Tara Kuhne continued her dominance amongst the female masters division at the U.S Open in Miami, Florida. She captured gold at 63kg. Tara also took silver in the 57kg division at this tournament. The Alaskan native is training for the World Masters Judo Championships in Brazil in November. She seeks to bring the gold home to the United States.

The Konjo Spring Judo Championship got underway at Southeast Missouri State North Recreation Center in Cape Girardeau on Saturday, April 28, 2012. Team White Dragon again set records for participation, wins and gold medals. Derick Wellman coached the junior and senior teams in this tournament. In the junior division, Jordan Ashen showed exceptional improvement by posting a 3-1 record in this tournament and a gold medal finish. His brother, Devin Bush took silver in his division. Sean Butler won all of his matches by ippon and took home a gold medal. Molly Hladky placed 3rd in first tournament. Mackenzie Grob continues to improve and looks to be a judoka to be reckoned with. She took home a silver medal for the day. Julia Greene and Anthony Darevesky both gave strong performances as they tune up for the Junior Judo Nationals this summer. They both took 1st place in there perspective divisions. The Seniors team was led by Anna Feygina who took first in her division. National champion, Adnan Gutic loss a heartbreaker and had to settle for silver in this tournament. Eugene Hamilton placed third in his return to the mat after a brief hiatus. The judoka of this tournament was Demonn Smith. The savvy veteran played with a heavy heart on his way to 8-0 record on the day and 3 gold medals to add to his long judo resume.

Approximately 540 competitors attended the 2012 USA Judo Senior National Championships on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Seven judokas represented White Dragon Judo Club which was the largest representation of this club ever. All of the judokas competed hard and stood out in all of the divisions at this tournament.

Derick Wellman and Tiffany Choi (Polk) finally made it to the podium by capturing the bronze medal in the kata division. The kata experts executed a beautiful nage no kata after narrowly missing the medal podium last year. Anna Feygina placed fifth for the second year in a row at 57kg. Amber Jones fought very well despite a match with bronchitis but was unable to medal. Tiffany Choi (Polk) also made her shiai debut at 63kg. Choi’s athleticism stood out during her matches but was unable to manufacture the same results she produced in kata.

Adnan Gutic won a gold the visually impaired division at 81kg and third place finish in the newly assembled brown belt division. Gutic finished the day at 3-3. In the Masters Division, Dan Dillion made his national debut with a strong 5th place performance. Tara Kuhne powered her way to her second consecutive masters championship at 63kg. Kuhne is the number 1 ranked masters female judoka in her weight category. Tom Kuhne and Derick Wellman were highly impressed with the team’s performance overall and have high hopes for next year.

White Dragon Judo Club would like to thank Tracy Hangley, Eugene Hamilton, Taeyoung Choi, Jon Jones, Blair Watts for selfless support during this tournament.

White Dragon Judo Club held its monthly judo training camp from February 16-19, 2012. There was a wide turnout for this training camp as many judokas are preparing for the United States Senior Judo Nationals in April.

This months training camp featured Micheal Ostrowski from Memphis Judo and JiuJitsu Club in Memphis, Tennessee. Ostrowski is a standout grappler. He holds the rank of sandan in judo and is a master of Russian Sambo. An avid competitor, he is a 2 time collegiate judo all american from Michigan State University. With his numerous accomplishments on the mat, Micheal has given a lot back to the martial art. Sensei Ostrowski is the president of Tennessee Judo Inc., the governing body of Judo in the state of Tennessee. He is also the head instructor of the junior and senior judo programs at the Memphis Judo Club.

It is always good to see Sensei Ostrowski at any tournament, workout, or judo clinic. We at White Dragon Judo Club would like to thank Sensei Ostrowski and his students for attending the February judo training camp.

You can train with Micheal Ostrowski at his upcoming judo training camps at the Memphis Judo/JiuJitsu Club from March 23-25, 2012 and April 13-15, 2012. Hope to see you there.

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.

Tennessee State Judo Inc. and Colombia Judo Club hosted the Tennessee State Judo Championships on February 11, 2012. White Dragon Judo Club was in attendance with another talented team for this event. Dan Raney officiated the juniors, seniors and masters divisions and made his coaching debut. Adnan Gutic continues to be a force to be dealt with. Gutic dominated the largest division in the tournament. He went 4-1 on the day taking home a silver medal for his efforts. Demonn Smith competed in two divisions for this tournament. Smith steamrolled the competition in the masters heavyweight division. He displayed flawless technique on his way to a gold medal finish. In the senior heavyweight division, Smith’s bid for a gold medal sweep of the tournament was denied by Stanley Brooks of Dickson Athletic Club in the semifinal. The ALL DAY judoka won his last two matches by ippon to take the bronze medal in the division. Smith finish the day at 6-1.

White Dragon Judo Club hosted their annual Holiday Party on January 14, 2012. Parents and judokas of all ages attended this event. The event displayed tons of food and drink for everyone. There were games for the kids to play and the parents had an opportunity to get to know the teachers and fellow judokas of the club. This event was a time to reflect on last years achievements and this year’s future goals. White Dragon Judo Club has gone from a small dojo on Lackland Road to a one of the top judo dojos in the state of Missouri. The club is beginning to expand and spread the martial art of Judo all over the state. This could not be possible without the assistance of the members and parents of this judo club. We at White Dragon Judo Club would like to wish you and your families a happy and prosperous new year.

The Saint Louis judo community started the new year off with a bang. Missouri Martial Arts hosted the first judo open workout of 2012. This month’s judo clinic featured Gary Prindiville. Prindiville is a rokudan, 6th degree black belt in judo. He has studied judo overseas and in the United States. A student of Grandmaster Bong Yul Shin, the former police officer is one of the most decorated judokas in the region. Notably he won the United States Masters Judo Championship-Heavyweight Division in 1991 and 1999. During the clinic, Sensei Prindiville talked a lot about the FUNDAMENTALS. He stated that most elite judokas are excellent at the fundamentals of judo. Not only did our students see and understand Prindiville’s concepts, the students saw his great passion for teaching the martial art. Don’t be suprise if you see this all time great teaching at a dojo near you.

Pictures of the open workout here: https://whitedragonjudo.com/photos/?album=1&gallery=19

2012 ParaOlympic hopeful, Adnan Gutic, placed fifth at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. After losing his first match in the quarterfinals of the 73kg division, Gutic was able to pull out a win by ippon over reigning champion Mauricio Castillo of Colombia in the repechage. Adnan lost the bronze medal match by ippon to Mauricio Briceno of Venezuela. The Bosnian native from Afton, Missouri has improved steadily since joining the World Team in 2009. Gutic will be seeking to put his stamp on American Judo in 2012.

The 46th Annual Dallas Invitational Judo Championships to place on November 19, 2011 in Grapevine, Texas. This was a USA Judo Senior-D Level tournament with more than 500 athletes competing. Anna Feygina represented White Dragon Judo Club at 57kg for this tournament. Feygina drew a talented division. She fought well but was unable to medal. Feygina has had a great 2011. Feygina’s judo has improved with the number of judo clinics and tournaments that she participates in. With 2012 among us, Feygina looks to separate herself from the pack.