Developing Judo in Ireland.

Message from the Munster Judo Council

Please note the Munster Open 16th January 2010 & the National Squad Session 17th January 2010 will

proceed this weekend in UL Limerick as planned.

regards
Munster Judo Council

Form can be found here

Word version for emailing can be found here  

regards

Ciaran Ward

IJA NATIONAL SQUAD TRAINING 2010

SUNDAY 17TH JANUARY 2010
 
UNIVERSITY ARENA, UNIVERSITY OF LIMERICK, LIMERICK, IRELAND

DEVELOPMENT SQUAD  10.00AM TO 12.15PM

CADETS, JUNIORS & SENIORS 12.30PM TO 4.00PM

All IJA / NIJF / EJU / IJF Members are welcome

Mat Fee €5 (maximum €10 per family).

All IJA members aspiring to compete at International level must attend

Aileach Youth & Community Centre, Burnfoot, Co Donegal hosted the 2009 All Ireland Judo Championships on the 5th of December 2009.  The All Irelands is the most important domestic competition of the year and this was reflected in the very competitive entry.  20 clubs won National titles and a total of 30 different clubs took home silverare from the North West venue. Host club Samurai Uladh dominated both the competition entry and podium places, winning a staggering 36 medals.  Indeed Ulster clubs in general did very well and obviously enjoyed hosting the first ever All Irelands held in the North.

The results of the All Irelands can be found here , and the medal tables for each category are highlighted under each category:

Minor ,Cadet , Junior , Senior & Masters

The make up of the 2010 National Squad has finally been determined after last weeks event and a full Squad list and ranking
will be posted here very soon including forthcoming International Selection events and National Squad training dates. On behalf of the National Squad I would like to thank everyone involved for all their effort that made 2009 such a resounding success.  

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and every success in 2010.

Ciaran Ward

2009 All Ireland Championships Preview

report by Ciaran Ward

Aileach Youth & Community Centre, Burnfoot, Co Donegal will host the 2009 All Ireland Judo Championships on the 5th of December 2009.

Each year the All Ireland Championships provides the most competitive domestic competition in Ireland and establishes the make up and ranking of the IJA National Squad for the coming year. All but one of Ireland’s current international competitors
(Ian Byrne –60kg, injured) will be vying for the right to be called National Champion.  Recent World Cup and Continental Cup medallist, Lisa Kearney, will be hoping to regain her title after not competing due to injury in 2008.  Lloyd Manning who produced a devastating performance in the recent Irish Open will be trying to win his first Senior National Title but will be under stiff competition from multiple National Champion, Gerard Turner.  Gerard’s Lusk clubmate, Tommy Dennis will be favourite in the –81kg division and Julien Lelorrain will be out to re capture the title he lost to Jonathan Herron last year in the –90kg category.  Host club Samurai Uladh coach, Paul Green, will be the front runner in the –100kg and Willie Power will hope to seal his selection for next months Continental Cup in Monaco with a win in the +100kg category.  Aoife Goulding and Sarah Hawkes can also guarantee international selection for 2010 with wins in their respective categories although both will need to repeat their excellent performances of the Irish Open if they are to see off the competition at the All Irelands.

In the Junior categories established National Squad members Louise Brown, Gemma Reynolds, Aoife Goulding, Matthew Rooney, Adam Corcoran and Dillon Manning will be front-runners in their respective divisions.  The –73kg category will be one to watch as a number of contenders including Cian Scannell and Caoimhin Thompson will be vying to replace Lloyd Manning as the Irish Junior No’ 1 for 2010. The Cadet and Minor categories are traditionally very hard to predict, however, the Kerry contingent always perform well here and along with strong challenges from Swords, Renbukan and host club Samurai Uladh we are sure to see some of the best Judo of the day.

Close date for Entries, Tuesday 1st December 2009

2009 Irish Open Report

report by Ciaran Ward

Photos by DE Photos

Irelands premier Judo event was held in the City West Conference Centre on the 6 & 7th of November 2009.  The IJA celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year and a huge effort was made to ensure that the 2009 Irish Open was a tremendous success.  Over 470 competitors from 15 countries participated in what was the biggest Irish Open to date.
11 different countries were represented in the Minor categories on the Saturday making this the most competitive children’s competition on Irish soil.  With such stiff international competition the only female Irish Gold medal winners were Sarah Jane Porter and Karen Kelly both from Samurai Uladh.  The Irish boys also managed two titles in the lightest categories with Mark Kearney (Renbukan) and Adam Collison (Black Eagle) winning Gold.  Turkish, Russian, German and British athletes won the remainder of the Minor categories. A special mention must be reserved for all the children who participated in the Judo for Peace Team event.  In particular Swords Judo Club who made it all the way to the final before being defeated by a German & Welsh combined team. Phoenix Judo Club were also well represented in the opening ceremony of the Judo for Peace competition.

Cadets, Juniors, Seniors and Masters took to the mat on Sunday.  Swords Judo Club’s, Ion Rusu, provided the pick of the Irish performances among the Cadets winning one of four Irish Gold medals.  The others were Adam Kelly (Samurai Uladh), Catherine Donnelly (Yamakwai) and Dillon Manning (Macroom).  Dillon’s Irish Open Gold was one of an astonishing six medals won by the Manning brothers.  Ronan (Bronze), Dillon (Gold & Bronze), Shane (Silver) and Lloyd (2 Golds).  Lloyd Manning produced the performance of the day winning 10 contests in all culminating in an eagerly awaited Senior final with Lusk’s Gerard Turner.  Older brother Shane made it to the final of the Senior –81kg but lost out to Tommy Dennis from Lusk who has dominated this division for nearly 10 years. Willie Power from Limerick rolled back the years in the heavy weight division winning Gold and almost certainly securing his first international cap for Ireland in many years.

Aoife Goulding (Waterford) and Sarah Hawkes (Renbukan) were the star Irish performers in the women’s categories.  Aoife, who is still junior in 2010, was in terrific form in both Junior & Senior events.  Sarah won her last ever Junior event and repeated the win against the Seniors.  Both girls had shown a glimpse of their form in the Judo for Peace final the previous day when, accompanied by Annette Smyth, they gave an exhibition defeating Norway by three Ippons in less than three minutes.

The IJA have certainly ‘raised the bar’ this year in hosting the most competitive Irish Open in memory.  German club BC Hemsbach produced some excellent Judo and performed a Judo exhibition for the Judo for Peace event that will be remembered for many years.  GB, German and French clubs and National teams from Turkey, Russia, Norway, Sweden and Scotland dominated the podium positions making the medals won by Irish competitors all the more valuable. Special recognition must go to those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly for months in order to make this event the success it was.  The IJA Executive should be congratulated as much as our players for how they performed in the City West venue and in the weeks leading up to the 2009 Judo for Peace and Irish Open Championships.

IJA NATIONAL SQUAD TRAINING

SUNDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2009
 
Aileach Youth & Community Centre, Burnfoot, Co Donegal

CADETS, JUNIORS & SENIORS 10AM-3PM

All IJA / NIJF / EJU / IJF Members are welcome

Mat Fee €5 (maximum €10 per family).

All IJA members aspiring to compete at International level must attend

The Irish Judo Association in conjunction with the Refereeing Commission would like to congratulate

Ms Renata Tekoriute & Ms Liisi Kirsipuv for attaining the National Grade 'B' referee level at the Irish Open 2009.

Both Renata & Liisi are members of UCD Judo Club, we wish them both well as they move towards attaining their 

next refereeing grade.

Please find below a list of recommended hotels for the All Irelands 2009:

The Harbour Inn, Buncrana

The Frontier Hotel, Bridgend

Inisowen Gateway, Buncrana

Greenham Hotel, Northern Ireland

Cadet/Junior International Training Camp

England 19th - 21st December 2009

For more details go to http://www.judoeducation.co.uk/tonbridge

EJU Continental Cup, Sweden

report by Ciaran Ward

Lloyd Manning and Lisa Kearney represented Ireland at the EJU Continental Cup in Boras, Sweden last weekend.  Every year this event attracts a very strong entry due to the impressive stadium and organisation of the hosts and of course the Prize Money
incentive initiated by the Swedes some years ago.  340 competitors from 36 countries participated. Lloyd Manning was carrying a rib injury that he picked up during his impressive performance at the Junior World Championships a week earlier. The young Cork man showed the courage we have grown to expect from him, however the injury proved to be too restrictive and Lloyd bowed out at the first hurdle and looks doubtful for this weekends Irish Open.

(Lisa, in white, throwing with seo nage at recent GB World Cup)

Lisa Kearney continued her recent run of international success with a fine Bronze medal performance.  Lisa lost the semi final
to eventual winner and current European Silver medallist Eva CSERNOVICZKI of Hungary but did manage to record impressive wins against 2008 Junior European and Junior World medalists and former Swedish and British Open Champions along the way.  This takes Lisa’s medal tally to five from five in Internationals since returning to competition in August.  She also became Ireland's first- ever female Continental Cup medalist (formerly EJU Senior ‘B’ Tournament) and Ireland’s first Continental Cup medal of any kind in 14 years.