortlist of four Scottish sports clubs for their incredible work.
John D'Ambrosio from Hamilton Judo club commented; "Being nominated for this award gives all our coaches and volunteers a moral boost by highlighting their achievements to a wider audience. Accolades like this are also important for the parents and carers as it helps to reinforce the importance of sport in their child's development. When we started the disability hub our main objective was to make the kids smile, a judo mat filled with laughter is what it is all about!"
Inclusion and accessibility is at the heart of Hamilton Judo club cover all bases when delivering sessions, so that all participants, both able-bodied and disabled, can take part in fun, engaging judo sessions together. With an understanding of the potential for sport and activity to improve people’s lives, they have strong links with schools, deliver Health and Wellbeing sessions for adults of all ages and fitness levels, provide clear pathways for members to transition from the Disability/ASN to the mainstream sessions, as well as numerous programmes for adult and youth members from age 14 to transition into coaching and volunteering.
Good Luck to Sarah and Hamilton Judo Club, what an incredible achievement to be shortlisted!
See the full list of finalists here.
Andrew Malone JudoScotland Pathway Coach of the Year
Andrew Malone of Hibari-Kan Judo Club in Larkhall has been awarded the JudoScotland Pathway Coach of the Year. The JudoScotland Coaching and Volunteering Awards are a National Awards programme designed to recognise the hard work and dedication of the Judo workforce in Scotland. This award recognises a coach who has supported the development of judoka and has significantly increased the Judo opportunities available and achievement levels within their community.
Andrew, on winning the award, commented, “Winning this award gives recognition to everyone in the club. We are not only a club but a Team which we pride ourselves on. We very much appreciate this award.”
Luke Struthers of JudoScotland added, “The work that Andy and Hibari-Kan Judo Club do across the whole development pathway is admirable. He focuses on the individuals’ abilities enabling them to achieve their potential in the sport. He is a real asset to the sport feeding many of his players onto the JudoScotland performance pathways including Team Scotland’s Billy Rodman who competed at this Summers Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.”
Andrew was presented his award on Monday 5th of December at Hibari-Kan Judo Club by JudoScotland Regional Development Officer Luke Struthers.
JudoScotland Events Pages
We are currently experiencing technical issues with our events pages on the JudoScotland website. Our website developers are working on resolving this issue, however, it does mean you can't access our events via the website at this time. Sorry for any problems this may cause.
News From the Chair
A Brief update from the Chair of some key events and recent news from November:
Hi Judo Community,
Well, another month has flown by – and, by all accounts, another busy and successful one for JudoScotland (granted – there is always more we can do!!)
The first major event of the month was the Scottish Closed Championships at the sportscotland National Centre in Largs. Both the venue and the presentation of the event, looked amazing – thanks to all the Team involved! The event started punctually, ran to time, and, based on feedback I heard from coaches, members and families who were there, was very well received. They particularly commented on the Telegram app that was used to keep attendees updated – taking us to a higher level of delivery. Thanks go to Rosanna for that one! On a personal note, I experienced the great joy of a broken-down car and being towed back home at the end of the day. On a brighter note, during the journey, I did manage to convert the AA driver to the benefits and values of judo for his grandkids! Three more potential members there!
The following weekend, JudoScotland attended the British Judo Awards in Warwick, where myself and Judith hosted tables. JudoScotland members were nominated for a number of awards and it was an excellent and successful event. Congratulations go to the five winners: Billy Rodman, Stuart McWatt and Gordon McCathie for their outstanding contributions to the judo community and demonstration of our values, Hamilton Judo Club for their outstanding work around inclusion, and, in particular to Susie Wright, who once again won the Roy Inman award, recognising her overall contribution to the sport. This is certainly one of the most successful events from a Scottish perspective that I’ve been to over the years, well done to all!
It was also great to see some members of the 1972 Olympic Team there, including medallists Angelo Parisi and Dave Starbrook MBE, plus our very own Eddie Mullen (whom I had a good catch-up with). After the official event, I had a brilliant knees-up with the 2 legends that are Dave Starbrook and Olympian Peter Donnelly. Dave – the watch is in the post!
On a more personal note, the last weekend in November saw a reunion in Manchester with ‘The Kendal Boys’. These were the extremely hard-working, full-time athletes that I spent the most productive part of my fighting career with – training and competing. One of them – who was also there reminiscing – was our very own, Gary Edwards, National Talent Development Coach. It was great to catch up.
Another individual I’d like to mention this month is Chris Murphy of Shettleston Judo Club who won Gold at the Virtus Oceania Asia Games – a tournament for elite athletes with an intellectual impairment. As you know JudoScotland supported Chris and are absolutely delighted with his performance. Congratulations Chris – now for the Global Games!
Over the last few days, I’ve been reviewing the materials for the next Board of Directors meeting. Whilst reading Judith’s report I’ve been astounded at the sheer amount of work that’s been – and is being – delivered since the last Board Meeting. I also noted that as well as being on top of all of the day-to-day operations, Judith has also made time in November to visit two clubs – Sportif and Pro-Judo.
And that’s it for this month. Remember – this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s lots more going on that I can’t hope to cover in this short update. Hopefully, we’ve captured everything on the website, but, if we do miss anything – or you have a piece of news – please let us know. Similarly, if you have anything to discuss, please get in touch with us and help us all on our journey.
Thanks,
Marc Preston, Chairman, 6th Dan
International Day of People with Disabilities 2022
Today is International Day of People with Disabilities. The annual observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) on 3 December was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. The observance of the Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.
To celebrate this important day we wanted to reshare the stories from some of the incredible Scottish Judo community.
Chris Nicol – Tams Brig Judo Club
Chris, a Deafblind Judoka who trains at Tams Brig Judo Club with coaches Charlie and Michelle Strachan, shared his Judo story.
“Being involved in Judo has had many positives. Aside from the obvious physical benefits, I have met lots of new people and made many friends. The training keeps me focused and driven to achieve my targets, and I have developed a passion to become a coach myself. Judo helps me to remain positive and feel motivated about life. It keeps me smiling and gives me strength and courage to face up to difficulties and challenges.”
“At Tam’s Brig, the club have been great with their approach to inclusion and adapting Judo to suit individuals. I have low vision and hearing, so there have been several challenges to overcome. Coaches and other players have learned tactile sign language to help communication – there is actually a poster with the alphabet pinned up on the wall – and I am always able to “feel” how techniques are done so I have a clear image in my head.”
“My experience of Judo is that it is an inclusive sport and I have been able to get involved in some courses and events – including last year’s The Gathering, which was fantastic. I would love to see adaptive, and VI categories included at some of JudoScotland’s competitions, which I think could help grow the sport and encourage more people to participate and compete.”
Kirsten Taylor – Tayside Judo Club
Kirsten Taylor IBSA Grand Prix Nur-Sultan 2022 Silver Medallist, who trains with Tayside Judo and is also on the GB Para-Potential pathway shared her Judo story.
“Judo is the most inclusive sport I’ve taken part in. Right from the first session, there was no awkwardness about my visual impairment, in other sports I’ve done they’ve either treated me like I’m made of glass, or they’ve tried to totally ignore the fact I need extra help. With judo the whole club are great, the coaches make an effort to explain the demos clearly so I can follow them and then they check I’ve understood afterwards and show me again if needed. Everyone makes sure I’m sorted, finding partners, being in the right place, and it’s all done completely naturally. I never have to ask for help, it’s already there. I’ve never felt more normal.”
“Judo has massively improved my confidence. When I first started I wouldn’t go anywhere by myself and there was no way I would go somewhere new on my own but now I think nothing of travelling all over the country by myself, and new places and people aren’t such a problem.”
“Judo people are good people. I travel to training in Perth twice a week by train and there is always someone who is happy to give me a lift from the train station to training and back again. Without the support of Tayside Judo Club I wouldn’t be competing all over the world and loving every second of the journey.”
Murray McConnell – Sportif
Murray, a VI Judoka who trains with Sportif won a silver medal at the recent Nihon Dutch Open.
“Judo and sport in general have improved my fitness and help to build my confidence. It has also help build good friendships with other judo players. It has positively impacted other aspects of my life as it has given me the confidence to try other things. For example, running, hillwalking, cycling on a tandem.”
“Judo has been inclusive because the support that my club Sportif, JudoScotland and British Judo have given me has allowed me to train and take part in competitions along with everyone else and my teammates help me off and on the mat.”
Chris Murphy – Shettleston Judo Club
Chris Murphy, who won Gold at the recent Virtus Oceania/Asia Games, shares his experience as an ID Judoka.
“I received a letter through my school that informed me about the opportunity to take part in a special need’s judo class. I’d tried lots of different sports before this but nothing seemed to take hold, I gave judo a go just for fun, I kept going back for a couple of weeks and I fell in love with it. That was it, I was hooked.”
“When I was younger, I wasn’t really a sociable kid, to put it nicely. I didn’t really like physical contact or people being in my bubble. For some reason after those couple of weeks of judo this kind of went away, happy days.”
“Its strange, judo fixed a whole lot of things, it made me very social and very chatty.”
“I started taking judo more seriously at 13 or 14 I’d say, originally, I just did SN classes, over time I started doing more SN classes and then started doing mainstream classes as well. After this I started doing more and more mainstream classes.”
“When I stop competing, I would like to keep coaching and running my adaptive sessions. I would like to continue spreading awareness of adaptive and ID divisions. I’m autistic and I see lots of autistic kids doing sport and some click with some sports and some don’t, but I just want to show others that if I can do this then others can as well.”
Charlie McLean JudoScotland Young Coach of the Year
Charlie McLean from Irvine Judo Club has been awarded the JudoScotland Young Coach of the Year Award. The JudoScotland Coaching and Volunteering Awards are a National Awards programme designed to recognise the hard work and dedication of the Judo workforce in Scotland. The Young Coach of the Year Award recognises an individual who has invested in their development as a coach and has made a significant impact on the people they coach.
Charlie, on winning the award, commented, “I was overwhelmed to find out that I was chosen for this award by JudoScotland for Young Coach of the Year 2022. I have been a part of Irvine Judo Club for 12 years and started coaching the sport 7 years ago, so it means a lot to be chosen for the award. I would like to thank my coaching team Gordon and William Brawley, David Frew, Ross, Frances and Suzi, the parents and players of the club for supporting me so far in my coaching journey.”
Luke Struthers of JudoScotland added, “It is clear to see that Charlie has a huge impact on those he coaches at Irvine Judo Club. He has shown real commitment to his development as a coach with genuine enthusiasm. Charlie has been working through his technical grade to further his understanding of the sport which will aid his development. He is a valued member of the club, that continues to have a positive impact on the community, raising funds for local charities while also providing a positive club environment for those taking part in Judo.”
Charlie was presented his award on Thursday 1st of December at Irvine Judo Club by JudoScotland Regional Development Officer Luke Struthers.
Paige Sweetland JudoScotland Young Technical Official/ Referee of the Year
Paige Sweetland of Jidel Judo 93 Judo Club in Edinburgh has been awarded the JudoScotland Young Technical Official/ Referee of the Year Award. The JudoScotland Coaching and Volunteering Awards are a National Awards programme designed to recognise the hard work and dedication of the Judo workforce in Scotland. The Young Technical Official/Referee of the Year recognises the hard work and dedication that these roles make to the competition structure, providing fantastic opportunities and experiences in judo.
Paige, on winning the award, commented, “I have been lucky enough to enjoy the sport I love as both a competitor and a referee. I feel that refereeing has given me confidence as a person and a Judo player, and I enjoy doing it as much as I can, when I am not competing. I would like to thank my parents and my club for supporting me and giving me the opportunity.”
Samuel Ingram of JudoScotland added, “Paige is a fantastic role model for her peers, both competitors and other referees. As a young female in the role, she is paving the way for a demographic underrepresented in sport. Officials and referees are the lifeblood of Judo and her commitment to the role shows the benefit of being involved in the sport, out with competition. We look forward to seeing Paige progress through the referee and competitive pathway.”
Paige was presented her award on the 1st of December at Jidel Judo 93 in Edinburgh by JudoScotland Regional Development Officer Samuel Ingram.