Aireborough & Wharfedale Judo Club News

05/12/02 - Christmas Break

The last Judo session of 2002 will be on Thursday 19th December and the first of 2003 will be on Monday 6th January. The junior sessions on December 16th and 19th will be games sessions.

Best wishes to all for Christmas and the New Year.

14/11/02 - National Junior Judo Championships

Adam Firth competed in the National Junior Judo Championships at Crystal Palace on Saturday November 9th where he won a Bronze Medal in the under 66KG category of the 15 and 16 years age band.

Adam's route to his medal was very difficult. In his first contest he was leading by two scores when he was knocked down and held. Having lost in the knockout stage Adam was now in the repechage with the best he could achieve being a bronze medal.

This he duly did winning his first repechage contest in two seconds and he followed this with four more wins to collect his well deserved medal. Adam actually won more contests that the eventual gold medalist.

This was another gutsy performance from Adam. To win any medal at the National Championships is a terrific achievement and it also gets Adam a place on the National Cadet Squad again. Adam will again be representing Yorkshire & Humberside in the annual Lancashire vs. Yorkshire 'Roses Match' which is being held in the Preston Guild Hall on Sunday November 17th.

15/10/02 - North Of England Judo Tournament

Adam Firth continued his recent run of success when he won the silver medal in the 66Kg category at the North of England Open Championships for under 16's which were held at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre, Bradford on Sunday October 6th.

Adam had the satisfaction of convincingly beating a lad in the early rounds, who he had previously never beaten in three years of trying, and then the disappointment of narrowly losing to the same boy in extra time in the final.

Nevertheless it was a good performance by Adam in a top quality category.

13/09/02 - Heart Of England Judo Tournament

Adam Firth entered the "Heart Of England" Judo Tournament on Sunday September 8th. This is a very prestigious competition held at the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham with 8 contest areas.

Adam won the Gold medal in the 66Kg category. To win any medal at this level is very difficult but to be the best on the day in your weight is fantastic.

03/09/02 - Lakeland Open Judo Tournament

On Saturday August 17th Adam Firth competed in the Lakeland Open Judo Tournament where he did extremely well to win a bronze medal in the 66Kg category of the 14 and 15 year age group.

This is one of the toughest competitions in the UK and it is the fifth consecutive year that Adam has entered. His results reflect not only his determination but also his increasing skill because his first two results were seventh places, then followed by two fifth places and now third place. Roll on next year!

08/07/02 - Black Belt for Ashley

On Sunday 30th June, Ashley Selman, one of the clubs longest serving members, took part in a Dan Grading for men over 35 years at Doncaster Judo Club. Ashley needed just twenty points for his black belt and obtained the necessary points by winning two contests, both with Ippon throws. Ashley then sucessfully completed the theory examination to duly win promotion to 1st Dan.

28/06/02 - No Judo on 11th July

There will be no judo session on Thursday 11th July due to the activity room being unavailable.

28/06/02 - World Masters Judo Tournament

On Friday June 21st Michael Bowmer took part in the World Masters Judo Tournament in Londonderry, Northern Ireland. Michael fought in the 81KG catagory of the 35 to 39 years of age group and he did extremely well to place 3rd, thus winning a bronze medal. There were 32 players in the category and Michael beat players from Brazil, Portugal and Russia as well as the UK. Michaels medal is a satisfying reward following his hard training and controlled weight loss programme.

31/05/02 - Recent Competition Results

Nicholas Killen recently travelled to Germany with the Great Britain visually handicapped judo squad where he did extremely well to win a bronze medal in the 66kg category of the German Open.

On Saturday May 25th Michael Bowmer competed in the 81kg category of the High Wycombe masters judo tournament which he duly won. Michaels longest contest was thirty four seconds. Michael was also voted "Player of the Day" and on the way to achieving this result he gained the necessary points for the contest part of his Fifth Dan. However he still has to take a theory exam before his grade can be ratified.

04/04/02 - Yorkshire & Humberside Judo Championships

The Yorkshire and Humberside Championships were held at the Richard Dunn Sports Centre, Bradford on Sunday March 24th. Several members of the club took part winning six medals between them. In the girls section Megan Cresswell won a bronze medal in the 36KG category. Sara Firth won a silver medal at 44KG competing against heavier girls due to a shortage of entries in her 40KG category. In the boys section Grant Cresswell won a silver medal at 30KG, Simon Cresswell a bronze at 38KG and Thomas Cresswell another Bronze in the 42KG category. Alex Martin also won a bronze medal at 46KG. Joseph Selman deserves a mention. He was in the 60KG category although only 12 years of age and he narrowly lost a fight off for the bronze medals competing against older boys.

11/03/02 - Kidderminster Open Judo Championships

On Saturday March 2nd Michael Bowmer, the club's highest graded member took part in the Kidderminster Open Judo Championships in which players competed in grade categories. Competing as a Fourth Dan Michael won his category beating four other Fourth Dans in a total time of only 54 seconds and one of those wins was a hold down for 25 seconds! On top of the points he already had the forty points Michael gained leave him just three points short of the required amount for his Fifth Dan which he hopes he can attain in the next few months if he can find a competition or grading with other Fourth Dans attending. In June Michael is going to compete in the World Masters Championships which are being held in Dublin this year.

11/03/02 - West Yorkshire Judo Championships

The West Yorkshire Judo Championships were held on Sunday February 24th in the sports hall at Leeds University. Members of Aireborough & Wharfedale Judo Club had a very good day with the Cresswell family taking a prominent part.

In the girls section Megan Cresswell won a gold medal in the 36KG category, Sara Firth won a silver medal at 40KG and Emily Sheperdson won a bronze medal in the same category. Jessica Wild was the silver medalist at 44KG.

In the boys section Grant Cresswell won the silver medal at 30KG with brothers Simon, Thomas and David winning gold at 38KG, gold at 42KG and silver at 55KG respectively. Twins Anthony and Alex Martin won bronze medals, Anthony at 42KG and Alex at 46KG. Other junior medalists were Aaron Riley with a silver at 50KG and Joseph Selman with a bronze at 55KG

In the senior event Dave Cresswell Senior won a silver medal in the over 81KG category. On the same day Adam Firth entered the North West Open. Adam came back empty handed on this occasion but has been selected for an international competition in Bremen, Germany in March with a training camp to follow.

05/03/02 - Sports Achievement Award For Adam

On Friday February 15th Adam Firth was invited to attend the Yorkshire Sports Awards Dinner which was held at the Cutlers Hall in Sheffield. From a number of boys put forward by their governing bodies and representing many different sports Adam received a plaque for second place in the junior boys under 16 years sports achievement category. The event was compered by Roger Greenwood and among the guest speakers were the Minister for Sport and the Lord Mayor of Sheffield.

07/02/02 - Area Grading Success

Members of the club got the year off to a good start by travelling to an area promotion exam at Scunthorpe on Sunday January 27th. Penny Newell was the only girl who made the trip and was rewarded by being promoted to 7th Mon Orange Belt. Alex Martin was promoted to 9th Mon Orange Belt and his twin brother Antony went one better winning his 10th Mon Green Belt. Adam Firth won his contests in quick time and came away with his 17th Mon Brown Belt but the star of the day was Jonathan Blissett in the senior event who entered as a 1st Kyu Brown Belt, thus winning his 1st Dan Black Belt on the day. Jonathan beat five other Brown Belts, two in invividual contests and then three in a line-up. Unfortunately Jonathan's dad Eddie, one of the club coaches, hadn't taken the video camera!

04/01/02 - New Judo Quiz

Test your knowledge of your favorite sport with our Judo Quiz. There are 10 questions where you must identify judo techniques, each with 4 possible answers. Get one wrong and you have to go back to the start! Click on 'Quiz' to have a go but be warned - some of the questions are a bit tricky!!