How Has P.G. Judo Been Doing in Competition?
  Fall Beginners Classes Well Attended
  Judo Gis Needed for Next Summer’s Judo Camp
  P. G. Judo Needs Better Representation At Away Shiais

How Has P.G. Judo Been Doing in Competition?

In September the Club attended two tournaments: the Virginia State Open in Arlington, Va. and the NATIONS tournament in Dayton, Ohio.

At the Virginia State Open, the club was represented by the Labanz, McProuty, and Takemori families-all junior competitors. Justin Takemori took fourth place in his first competition outside the dojo. Ryan Labanz took second in his weight category, Carl Labanz took first, and Shelby Labanz took third. Rachel McProuty took first in her weight classes in both the junior and senior divisions. Owen McProuty took first place in his weight class.

Greg Goebel and the McProuty family represented the PG Judo Club in competition at the NATIONS Tournament. Rachel McProuty took first place awards in three different divisions. Owen McProuty took third in his first Open Division competition. Greg Goebel and Rachel took fourth in Ju No Kata, and Greg and Helen McProuty took third in the Goshin Jitsu kata competition.

Mark your calendar! The next NATIONS tournament is Sept. 12-13, 2001.

Fall Beginners Classes Well Attended

You may not realize the effect you have on those around you when you talk about judo. However, this fall’s Beginner’s Classes are well attended thanks to your hard work and the good press you give our classes. Almost all of the new beginning students have come from the personal recommendations from you. Thanks go to the Rilee family for getting their dad to start; to Rebecca McProuty for encouraging her two classmates to consider judo two years ago; to Gopal, a student of Sensei Tamai, for encouraging his neighbor; to Eric Spears for speaking to his friends over the years, so they brought their son; and thanks to several former judoka who remembered the benefits of judo from their youth and brought their children to the dojo for training (we hope you take up the study of Judo again). It is only by the good words you speak about judo and the encouragement you give others to begin classes that our club can grow and your practice and competition can become better.

Spring classes for beginners begin on January 15th at Glenn Dale and January 16th at Deerfield Run. Club flyers are available for you to give to individuals who may be interested in taking a class to explore the sport of judo. The beginning classes are also an excellent way for athletes to improve their conditioning over the winter months. Judo is flexibility training, strength training and aerobic exercise combined into one sport. The best benefit of judo training is learning how to fall and protect yourself in the process.

Judo Gis Needed for Next Summer’s Judo Camp

If you have any used judo gis sitting around at home that you or your child can no longer use, just taking up space, please consider donating them to us. (If you prefer we will purchase it from you.) We need gis from size 000 to size 5.

PG Judo Club will put the gis to good use. We rent gis to our beginning class students (for a $10 usage fee) and loan gis to our summer camp students. This year, due to the age of some of the gis and the heavy use we give them, we came up short and had to purchase several new gis for the beginning students. It will take the Club three years to recoup the cost of that purchase. In the fortunate event that we receive more gis than we can use ourselves, we will find good homes for the gis you send. There are several clubs in the area that can make good use of used judo gis that are in good condition.

We would rather spend our funds in support of our students and parents than spending it on new uniforms. Please contact Sensei Takemori, Greg Goebel or Helen McProuty if you have any gis you wish to be rid of. Thank you for your help!

P. G. Judo Needs Better Representation At Away Shiais

The Club needs better representation at the away tournaments we attend. These tournaments are carefully selected to provide your child with the best competition in the safest environment possible. They are designed to teach your children what kind of competition is out there in the judo world and how to behave while away from the family unit.

Parents do not need to attend an away tournament with their children. The Club follows very carefully both Park and Planning and USJF travel requirements and recommendations. You will need to sign at least one form to allow for medical treatment, if necessary. USJF/JI membership is also necessary. Transportation is usually provided by Park and Planning.

Chaperoning and coaching are done by Greg Goebel and Helen McProuty. If you are hesitant, please remember, your children will probably be better behaved on a trip than they will be at home. We find this is true for several reasons: the children are in an unfamiliar environment and are unfamiliar with their limits; the staff is known, so discipline, and personal expectations are familiar; and motivation for good behavior (success at the tournament and attendance at future competitions) is quite powerful.

We are quite aware that away tournaments can be costly, so we make a supreme effort to keep costs down. The next scheduled away trip is to the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia in late March. If you are interested in allowing your child to attend an away tournament and have any questions please speak with Sensei Takemori, or Greg Goebel or Helen McProuty.