I hope your year has started well. It’s hard to believe that January is already almost fled, and that we are well into 2010! As I have said in class, I am looking forward to a great year of judo; there will be many events for people to enjoy at all levels. To make events easier to track, I have created an online SSJ Judo Calendar you can access both events and lesson plan details.
I have also created a more structured schedule for instruction. From now on, each week will have the following instructional schedule:
Monday: Technical instruction. A specific nage waza (throwing technique) will be presented for each level, according to their promotional requirements. Mondays will primarily focus on presenting details of that new waza, and provide time for students to work on their uchi komi.
Wednesday: Ne waza night. This is the class that focuses specifically on ground techniques, e.g. pins, chokes and armbars, as appropriate for age and level, as well as techniques and strategies for attack and defense on the ground.
Thursday: Review and randori. We will focus on practicing any throw that needs perfecting for age and level, and spend at least 50% of the time in randori (free practice).
Saturday: Special focus/Open Mat. Saturdays will concentrate on special focuses, such as competition, promotional testing, or self defense, as well as provide open mat time for students to focus on the area of their choice or need.
Membership Fees announcements
February membership fees due; Please help us pay the bills on time!
With the new fiscal year, quarterly and annual membership fee discounts will no longer be available. We will continue to have discounts for multiple family members.
Membership numbers are steady. This has been a great year for the dojo with several wonderful families and individuals joining up, but we have also seen some attrition due to moves and the economy. However, as we end the fourth year of the dojo’s life at this location I am determined to make the 5th year our best one yet, and I would like to encourage everyone to help grow our community! As an incentive, if we can increase our membership to 100 members, I will reduce rates.
Saturday, 2/6: Bring a friend to Judo, and get a free patch! Great to put on your gi, bookbag, or favorite jacket! If your friend joins for three months, you get a free month of judo!
4th Annual Anniversary PartySSJ Judo will be four years old this month! Come help celebrate at our annual potluck dinner on Saturday, 2/27 at the Ragosta’s house. If you would like to help organize the event, please contact Katy at kmullin@scitent.com, and Kiyoko Asao at kasao@adelphia.net.
Competition AnnouncementsFebruary starts to get busy in terms of competitions. The Pedro’s Challenge is on 2/13, and is held in Boston, MA. This is recommended for highly experienced players only, and at this point, we only have one player attending. Please be sure to wish Sachi Ragosta the best of luck in her first time playing at this prestigious tournament!
The VA Open is on Saturday, 2/20. This is a great tournament for all levels. It’s a very good way for beginners to get started in competitive judo, as well as providing stronger matches for higher level players. For more information, please see the attached registration form. Let me know if you are interested in attending, or have any questions. I’ll have an official discussion about this tournament this Saturday 1/27 at the end of the kids’ class.
Schedule Changes:
Saturday, 1/30: In the event we get more than 1″ of snow, all classes will be cancelled. I will email by 9:30 a.m. to confirm.
Saturday, 2/20: There will be no class because we will be going to the VA Open. Sprouts Parents: if you would like to attend a makeup class in on Sunday 2/21, please let me know ASAP what time up until 3:00 that day would work best for you.
Demonstrations:Friday, February 19, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM (exact time TBD), SSJ Judo will participate in the Sutherland Middle School 3rd Annual Cultural Celebration. This is great exposure for the dojo and a fun way to celebrate judo with the community! I would love to have representatives from every level participate. This will take about an hour, including set up and breakdown time. Please let me know if you can participate! Tell your friends!
SSJ Judo Needs Rental Partners:The dojo is a great space for all kinds of activities and is available for rent outside of judo hours. If you know of someone who may be interested, please have them contact me.
Special Thanks:To Deb Zehner for bringing in the rugs for the changing rooms! They really make a huge difference!
