New Coaches December 2022
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:
Blair Paton – Whitburn
Matthew O’Neill – Invergordon Judo Club
Jocelyn Callaghan – Destination
Mitchell Ramsay – Sportif
Innis Bennett – Sportif
Alasdair Wedgeworth – Hibari Kan
Colin Barr – Hibari Kan
Callam Call – Focus
James Garvie – Tayside
Achieving their Level 2 qualification:
Reanne Wylie - Orkney
Allan King – Carnegie
Andrew Swinburne – Carnegie
Dominic Zacharias – Garioch
Matteo Carlier – Garioch
Xaviere – Hermant – Edinburgh Uni
Mark Goldie – Pro Judo
Liam Herbert – Glasgow Judo Club
Aidan Fairbairn – Sportif
Gavin McNeill - Edinburgh
Independent Director Vacancy
JudoScotland Is Seeking An Individual to Join Our Board of Directors.
We are looking for someone with expertise in one or more of the following areas: Finance, Data Intelligence, Digital Communications, Safeguarding & Welfare and Equality & Inclusion As the recognised national governing body for the sport of Judo, JudoScotland represents our members, clubs, individual disciplines and hundreds of qualified, enthusiastic and committed volunteers delivering Judo across Scotland. Our sport has an inherent ability to engender respect for others, a sense of fair play, and develops personal confidence and self-discipline within participants, whilst enabling those involved to develop themselves and contribute to a better society.
Now is an exciting time to join us as we embark on implementing our new strategic plan to best meet the needs of our membership and stakeholders.
Working as part of a team on the Board of Directors, you will be responsible for ensuring robust governance and finances of JudoScotland.
Your specific skills, knowledge and expertise will be used to provide strategic guidance and make a positive difference to JudoScotland.
To apply for this role, please email hr@judoscotland.com with a CV and cover letter demonstrating how you will impact positively on JudoScotland.
If you would like any further information on the roles, please contact our CEO at judithmccleary@judoscotland.com.
Sporting Chances and Police Scotland
Police Scotland and Sporting Chances have been working together to widen participation in Judo and to provide new recruits with valuable skills for the challenges ahead of them.
An eight-week introduction to judo for new police recruits was the brainchild of Chief Superintendent Rob Hay, Head of training for Police Scotland, who said, “We wanted to give the recruits constructive options for the use of their leisure time whilst training at our residential centre in Tulliallan. Judo is something that can stay with our new police officers as they embark on their career, both as a personal discipline and a way with which to connect to communities up and down Scotland”.
Sporting Chances and Projudo were delighted to design and deliver a structured program that introduces the new police recruits to the sport whilst working through a demanding 13-week training at the Police Scotland College. In order to make it all come together, coaches Jack, Gerry and Claire worked closely with Police Scotland staff members Jackie and Gavin to design a course to fit in with the timetable of the new recruits, and which was suited to the needs of the students.
The course put new students through their paces in 8 weeks to achieve their first judo belt, during which time they:
- Learned the basics of how to grip, how to fall and how to move like a judo player
- Stepped through the red belt syllabus, building skills in throwing, groundwork and basic Japanese terminology
- Developed a further range of skills to complement their Officer Safety training
Proceedings ended with a formal grading and award ceremony for those that choose to get more involved.
Having delivered the first block at the end of September, Pro Judo was delighted to report that it was a massive success. Over 100 recruits enjoyed a taste of Judo, with over 30 students signed up to achieve their red belts. All of the participants are to be congratulated and were all given useful information about how they can take their judo further - including a list of clubs local to their final posting destination.
The Scottish Police Recreation Association facilitated this initial block with generous kick-start funding and the Police Scotland Judo section was on hand to provide a warm welcome to the new judoka, making this project a truly combined effort.
Sporting chances benefit from its involvement with Police Scotland through sponsorship donations raised by the students. In addition to SPRA funds, the recruits raised over £2000 on this occasion. This will go towards the delivery of their wide-ranging outreach work.
As well as having great fun, the students gained confidence, made new friends and opened a gateway to resources and relationships that will help them with the difficult job they have ahead of them
Projudo is extremely proud of the achievements made by the recruits. Sporting Chances and Projudo are honoured to have been of some service to our Police force in Scotland whilst getting more eager participants into the sport. Having delivered the first block, they hope to work further with Police Scotland and make this an important feature of the world-class Police training program at Tulliallan.
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