This spring’s Friendship Tournament was hosted by Perryville Judo Club in Perryville, Missouri. The tournament took place on May 19, 2018. The event was also a clinic. There were many instructors and students from three different states. 4th dan Derick Wellman was one of the instructors and referees for this event. During the clinic, Sensei Wellman demonstrated the fundamentals of his favorite technique tai otoshi. Sensei Wellman also officiated the event. Derick is a national referee. The junior students picked up a lot of good instruction in understanding the rules of judo. The student worked hard obtaining a good workout and great instruction.

The Round Rock Sport Center was the site of this year’s USA Judo Senior National Championships. The big tournament took place on May 12-13, 2018. 4th dan Derick Wellman was the coach of TEAM WHITE DRAGON. Philip Vojta came to this tournament seeking the elusive gold. Philip had won gold in 3 of his last 4 judo tournaments. He went 3-2 on the day competing in the ELITE and brown belt categories. He took home a silver medal. It was Adnan Gutic day at this tournament. Adnan collected his 5th Visual Impaired National Championship. Gutic was relentless with his superior newaza. All of his matches were not easy but Adnan stayed focused and managed to go undefeated on the day.

White Dragon Judo Club has new hours of operation. Starting this week the new schedule is as follows:

TUESDAY
Juniors 6:00pm-7:15pm
Adults 7:15pm-8:45pm

THURSDAY
Juniors 6:00pm-7:15pm
Adults 7:15pm-8:45pm

SUNDAY
Adults 3:00pm-4:30pm

Don’t forget to check out www.whitedragonjudo.com for updates. We will see you on the mat.

The 34th Annual North South Judo Tournament was at the Belleville Family Sportsplex in Belleville, Illinois on April 21, 2018. 4th dan Derick Wellman and 7th dan Randy Pierce officiated this legendary contest. David Burke was coaching his second consecutive North South Judo Tournament. Sam Coln represented White Dragon Judo Club as the lone member of Team South in the team competition. Team South mounted a gallant comeback late in the match but Team North held on to win gold by winning the last three matches of the contest. The junior division witness the debut of four judokas on Team White Dragon. Caleb Bass took silver in his first contest. He bounced back from losing his first match and won a marathon in the semi final round. It was a learning experience for Anna Koepke. Anna had her work cut out for her but did not seemed overwhelmed. The young judoka fell short of her expectations but earned a bronze medal and the Good Sportmanship Award for the tournament. The brother duo of Snir and Sagi Ben Abraham was nothing short of entertaining. The siblings rivalry in practice translated greatly to shiai. The brothers were placed in separate categories. Sagi got off to a good start but was unable to take away the gold. He got bronze. Snir won his bronze medal match via osaekomi. Alex Halon returned to competition with a bronze medal showing. Mark Ter-Hovhannisyan won silver in his weight class while his sister Isabella Ter-Hoyannisyan won gold against heavy opposition. Another Judge has been sited on a judo mat. This Judge plays for Team White Dragon. Joe Judge fought in his first judo tournament of his short career. His debut was highlighted with a nice soto makikomi in the preliminaries. He went an impressive 3-1 on the day. Byron Helmrich won his first silver medal of the year. Sam Coln won his matchup in the team competition and won a marathon of a match in the semi final to take a silver medal home for the day. Adnan Gutic won gold in the veteran middleweight class. That is his second consecutive gold this year. Phillip Vojta took the MVP honors for the tournament. He went undefeated displaying the Throw of the tournament, an awesome uchimata with beautiful rotation for the ippon score. The young judoka continues to rack up medals and the Vojta Express shows no signs of stopping.

The 2018 Frayser Judo Tournament took place at the Ed Rice Community Center in Memphis, Tennesee on March 24, 2018. The legendary Randy Pierce helped officiate the tournament. Team White Dragon made a huge impact with a small team. The Judo Dreamteam consisted of the 4 time Visually Impaired National Champion and 2016 Paralympic alternate Adnan Gutic and the young phenom Phillip Vojta. Vojta was seeking some redemption from a respectable showing at the National Collegiate Judo Championships earlier this month. The talented judoka dominated his division winning all of his matches by ippon. The domination was highlighted by a awesome osotogari to the corner of the mat. It was just another day at the office for Adnan Gutic. Gutic executed a splendid drop seoinage and tomonage in his preliminary matches. Adnan saved the best for last in the gold medal round. He showed off his crafty newaza and did not look back. His opponent looked completely overwhelmed in the championship match. Overall, Team White Dragon brought home two gold medals in spectacular fashion.

The 2018 National Collegiate Judo Championships was in Ames, Iowa. Tournament play began on March 11, 2018 at the Lied Recreation Athletic Center. 4th dan Derick Wellman and the legendary 7th dan Randy Pierce assisted in the officiating of this tournament. Phillip Vojta was the sole representative of Team White Dragon. Vojta entered a largely talented 81kg group. Vojta gave a tremendous effort, winning one of his matches by ippon. Vojta did not medal in this tournament but the season is young and there is plenty of JUDO in this judoka.

The Savoy Recreation Center in Savoy, Illinois was the site for the 2018 Midwest Collegiate Judo Championships on February 10, 2018. Derick Wellman, Jay Baker and the legendary 7th dan Randy Pierce officiated the tournament. Bryan Enlow was the designated player/coach for Team White Dragon. In the team competition, Team White Dragon represented the state of Missouri. The 5 man squad got off to tremendous start but was eliminated in the first round. Derek Clardy made his second appearance at this tournament. He ended the day 4-2 winning silver in his weight class. Byron Helmrich had his work cut out for him in his category. Byron managed to win some critical matches on his way to a bronze medal. The veteran Demonn Smith hit a thunderous drop seoinage in his bronze medal match. He ended the day at 3-2. Phillip Vojta took the MVP honors by scoring gold in his weight class. Vojta went undefeated in a stacked middleweight category. His showing was highlighted by a beautiful osotogari to the corner.

The 2018 Wahadachi and WJI State Judo Championships took place at Milwaukee Lutheran High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on January 28, 2018. The event was officiated by the legendary 7th dan Randy Pierce and 4th dan Derick Wellman. Manareldeen Fajors represented Team White Dragon and took his division by storm. In his gold medal match he executed a good takedown into a splendid hadaka jime. He won the match by submission. M. Fajors went 3-0 on the day winning his second consecutive gold medal of the year. Photo courtesy of David Malek.

Joplin Judo and Jiujitsu hosted the first Friendship Tournament of the year on Saturday, January 27, 2018. Members of White Dragon Judo Club participated in this dojo’s first Friendship Tournament. Owner, Amber Jones, was the tournament director and head referee for this tournament. Joplin, Missouri has a big and growing judo community. There are 2 judo dojos in this town. The attendance was solid despite the inclement weather. The tournament consisted mainly of junior judo students. For most of them this was their first exposure to shiai tournament play. The students performed well and had a lot of fun. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. After the tournament, there was a ton of exhibition matches for these kids had a lot of energy. Some students stayed around to practice more with members of White Dragon Judo Club. Overall, the junior judokas displayed a humble yet eager, hungry spirit that will make you successful in the martial art of judo.

This years 2018 White Dragon Holiday Party took place on Saturday, January 20, 2018. It was huge turnout of families and a lot, I mean A LOT OF KIDS. Members of White Dragon Judo Club, young and old had an great time catching up on old times and taking advantage of the buffet of food that the party provides each year. 2017 was a great year for the club as it has completed its 14th year of operation. White Dragon Judo Club is one of very few independently owned dojos in the state of Missouri. Junior judoka Manareldeen Fajor had a breakout year scoring gold in a majority of the tournaments he competed in. A clan of junior judokas Isabella, Mark and Edward Ter-Hovhannisyan made their White Dragon Judo Club debuts at the Gateway Judo Championships and showed they are the future for White Dragon Judo Club. Phillip Vojta’s skills is on the rise. He finished the year strong with a gold medal streak going into 2018. Jay Baker quietly dominated his weight class. Newcomer Derek Clardy made some gains but there is much to learn for the senior judoka. The Veterans division saw Dan Raney become the 2017 AAU Freestyle Judo National Championship. David Burke became head coach of TEAM WHITE DRAGON and the results were nothing short of spectacular. 2017 Instructor of the Year, Anthony Weeks took control of the junior classes and participation has increased significantly. White Dragon Judo Club acquired a loyal sponsor in Amore Pizza. The 7th Annual Gateway Invitational Judo Championships was super competitive and is looking to attract more competitors next year. Owner, Derick Wellman continues to build the dojo into one of the best in Saint Louis, Missouri. He is regarded as one the best national judo referees in the region. White Dragon Judo Club would like to take the time to thank the parents, friends, and volunteers who take time out of their busy lives to help this dojo grow. There are so many activities that go on at this dojo. Don’t miss out. Check out the club’s website and two facebook pages. Happy 2018 from White Dragon Judo Club! We will see you on the mat.