Sensei George Weers hosted the Hollis Park Invitational Judo Tournament in Mapleton, Illinois on February 12, 2012. White Dragon Judo Club was represented by nine judokas who did not cease to impress.
Devin Busch and Shawn Butler fought well in their divisions and showed why they will be the ones to watch in future tournaments. They both placed fourth. 5 year old Jocelyn Butler fought in 9 year old lightweight division. On paper Jocelyn was outclassed but on the mat she was tough competition. The judo bumblebee showed great skill beyond her age on her way to a 4th place finish. Jordan Ashen continues to improve and is showing that those extra practice sessions are beginning to pay off. Jordan scored a bronze in his division. Mackenzie Grob went 1-1 on the day displaying a slendid osotogari for ippon in her last match. She captured the bronze for her division. Kayla Baker grabbed a silver medal with an awesome performance. Mackenzie Baird’s stock continues to skyrocket. The Saint Louis native displayed a tai otoshi reminiscent of the great Bonnie Korte. Baird won all of her matches by ippon and grabbed her first gold medal of her young judo career. Anthony Darevsky was red hot in this tournament. He was not intimidated by fighting in a higher age bracket. Anthony also won all of his matches by ippon going 4-0 on the day.
Anna Feygina anchored the senior division. She displayed a relentless attack that her opponents did not have an answer for. She collected another gold medal. Overall, the judo team put out a solid performance showing improvement in a number of categories. These judokas show no signs of slowing down.
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