A Brief update from the Chair of some key events and recent judo news from November.
Dear Members
November marked a very busy month on the JudoScotland calendar. On 1st November I attended the British Judo Board of Directors Meeting. I will be the Home Nations representative for Scotland on the British Board for the next 2 years, and I am looking forward to working with Gerry Gualtieri and his team – a connection that can only strengthen our ties and move us forward.
The following day, on Saturday 2nd November I hosted a couple of tables for the Scottish contingent at the British Judo AGM and Awards Ceremony. It was a very well run evening, hosted by ex-internationalist Chloe Cowen, who did a fabulous job compering.
I was astounded by the number of Scottish judoka who won their categories including
Eva Ewing Female Cadet Athlete of the Year
Kevin Gordon Male Cadet Athlete of the Year
Chris Murphy Adaptive Male Athlete of the Year
Kirsten Taylor Female Para Athlete of the Year
Christopher Lambert Official of the Year
I had the honour of being asked to present Eva with her award. Well done to all prize-winners!
On 9th November we had our Scottish Closed championships at Ravenscraig. Congratulations on a very well run event with excellent scheduling, and to all those who entered and challenged themselves as they contested for the coveted titles.
It was a packed weekend at Ravenscraig with National Gradings on the Sunday; I hear that it was another excellent day with a good turnout.
On 12th November, I had a get-together with the Scottish Governing Body Chairs’ Network – an open forum that gives us the chance to chew the fat and discuss important and emerging issues. One of the topics high on the list this time was ‘facilities’.
On Wednesday 20th, Judith, Euan Burton, Gary Edwards and I travelled down to London for a meeting with British Judo – namely Gerry Gualtieri (Chair), Andrew Scoular (CEO) and Tim Ellis (Operations Director). As you’re probably aware, JudoScotland is doing a review of our Performance Pathways– as is British Judo. We absolutely believe that we will be much more successful working closely together and that we should be aligned. I believe that JudoScotland and British Judo have forged a fantastic relationship and one that we value greatly.
It was an extremely important meeting and much was discussed. I’m looking forward to a follow-up in Scotland early next year.
On Saturday 23rd we hosted Keizoku which was targeted at judoka who are looking to start stepping outside of their own club environment. It went very well with children enjoying the activities and taking home an array of goodies in their bags!
Our Board of Directors meeting was held on 26th November. We changed the format to concentrate on a couple of major areas – one being on the Board Director portfolios, and roles going forward to make us a more productive organisation. I absolutely believe this is the way forward and would like to thank our Director, Sandy Hodge for all of the extra hours he’s put in to facilitate this.
On the 30th I will be leaving to go to Argentina for a big charity challenge – attempting to summit the highest mountain in the world outside the Himalayas – Aconcagua in the Andes. My ice axe and crampons are packed! I’ll be getting back just before Xmas. With this in mind, I’d just like to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and a fantastic new year. Slainthe!
Marc Preston
6th Dan