White Dragon Judo Club

Approximately 540 competitors attended the 2012 USA Judo Senior National Championships on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Seven judokas represented White Dragon Judo Club which was the largest representation of this club ever. All of the judokas competed hard and stood out in all of the divisions at this tournament.

Derick Wellman and Tiffany Choi (Polk) finally made it to the podium by capturing the bronze medal in the kata division. The kata experts executed a beautiful nage no kata after narrowly missing the medal podium last year. Anna Feygina placed fifth for the second year in a row at 57kg. Amber Jones fought very well despite a match with bronchitis but was unable to medal. Tiffany Choi (Polk) also made her shiai debut at 63kg. Choi’s athleticism stood out during her matches but was unable to manufacture the same results she produced in kata.

Adnan Gutic won the visually impaired division at 81kg. He defeated Aivaras Sajus for bronze in the newly assembled brown belt division at 81kg. Gutic finished the day at 3-3. In the Masters Division, Dan Dillion made his national debut with a strong 5th place performance. Tara Kuhne powered her way to her second consecutive masters championship at 63kg. Kuhne is the number 1 ranked masters female judoka in her weight category. Tom Kuhne and Derick Wellman were highly impressed with the team’s performance overall and have high hopes for next year.

White Dragon Judo Club would like to thank Tracy Hangley, Eugene Hamilton, Taeyoung Choi, Jon Jones, Blair Watts for selfless support during this tournament.

White Dragon Judo Club held its monthly judo training camp from February 16-19, 2012. There was a wide turnout for this training camp as many judokas are preparing for the United States Senior Judo Nationals in April.

This months training camp featured Micheal Ostrowski from Memphis Judo and JiuJitsu Club in Memphis, Tennessee. Ostrowski is a standout grappler. He holds the rank of sandan in judo and is a master of Russian Sambo. An avid competitor, he is a 2 time collegiate judo all american from Michigan State University. With his numerous accomplishments on the mat, Micheal has given a lot back to the martial art. Sensei Ostrowski is the president of Tennessee Judo Inc., the governing body of Judo in the state of Tennessee. He is also the head instructor of the junior and senior judo programs at the Memphis Judo Club.

It is always good to see Sensei Ostrowski at any tournament, workout, or judo clinic. We at White Dragon Judo Club would like to thank Sensei Ostrowski and his students for attending the February judo training camp.

You can train with Micheal Ostrowski at his upcoming judo training camps at the Memphis Judo/JiuJitsu Club from March 23-25, 2012 and April 13-15, 2012. Hope to see you there.

Sensei George Weers hosted the Hollis Park Invitational Judo Tournament in Mapleton, Illinois on February 12, 2012. White Dragon Judo Club was represented by nine judokas who did not cease to impress.

Devin Busch and Shawn Butler fought well in their divisions and showed why they will be the ones to watch in future tournaments. They both placed fourth. 5 year old Jocelyn Butler fought in 9 year old lightweight division. On paper Jocelyn was outclassed but on the mat she was tough competition. The judo bumblebee showed great skill beyond her age on her way to a 4th place finish. Jordan Ashen continues to improve and is showing that those extra practice sessions are beginning to pay off. Jordan scored a bronze in his division. Mackenzie Grob went 1-1 on the day displaying a slendid osotogari for ippon in her last match. She captured the bronze for her division. Kayla Baker grabbed a silver medal with an awesome performance. Mackenzie Baird’s stock continues to skyrocket. The Saint Louis native displayed a tai otoshi reminiscent of the great Bonnie Korte. Baird won all of her matches by ippon and grabbed her first gold medal of her young judo career. Anthony Darevsky was red hot in this tournament. He was not intimidated by fighting in a higher age bracket. Anthony also won all of his matches by ippon going 4-0 on the day.

Anna Feygina anchored the senior division. She displayed a relentless attack that her opponents did not have an answer for. She collected another gold medal. Overall, the judo team put out a solid performance showing improvement in a number of categories. These judokas show no signs of slowing down.

Tennessee State Judo Inc. and Colombia Judo Club hosted the Tennessee State Judo Championships on February 11, 2012. White Dragon Judo Club was in attendance with another talented team for this event. Dan Raney officiated the juniors, seniors and masters divisions and made his coaching debut. Adnan Gutic continues to be a force to be dealt with. Gutic dominated the largest division in the tournament. He went 4-1 on the day taking home a silver medal for his efforts. Demonn Smith competed in two divisions for this tournament. Smith steamrolled the competition in the masters heavyweight division. He displayed flawless technique on his way to a gold medal finish. In the senior heavyweight division, Smith’s bid for a gold medal sweep of the tournament was denied by Stanley Brooks of Dickson Athletic Club in the semifinal. The ALL DAY judoka won his last two matches by ippon to take the bronze medal in the division. Smith finish the day at 6-1.

White Dragon Judo Club hosted their annual Holiday Party on January 14, 2012. Parents and judokas of all ages attended this event. The event displayed tons of food and drink for everyone. There were games for the kids to play and the parents had an opportunity to get to know the teachers and fellow judokas of the club. This event was a time to reflect on last years achievements and this year’s future goals. White Dragon Judo Club has gone from a small dojo on Lackland Road to a one of the top judo dojos in the state of Missouri. The club is beginning to expand and spread the martial art of Judo all over the state. This could not be possible without the assistance of the members and parents of this judo club. We at White Dragon Judo Club would like to wish you and your families a happy and prosperous new year.

The Saint Louis judo community started the new year off with a bang. Missouri Martial Arts hosted the first judo open workout of 2012. This month’s judo clinic featured Gary Prindiville. Prindiville is a rokudan, 6th degree black belt in judo. He has studied judo overseas and in the United States. A student of Grandmaster Bong Yul Shin, the former police officer is one of the most decorated judokas in the region. Notably he won the United States Masters Judo Championship-Heavyweight Division in 1991 and 1999. During the clinic, Sensei Prindiville talked a lot about the FUNDAMENTALS. He stated that most elite judokas are excellent at the fundamentals of judo. Not only did our students see and understand Prindiville’s concepts, the students saw his great passion for teaching the martial art. Don’t be suprise if you see this all time great teaching at a dojo near you.

Pictures of the open workout here: http://whitedragonjudo.com/photos/?album=1&gallery=19

2012 ParaOlympic hopeful, Adnan Gutic, placed fifth at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. After losing his first match in the quarterfinals of the 73kg division, Gutic was able to pull out a win by ippon over reigning champion Mauricio Castillo of Colombia in the repechage. Adnan lost the bronze medal match by ippon to Mauricio Briceno of Venezuela. The Bosnian native from Afton, Missouri has improved steadily since joining the World Team in 2009. Gutic will be seeking to put his stamp on American Judo in 2012.

The 46th Annual Dallas Invitational Judo Championships to place on November 19, 2011 in Grapevine, Texas. This was a USA Judo Senior-D Level tournament with more than 500 athletes competing. Anna Feygina represented White Dragon Judo Club at 57kg for this tournament. Feygina drew a talented division. She fought well but was unable to medal. Feygina has had a great 2011. Feygina’s judo has improved with the number of judo clinics and tournaments that she participates in. With 2012 among us, Feygina looks to separate herself from the pack.

White Dragon Judo Club held their Senior Promotions session on November 29, 2011. This session featured Dan Raney, Rob Handshy and Shawn Greene. Rob Handshy has been studying judo for 15 months. He is a private class student of Sensei Demonn Smith. Rob is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu practitioner, who originally started judo in order to improve his BJJ stand up game. Today, Rob’s abilities have improved ten fold in BJJ and Judo. Rob was promoted to Gokyu orange belt.

Shawn Greene bring extraordinary background to the sport of Judo. Fluent in Japanese, Shawn is also a black belt in Kenpo Karate. Shawn has worked diligently to improve his techniques in Judo. He is a good role model for the club’s junior students, especially for his daughter, standout junior judoka, Julia Greene. Shawn was also promoted to Gokyu orange belt.

Dan Raney has been practicing Judo for more than 25 years. He broke into the martial art after having a successful high school and collegiate wrestling career. Judo has been a national sport in Dan’s family. All of Dan’s children including his wife has practiced judo at one time or another. Dan is a prime example of preseverance and patience in the sport of Judo. He has dedicated a lot of time and service to the martial art. Dan is our newest black belt at the club. He was promoted to Shodan.

Judo has impacted these judoka’s lives on the mat and off the mat. These judokas are an asset to their families as well as our judo club. Congratulations to our senior class of 2011.

The largest judo tournament in the state of Missouri since 1970, the 1st Annual Gateway Invitational got underway on November 5, 2011. The tournament took place at the Overland Community Center in Overland, Missouri. Over 125 competitors turned out at this tournament with the Gateway Grand Championship trophy at stake. White Dragon Judo Club was the host judo club for this tournament. The club received assistance from volunteers, parents, and sponsors to make this tournament possible. Tournament director, Tracy Hangley worked countless hours insuring that the tournament ran like a fine tuned machine.

Tara Kuhne, took over the reigns as junior head coach for this tournament. Ian Kuhne fought his way to a gold medal in a tough division. Anthony Darevsky took silver in his perspective division. Isabella Whitener fought her way to a silver medal finish. Issac Valdez-Soto displayed the persistent relentless attack style of his grandfather, Derick Wellman. This young superstar looks to have a bright future in the sport of judo. Valdez-Soto’s efforts landed him a bronze medal. After a brief hiatus, Julia Greene showed that her skills had not diminished. She reeled in a silver medal. Clarissa Whitener scored silver in her divisions while Mackenzie Beaird grabbed the bronze. Rebecca Mandernach and Mackenzie Grob fought in the largest and the most talented junior division in the tournament. Although they did not medal, they showed undaunting skill and promise. They will be the ones to watch in 2012. In the boy’s junior division Age 9-10, 69 to 80lbs, Devin Busch left his opponents stunned. Despite losing his first match, Devin was determined and willed his way to a playoff match, the only one in the tournament. Busch won by ippon and walked away with the gold.

The men’s division saw the debut of two standout judokas from Korea. CheolHong Choi and Tae Young Choi rolled over the competition with flawless technique. CheolHong Choi displayed a brawling yet deliberate style of judo. He took home gold. Tae Young Choi was the judo player who stood out amongst all the competitors in the tournament. His soft technical style earned him the best technician award. T.Choi took gold in his division and qualified for the Grand Championship, in which he took bronze. Para-Olympic hopeful Adnan Gutic won silver in his division. Larry Lewis also took home a silver for his division. Eugene Hamilton settled for a bronze.

Demonn Smith was on fire for this tournament, going 6-1 on the day. Tom Kuhne, coach of the men’s judo team, had Smith make some adjustments before the tournament. The adjustments and Smith’s savvy play helped him to two gold medals and silver in the Grand Championships.

In the women’s division, nationally ranked judoka, Anna Feygina added a silver and a bronze medal to her medal case. Tiffany Polk showed off her freakish athleticism on her way to a gold medal finish in her weight class and a silver medal in the Grand Championships.

The 1st Annual Gateway Judo Invitational received great reviews from its peers. Preparations for next year’s tournament are underway. Next year’s tournament will be bigger and better and White Dragon Judo Club hopes to see you there.