Congratulations to Russell Ragghianti who won the 73kg novice division and
John Thompson who fought hard and gained some valuable experience in the
90kg novice division this past weekend at the Midwestern Judo Championships
in Waukegan, IL. The tournament is recognized as a USA Judo E Level event
and attracted more than 200 competitors, including many international
players and several Olympians. There was a lot of great judo to be seen at
this tournament.
The club representatives also attended the referee seminar conducted by six
international "A" level referees on Friday evening and were graciously
treated to dinner with the international referee group, which included
several referees who represented the United States in their refereeing
capacity at several World Championships and Olympic Games. This small group
also included the Chairman, Secretary and three other distinguished members
of the United States Judo Referee Commission, the former Chairman of the Pan
American Judo Referee commission along with a current IJF Rostered Referee
for Grand Slam and World Championship events.
We also were able to experience many of the cultural and culinary offerings
of Chicago during our brief visit and it was a fun and successful journey.
The club will travel to Texas A&M University in College Station, TX this
weekend to represent the University of Tennessee at the National Collegiate
Judo Association Championships on March 13. Please wish the competitors good
luck and safe travels!
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