Recent news articles

TEAM KATZ SPEAKING PROGRAM LAUNCHED

I mentioned in the last Newsletter that Nathan and Josh are the only two Australian males still in contention for qualification to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Both boys were Olympians in Rio 2016 and Nathan again in Tokyo 2020. Both are 2022 Commonwealth Games medallists and have international performances and world rankings during this qualification period indicating that qualifying at the end of the set period is very realistic. Despite this, they are still not fully funded regarding their overseas competitions and camps. They have recently moved back to Sydney and have already supported the club coaches and athletes. Sponsorship opportunities would be gratefully received. Please discuss with them if interested.

  • Furthermore, the “Team Katz” Speaking Program and their official website have now been launched. Offering programs for primary and high schools, sporting and leadership groups, small group mentoring and corporate events, the boys are extremely passionate about delivering their message to as many people as possible.  Please head over to https://www.teamkatz.com.au/ or get in touch with them directly. 

USE OF BUDOKAN’S EQUIPMENT AT THE CLUB

Unfortunately this is a recurring problem which we need to address. Signs will be placed near the equipment stored adjacent to the mat – parents please observe them. Young siblings of athletes training on the mat have been accessing the club’s gymnastic equipment (bricks, foam cylinders, rings etc) to occupy their time. Parents, please understand that this equipment has not been purchased for this purpose. PLEASE do not allow your children to use this equipment. It has been purchased by the club to assist coaches in developing our youngest judoka and some of this equipment has suffered excessive wear and tear as the result of this use. Junior club members are also prohibited from using this equipment unless it is used as part of a scheduled class under coach supervision.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Again we’ve had a busy couple of months and I’m a bit behind in updating all the news. So in this Newsletter, I’ll pass on the most recent news and soon after try to get another Newsletter out with detailed Nationals results and an international Seniors update, some of which has already been posted on our Facebook pages. 

  • We continue to have solid representation at National Training Camps at the Melbourne National Performance Centre, and to international Cadet, Junior and Senior competitions and domestic events. This is very encouraging. We also have had great numbers across all our classes and despite a number of members not returning post-Covid, our membership has crept back up to 200.

 

  • Please note that the payment system used by the club does not have an automated reminder function when your training fee payments are due. With such a large club run entirely by volunteers, at this time we are unable to send reminders to individual members. Therefore, please note in your calendars when fees are due and be proactive with both Judo NSW membership fees and Budokan Judo Club training fees. It is very time consuming for us to follow-up late payments or expired Judo NSW memberships.

 

  • The club wishes well to our Seniors who are doing their Year 12 HSC this year and who are trying to stay in touch with training at the club.  It is very important to maintain a healthy life balance at all times but at very critical times in the school program, school has to take priority – the key is balance.

 

  • In a week’s time (Sunday 6th August) we’ll be running our first Budokan Mons and Junior Boys/Girls competition at the club in two years. There are novice and graded divisions to ensure fair competition based on grade. Weight divisions will be created on the day to maximise the number of possible matches. All club members who are Mons and Junior Boys and Girls with a minimum grade of White/Yellow belt are encouraged to participate. This is a great opportunity to enter your first competition and doing so in your own club. We also need helpers to run this this event and there is a sheet on the main table at the club where you can write your name against various roles, even if just to help on the BBQ or in the kitchen. We have parents and Seniors who have experience in doing weigh-ins and table work and these people can help to train up new parents and Seniors who are interested in these roles. This is your club so please come forward and support a great experience for our youngest competitors.

 We are still seeking interest from parents and Seniors who have relevant skills and are willing to contribute to the club’s development. Our goal is to continue to improve on the high standards of service we provide and to motivate all members to achieve their goals whatever they may be both on and off the mat.   Enjoy the Newsletter and “See you on the mat”.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

A lot has happened in the last 2 months since our las Newsletter. We have had our small group of elite Junior and Senior athletes compete on the world stage and our much larger group of Junior and Senior athletes compete at a number of domestic competitions. Nathan and Rob are currently participating in the Senior National Training Camp in Melbourne in preparation for the Senior World Championships in Qatar followed which will be followed shortly after by IJF Grand Prix events in Austria and Tajikistan. Wishing Nathan all the best for these events. 

  • Class numbers remain healthy and the focus has been on technical development as we soon move into the Nationals preparation phase. With the NSW State Team Training Camp coming up this weekend, followed by State Squad sessions, it will be a busy time for the many Budokan athletes preparing for Nationals.  5 Budokan Coaches are playing a major role in this year’s State Squad. Kerrye is one of the 5 Junior Team Coaches, Rob is one of the 5 Senior Team Coaches, Liam is the Senior Kyu Grades Team Coach, Franz is the No Limits Team Coach, Dale is one of the two Kata Coaches and Liam and Franz are the Veterans Team Coaches.

 

  • We have now established a new supplier relationship with Ippon.Gear Judogis who manufacture high quality Judogis for club-level use as well as IJF approved Gis for international competition. Club prices are RRP minus a 20% discount. We sell the IJF approved (Red Label) Gis at cost to the club. We will retain our supply agreement for our Budokan embroidered Gis which are still great value for money.

 I mentioned in our last Newsletter that all our coaches, committee members and current support parents are volunteers passionate about improving the club. We have been seeking support from new people to tap into available skills and increase our capacity but to date no one has come forward. So we will maintain our high standards of service and progress on the critical areas but may have to limit some of our other activities.  Please talk to me if you might be interested and need more information.Enjoy the Newsletter and wishing all our athletes great training and great experiences at the club and in your future competitions.

INTERATIONAL UPDATE

  • Georgia (Tbilisi) Grand Slam, 24-26 Mar 23 (Nathan Katz) – With one strong win against Hadad (LBN) by Ippon with a spinning Tai-Otoshi, Nathan was then up against World Ranked #24 Kyrgyzbaev (KAZ) in the Round of 32. Nathan did well here, however the referee seemed generous with penalties which did not allow the match to run its course. Both athletes were given Shidos early after which Nathan was given another one for defensive posture which was quite unwarranted. Nathan was competitive in the match putting in some strong Seoi-Nage attacks. Past halfway he dropped in for an attack and KAZ pushed forward. The referee believed Nathan’s arm brushing against KAZ’s leg impeded the progress and Nathan was given another (harsh) Shido ending the match. Despite this Nathan showed good intensity and commitment and the gap for a few wins at this level is now very small.

 

  • Antalya (Turkey) Grand Slam, 31 Mar – 2 Apr 23 (Nathan Katz) – had a good win against Berliner (USA) and in the Round of 16 had a great fight against World Ranked #13 Flicker (ISR) going into Golden Score (GS) a Shido ahead. 2 mins into GS Nathan looked like he was going to attack but Flicker got in first with a Sode for Waza-Ari. So close to a Quarter Final match and although disappointed this time, Nathan will inevitably break through to the next round and beyond soon. After the competition he had a great training camp in Turkey followed by another solid training camp in Hungary before coming home. He is participating in the National Training Camp in Melbourne (24 – 29 Apr 23) before heading off to the World Championships (Doha, Qatar) scheduled 7 – 13 May. Limited to only the World ranked (WRL) top 100 in each division, at WRL #45, we wish Nathan all the best in this event. He is the only male in the Australian Team for this event.

 

  • Bremen (Germany) Cadet Men’s Masters (25-26 Mar 23) – Max Zollinger
  • Thuringa (Germany) Cadet Women’s Cup – Bianca Tandean

 

  • Max won his first two matches in Bremen, the first against a Dutch athlete by Koshi-Jime (strangle) and had a solid third match which he unfortunately lost by Tani-Otoshi and which put him out of the competition. Bianca was very competitive in her match against Netherlands putting in some good attacks. Well into the match and trying to pressure her opponent, she pushed forward once too much getting caught with a drop technique putting her out of the competition.

 

  • Teplice (Czech Republic) Cadet European Cup (8-9 Apr 23) - Max competed against Orlandea (GER) in U/60s which had 83 competitors and Bianca competed against Sutovic (MNE) in U/57s with 65 participants. These Cadet events in Europe are huge and our guys were introduced to competitions where the first-round draw was a Round of 128 positions. Unfortunately, both lost their first matches, both learning valuable lessons and both picking up on areas needed for improvement. They also had fantastic experiences at the international camps in which they participated and which probably provided greater developmental value than the actual competitions, providing opportunities to train with many European Cadets who compete regularly on the international European circuit. Well done to our youngest international athletes and wishing you both all the best in your future international careers.
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