NI Judo Federation Annual Report report 2016_2017... · NI Judo Federation Annual Report ... Ron...

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NI Judo Federation Annual Report Growing our Sport, Developing our People, Invesng in Excellence

Transcript of NI Judo Federation Annual Report report 2016_2017... · NI Judo Federation Annual Report ... Ron...

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NI Judo Federation Annual Report

Growing our Sport, Developing our People, Investing in Excellence

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Con

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s Chairmans Report Page 1 Executive Committee Page 2 Participation Page 3-4

Director of Examiners Report Page 5

Performance Page 6-14

Treasurer’s Report Page 15-16

News Page 17-19

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Northern Ireland Judo Federation Vision

‘N I Judo: an inclusive organisation where everyone is given the

opportunity to participate, progress and perform.’

Northern Ireland Judo Federation Mission

Drive, deliver and develop the sport of Judo in Northern Ireland’

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I would like to say thank you to all our coaches, players, volunteers, referees, officials and parents, without you we would not have such a wonderful Northern Ireland Judo Federation. It has been such an eventful year for Northern Ireland Judo. We have seen a growth in membership, clubs, referees, officials, volunteers and coaches. This is all down to the hard work of everyone within the NIJF. As we come to the end of this four year cycle we can look back at the achievements with pride. Participation in judo has increased in our clubs and new clubs have been opened, this is only achieved through the hard work and commitment of our coaches. We hope this trend will continue and that we will retain these new members to enable them to enjoy our sport for many years. We have been encouraged by the number of young members who have embarked on the referee and table official’s pathway. They have shown great confidence and commitment and we will continue to support them as they progress. Thank you to all our more experienced referees and officials for taking time to mentor these new officials. The implementation and development of the Northern Ireland Talent Development Program has seen many young players avail of the benefits this program offers and we have seen the results that the program and hard work can bring. The appointment of Performance Lead coach Ciaran Ward and Performance Coaches Colin Savage and Paul Green with their invaluable coaching input, together with the commitment from the Regional coaches Gavin Abel, Ron McGowan and previously Mark Montgomery and previous National Coach Scott Mayne, has moved Northern Ireland Judo to the best position it has ever been in. I would like to thank the Executive Committee for continuing to give their time, hard work and support, particularly Robin Newett, who puts in many hours each week to maintain the NIJF finances. As we embark on a new four year cycle armed with the enthusiasm, determination, commitment and drive we see within our Federation, then the future can only look even better. We have set our goals high but I have every confidence in everyone that we can achieve those goals and I would ask that you continue to give your full support to the NIJF. Bill Taggart Chairperson NIJF

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Dr Richard Briggs 5th Dan Director of Examiners Level 3 Coach

Chairperson Bill Taggart 4th Dan BJA Board of Directors Chair of BJA National Refereeing Commission Senior Examiner National A Referee Level 2 Coach

Vice Chairperson Gavin Abel 5th Dan National A Referee Level 3 Coach

Conduct and Complaints Officer Peter Cuckoo

Office Administrator Averil Taggart Senior Recorder

Membership Representative Tom Pearson 3rd Dan Senior Examiner Level 2 Coach National C Referee

Treasurer Robin Newett

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Director of Examiner’s Report Mon and Kyu gradings continued to take place at club level during 2016 and there is an improvement in the completion of the necessary paperwork promptly after examinations. The increased number of FUNdamental events has meant that players are now getting competition practice which was lacking when the technical scheme was first introduced. Moves to re-introduce a competitive element to Mon and Kyu gradings have not progressed as the BJA are reluctant to change the system because the English membership and retention has greatly improved since the technical scheme was introduced. Although the competitive Dan grade system has remained unchanged the time in grade for judoka following the technical pathway was changed in 2016. The first technical promotion will now follow the Competitive time in grade rule with a 5 year in grade rule for subsequent technical promotions.ie A competitive 1st Dan will be eligible for Technical 2nd Dan after 1 year in grade. All subsequent Technical promotions will be 5 years in each grade.

A competitive 2nd Dan will be eligible for Technical 3rd Dan after 2 years in grade. All subsequent Technical promotions will be 5 years in each grade.

A competitive 3rd Dan will be eligible for Technical 4th Dan after 3 years in grade. All subsequent Technical promotions will be 5 years in each grade.

A competitive 4th Dan will be eligible for Technical 5th Dan after 4 years in grade Promotion Examinations were held in March and September as detailed in Table 1. There was a third grading scheduled in Derry/Londonderry during December but this was cancelled due to a poor entry. The absence of female players attending Dan Gradings is still of concern and a multi-grade event was organised at the September grading which attracted 5 female entries. Dan grades ratified during 2016 are shown in Table 2. Approval from the BJA for Northern Ireland players to receive points from Irish Judo Association (IJA) players at the All Ireland in addition to the Irish Open was continued in 2016 and the Intervarsity was a BJA 3 Star event and points scoring.

Table 1

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Introduction The NI Performance Lead role started on June 1st 2016. As Performance Lead for Northern Ireland Judo I am charged with leading the development and connecting of Performance Pathways within Northern Ireland, Ireland and Great Britain. This involves the refinement and delivery of the performance pathway, milestone targets for each stage of the process and coaching delivery to talented athletes within the pathway. I also have the responsibility to manage the delivery of a systematic and highly effective Performance Pathway pro-gramme within the context of British, Irish and Northern Ireland Judo, which ultimately re-sults in talent flow of judo athletes meeting the required benchmarks at Performance Foun-dation and Podium Potential levels. The new role also encompasses the duties of NI National Head Coach and as such I had to develop a Tokyo 2020 and Durban 2022 Performance Plan. Associated duties also include: • Ensure identified athletes on the NI Talent Development Programmes and above achieve their annual performance, development and behavioural goals. • Manage the transition of athletes to BJA Academy Level Transition programme or higher • Manage transition of athletes to IJA High Performance programme Undertake quarterly performance reviews with direct reports; agree & monitor action plans for improvement. Initial Priorities The initial priorities for the Performance Lead, was to help recruit a NI Performance Coach and to submit the Tokyo 2020 and Durban 2022 Performance Plans to SportNI under the ‘Sporting Winners’ submission. Ongoing commitments to the BJA Performance Pathway Commission, UK Sport /BJA Curriculum Development Programme & Neil Adams Technical Specific Coaching Programme were maintained throughout this period. Sport NI “Sporting Winners” Submission – Tokyo 2020 & Durban 2022 The Sporting Winners submission was a demanding strategic and performance planning project that consumed most of the summer months but culminated in a very strong submis-sion. Ongoing contribution to the BJA’s UK Sport Tokyo 2020 Vision was maintained and ini-tial work on the Sport Ireland Tokyo 2020 Programme began in September with submission in November. NI Judo Performance Coach The recruitment process for a part-time Performance Coach began immediately with a very ambitious target of delivery to commence on 1st July. We were delighted with the quality of applicants and after presentations, interviews and practicals, two applicants emerged as strong candidates with less than 1% separating their final scores. As the ‘Sporting Winners’ submission had specified the need for three Perfor-mance Staff to ensure delivery it was agreed that the NIJF would increase investment in this area to enable a phased introduction of both candidates.

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Colin Savage, NI Performance Coach Colin Savage commenced his role a NI Performance Coach on July 1st 2016. Colin, a former British & Commonwealth Champion, brings a wealth of experience and a high level of technical competence to our performance programmes. Paul Green, NI Performance Coach Paul Green officially commenced his role as NI Performance Coach on September 1st 2016. Paul, one of Ireland’s most successful Club Coaches, has plenty of current coaching experience at international Cadet & Junior level. He is a current beneficiary of the SportNI Performance Coach Development Programme and member of the SportNI Talent Development Network.

Performance Programme Delivery NI Performance Programme Athletes NI Judo Performance Programmes serviced eleven Judoka across three levels of programme within the NI Performance Pathway. The Judoka are: Lisa Kearney (Olympic Programme) Rachael Hawkes (Commonwealth Programme) Sarah Hawkes (Commonwealth Programme) Eoin Fleming (Commonwealth Programme) James Reid (NITDP) Joshua Green (NITDP) Callum Nash (NITDP) Matthew Elliott (NITDP) Kirstie Strouts McCallion (NITDP) Jamie McFadden (NITDP) Jodie Jordan (NITDP*) *Inducted 1st July 2016. Withdrew herself from NITDP 17th November 2016.

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NI Performance Programme Delivery Activities Domestic Training Morning Technical Sessions Early morning Technical sessions have been the mainstay of NITDP delivery since September 2016. Having encouraged the young athletes to pursue their academic careers to a minimum of A-levels, we then had to accommodate their schedule and physical/psychological needs by introducing 90min sessions before school. The sessions have been a resounding success with increased concentration levels among the NITDP Judoka enabling a higher volume of technical input and improved capability. The three Performance Coaches have been scheduled to ensure that delivery is aligned and consistent and the attendance of some of the Personal Coaches has further increased the impact of delivery here. There are currently six morning technical sessions per week. 1:1 Technical Sessions The 1:1 model continues but only once/twice a month. The 1:1 sessions are delivered by all three Performance Coaches (with Personal Coaches invited) to ensure consistent alignment of technical input and priorities. NI Randori NI National Randori sessions began immediately once the Performance Lead role commenced in June 2016. As no one club can deliver a consistent level of Randori practice to service a performance programme population, a weekly NI National Randori session was introduced, one week in Belfast the next week in Derry. 85 people attended in June followed by 82 in July. Attendances have been steady in Derry reaching peak participation in January and February with over 40 Judoka per session. Belfast however has not been as successful. Participation in Belfast has been buoyed by the IJA Emerging Talent Squad members from Dublin attending, however, twice during the last nine months insufficient numbers attended to proceed with the Randori session. If this pattern were to continue then NI National Randori would be delivered in Derry only. Tulliallan Judo Scotland’s Talent Development Training Camps in Tulliallan have been an invaluable resource for our NITDP Judoka. There have been three camps since June the most recent of which (March 4th & 5th) had over 100 participating Judoka. For the most recent training camp Paul Green & Scott Mayne brought twelve Regional Talent Squad Judoka in addition to the NITDP athletes, to experience their first training opportunity at this level. The feedback from Paul and Gary Edwards (Judo Scotland National Cadet Coach) was very positive and we envisage repeating this format going forward.

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ONST The BJA Open National Squad Training takes place over the course of a weekend, four times a year in the BJA Centre of Excellence in Walsall. Our GB Squad members are funded for this training camp and non GB Squad members are funded by NITDP. There are typically 70-80 participating Judoka ranging from our own NITDP Cadets through to European and Olympic medalists. This is a very demanding TC but hugely significant within our NI Performance Programme. All eleven of our NI Performance Programme athletes participated in the 4 ONST camps in the last 12 months. GB Futures TC The GB Futures training camp is specifically targeted at developing Cadets with the BJA Trademarks of ‘Throw for Ippon’, Win in Newaza, Dominate Kumi Kata, Contest Management & ‘Fight with Belief’. There is a particular emphasis on the ‘Throw for Ippon’ Trademark as this has been identified as the most significant and most demanding technically. As NI Performance Lead I was charged with delivering the first GB Futures Camp to the invited GB Squad. Colin Savage and Matthew Elliott attended the second camp before being joined by the rest of the NITDP Squad for a week long training camp with the England Squad (August 2016). ETD The NITDP Squad plus two members of the selected NI Team for the UK School Games, participated in the England Talent Development training camp in August. The ETD was selected as a preparatory training camp for the UK School Games three weeks later. Ratho The Judo Scotland High Performance Centre of Excellence in Ratho is the training base for Lisa Kearney (NI Olympic Programme) and Eoin Fleming (NI Commonwealth Programme). Both athletes live and train in Edinburgh full-time. I have attended Ratho a number of times to deliver programme design and 1:1 sessions. Camberley JC James Reid spent one week training at the prestigious Camberley Judo Club near London as part of his preparation for the British Championships. James was hosted by renowned Coach Luke Preston. Luke has subsequently opened his invitation to include any of our Performance Programme Judoka attending in the future.

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Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff. Rachael Hawkes (NI Commonwealth Programme) is based at the Judo Centre of Excellence in the Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff. I have been working closely with WJA CEO Darren Warner over the past year to ensure appropriate access to Rachael’s performance monitoring and ongoing development. BJA Heavy Weight Development Programme Sarah Hawkes (NI Commonwealth Programme) was awarded a place on the BJA Heavy Weight Development Programme at the BJA Centre of Excellence in Walsall. British Judo currently has a lack of heavyweight men (100kg+) and women (78kg+) which impacts on the quality of training and domestic competition, therefore ultimately impeding on progression to the international stage and Great Britain’s Olympic medal potential. Through this programme the BJA plan to Identify and recruit potential Heavyweight athletes (male & female), establish individual athlete technical, tactical & physical profiles and training histories and subsequently design and deliver bespoke individual & heavyweight group training and competition programmes. Domestic SSSM Provision Sports Science & Sports Medicine (SSSM) for our Performance Programme Judoka is a key element of programme provision. Strength & Conditioning (S&C) for our NITDP athletes is provided through the North West Talent Project and S&C Coach, James Knox for the Belfast based athletes. In particular I would like to thank James and Kyle Wallace for their support and expertise and Michael Cooke from Sport NI for all the support provided by the North West Talent Project. NITDP athletes have also availed of Physio, Nutrition, Psych’ & Mentoring support over the last year. NIKKI, our very own Performance Monitoring Programme was designed in early 2016 and has been utilized by all the Performance Programme athletes and Coaches. I would like to thank Eoghan Barr for his ongoing endeavors in this very important performance support. Domestic Competition With the exception of named Target Events, Domestic Competition (NI, GB & IRL) have been used as training events. The Domestic Training Events for 2016/17 were the Welsh Open, Scottish Open, NI Championships, Irish Championships & Irish Open. Although these are very important events in their own right, for the purposes of our leading Judoka they have been utilised as an appropriate environment to test the development of their prescribed programme priorities. The results are not published here, despite a plethora of medals at each event, because the result was intentionally removed as a priority for each athlete and replaced with bespoke targets for each athlete regarding technical, tactical or behavioural goals.

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Domestic Target Events UK School Games

Callum Nash followed James Reid’s lead and became only the second individual Gold medalist from Northern Ireland at the UK School Games in Loughborough (September 2016). Not to be outdone the rest of the Team went on to record NI Judo’s first ever Gold medal at the UK School Games Team Event, defeating England, Scotland & Wales’ strongest teams. A fantastic performance by both athletes and Coaching Staff (Colin Savage & Paul Green). Team Captain, Kirstie Strouts McCallion, narrowly missed out on the individual Gold medal but performed heroically in the Team event as did all her teammates to make a little bit of domestic history.

British Championships NI Performance Programme athletes repeated their good form at Target Events with a string of encouraging performances and results at the 2016 British Cadet, Junior & Senior Championships. Kirstie came closer still to that elusive GB Gold and will feel unlucky to have just collected Silver at the British Cadet Championships. Any disappointment would have been short lived as the following week she went back to Sheffield to secure a place on the GB Junior Squad with a fine Bronze medal performance in the Junior Women’s event. Matthew Elliott lost the Bronze medal contest after winning three contests by Ippon in his new weight category of -73kg. Illness prevented him from competing in the Junior event. James Reid lost the most exciting Junior final of these championships. He battled very hard to come back from an early deficit to force the contest into Golden Score and should feel proud of his GB Silver medal. Sarah Hawkes and Jodie Jordan both won bronze medals in the Senior British Championships securing their place on the GB Squad for 2017.

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International Training IJF Youth Training Camp, Fiesch, Switzerland

Team NI headed to the Swiss Alps for the IJF Youth Training Camp, Fiesch, Switzerland in July. The week long camp had a very demanding schedule including 5 sessions per day, 2 technical, 2 Randori and an early morning physical session. Over 350 Judoka from 30 countries participated in the IJF TC.

Tokyo TC Matthew Elliott was selected by Team GB as part of the ‘Futures Programme’ to participate in a 10-day training camp in Tokyo. Matthew was joined by fellow NITDP athletes Callum Nash and Joshua Green and Coaches Ciaran Ward and Paul Green. Training was delivered throughout the greater Tokyo region including Tokai University, Sagami High School, Shu Toku High School, Shu-Ku-Toku High School and the Kodokan. In addition the boys were given private lessons from Nakanishi Sensei at Tokai University and Miku Sensei, Samie Sensei and Namba Sensei at the Kodokan. This was undoubtedly the highlight of the NITDP this year. An invaluable insight into training in Tokyo for our athletes and priceless introductions and relations with our Japanese hosts for future training opportunities for our extended performance programme athletes.

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Paris Grand Slam TC

Eoin Fleming, Joshua Green & Callum Nash braved the toughest training camp on the IJF senior circuit last month. The Paris Grand Slam Training Camp hosts 600 of the best Judoka in the world. The event was utilized as preparation for forthcoming international target events and as an introduction to the highest level of world Judo. EJU Cadet Spain TC Kirstie Strouts McCallion, Jamie McFadden and Matthew Elliott were accompanied by Colin Savage and Lisa Bradley for the first EJU Cadet Training Camp of 2017. 100 Judoka from 19 countries participated. This event was used as an introduction to EJU level training camps and preparation for the Czech European Cadet Cup next month. Bremen International TC 27-30 March. Paul Green (Coach), Matthew Elliott & Joshua Green International Competition EJU Cadet European Cup, Spain Kirstie Strouts McCallion enjoyed her first experience of EJU Cadet European Cup level competition in Fuengirola last month. This event provided an important learning opportunity for both Kirstie and the NI Coaching staff. Kirstie competes at -78kg but at Cadet the categories only go to -70kg, then 70+kg. We understood that this would mean conceding a huge weight deficit to some of her competitors but having clearly demonstrated her competency at UK level we were confident of her potential to benefit from this level of event. Our confidence was justified by Kirstie’s performance but unfortunately she lost by a score in the final 10 seconds of her first round contest V Poland. I would like to thank Lisa Bradley for her important contribution to this event and hope that we can enjoy her valuable input going forward. IJF Continental Open, Morrocco 17-19 March. Eoin Fleming EJU Junior European Cup, Portugal 17-19 March. Joshua Green & Callum Nash.

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Reviews Performance Reviews are vital for our NI Performance Programme Judoka and Staff. The Athlete Reviews have been an important programme tool providing an opportunity for reflection, challenge and critically informing programme design going forward. At the end of each programme ‘Block’ each athlete and staff member participate in the review process which forms the agreement in performance targets and strategies for the subsequent ‘Block’ and beyond. In our most recent set of reviews I proposed a departure from the format that has been used for the last year. The review was primarily led by the Athlete, not the Coach. This was a deliberate and successful attempt to increase the engagement and ownership of the programme by the Athletes. The next Review process is scheduled for the week following the 2017 NI Open. Conclusion Undoubtedly the NI Judo performance environment has made unprecedented gains over the last year. The investment made primarily by the NIJF and Sport NI, and also important contributions by the BJA & IJA have contributed to the most promising juncture for performance Judo in Northern Ireland in recent history, perhaps ever. The introduction of one full-time and two part-time Performance Coaches has made a huge impact already and is creating the opportunity for real progress on an international stage. I would like to conclude by thanking all those who supported and contributed to the success of Performance Judo in Northern Ireland last year. In particular I would like to thank NI Performance Coaches Colin Savage & Paul Green and all the Personal Coaches who pledged their support for the programme and for all the parents of participating athletes. I would also like to thank Averil Taggart for her professionalism and support, and for her patience and understanding when I failed to reciprocate. Most importantly I would like to thank all of the athletes who put their faith and trust in me to develop their Judo and forward their careers through our various programmes. Their commitment continues to be the most humbling experience for me as a Coach and I hope to justify their continued investment in the coming year and beyond. Ciaran Ward NI Judo Performance Lead

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Treasurers Report 2016 was once again a financially rewarding year for the Federation. All activities and events ran within their prescribed budgets. The Federation is indebted to Sport Northern Ireland for the continued financial support through their Performance Focus Programmes. The Federation has also continued to invest in judoka and officials, enabling them to reach the next level in their judo careers. The Federation’s own source of income is generated from the sale of licences, gradings and competitions. This year there has been a substantial increase in the sale/renewal of licences, however, the increase in examination fees does not show any significant change. On the competition front, much more support is needed from coaches and players alike particularly for the Northern Ireland Open. I would like to thank my fellow officers for their support during 2016, Marc Scott of Sport Northern Ireland for his help and advice during the year and finally to Averil Taggart for the very efficient manner in which she organises the NIJF office. Robin Newett Honorary Treasurer

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Events The Northern Ireland Open was held in the Foyle Arena in April 2016. This venue proved very successful for the event giving plenty of space and facilities for competitors and spectators. Although the entry numbers were down on the previous year, this was in part due to a BJA National Squad Training session on the same weekend, those who did attend enjoyed the event and the new venue. Hopefully this year we will see the event grow to previous year’s numbers. This is NIJF’s premier event of the year and we would encourage NIJF members to compete or spectate at your event. The Northern Ireland Schools was held in Lisburn Leisure Centre in June 2016. As always this was a very popular event with maximum numbers attending from Primary and Secondary schools from all over Northern Ireland. Well done to the following clubs who all held very successful events, either in-club or open, throughout the year; Abbey Judo Club, Co Antrim Judo Club, Omagh Judo Club, Simply Judo, Shori Judo Club, The Judo Academy and St Columb’s Park Judo Club who hosted the 50th North West Championships. By organising these events you are giving all our members a chance to grow in their sport, from the novice judoka who is building confidence to the more experienced who are perfecting their technique. You are also giving our officials the opportunity to gain valuable experience and volunteers in your club a chance to develop a new skill. Our last event was the Northern Ireland Championships (Closed) held recently in the Foyle Arena. Having had to cancel this event last year it was a great surprise to find that the entries reached capacity and the support shown from members and clubs who entered is greatly appreciated. Officials and Referees We cannot hold any events without the dedication and commitment shown by our officials and referees and we would like to take this opportunity to thank them all for giving their time freely at each event. Also, thank you to our more experienced officials and referees who consistently mentor and encourage our new officials. We would like to congratulate the following who achieved new qualifications this year; Marian McLaughlin – Senior Recorder Gareth Armstrong – Contest Recorder Aisling Eastwood – Contest Recorder Emma Walsh – Timekeeper Leah McLaughlin – Timekeeper Ashleigh Newton – Club Referee Gary Jackson - Club Referee Coire McCrystal - Club Referee Stephen Sims - Club Referee Emma Walsh - Club Referee Ray Dowling - Club Referee Harry Isaacs - Club Referee

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BJA National Refereeing Commission We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Bill Taggart on his appointment as Chairperson of the British Judo Association National Refereeing Commission. This is a great achievement and we wish Bill well in this new challenge. Coaching We held both Level 1 and Level 2 coaching courses last year with 20 potential new Level 1 coaches and 6 new Level 2 coaches. So our coaching population continues to grow and your time and dedication to your clubs and members is immeasurable. Congratulations must go to Mark Montgomery of Simply Judo on being selected as Sport NI Community Coach of the Year and finalist of Sports Coach UK Community Coach of the Year. Congratulations also to Hughie Corcoran of Omagh Judo Club on being

selected as Fermanagh & Omagh District Council Community Coach of

the Year.

Commonwealth Judo Association (CJA) The main Commonwealth Judo Association news from 2016 was the Commonwealth Championships in Port Elizabeth, South Africa during April where the Northern Ireland team won a grand total of 14 medals. At the CJA Congress meeting held prior to the event bids to host the 2018 event were made by Scotland and India with India voted in by a clear majority. The 2018 Championship will therefore be in Jaipur, India from 27 January to 2nd February and will include Cadets, Juniors, Seniors and Masters. During the Port Elizabeth event members of the CJA Executive Committee organized a successful judo class for visually impaired local children. Richard Briggs Vice CJA President

NI Commonwealth Games Council Another busy year for the NICGC spent planning for the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games to be hosted in the Bahamas capital of Nassau from the 18-23 July. Northern Ireland will be represented in 5 sports; athletics, boxing, cycling, judo and swimming. Following the team's success in the Samoa 2015 Youth Games with a haul of 12 medals, NICGC look forward to working with all the relevant governing bodies in the build up to the Youth Games to best deliver a strong Team NI. Looking further ahead to the XXI Commonwealth Games in Queensland’s Gold Coast is 4 to 15 April 2018. It is expected that 6,500 athletes and team officials from more than 70 nations will come to Australia to compete in these Games. Although Judo will not feature at these games it will be included as a core sport at the 2022 Games in Durban, South Africa. During 2016 there was progress in the preliminary planning of the 2021 Youth Games in Northern Ireland in order to secure the necessary Government funding required to host the event. No decision has yet been made as to what sports will be included, though there is strong ongoing lobbying for the inclusion of judo. Richard Briggs

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University Judo Student clubs at QUB, UUC and UUJ were active during the year and participated in a number of events including the Northwest Open and a very successful Intervarsity Championship hosted by the Ulster University in the new Foyle Arena. The Ulster University players succeed in winning 5 Gold, 7 Silver and 1 Bronze medal. This included coming a very close second in the Women’s Team event. Overall out of 10 colleges taking part the UU squad ranked second in the medal table as shown below. The success of the event which was ranked in the top three Intervarsities by Student Sport Ireland was made possible by the hard work on the day by Lisa Bradley (TD) along with the NIJF and IJA Officials.

Commonwealth Judo Tournament, South Africa A team of 13 from Northern Ireland headed to Port Elizabeth, South Africa last April for 2016 Commonwealth Championships. We'd like to thank both the Mary Peters' Trust and the NIJF for their financial contributions towards the team's expenses for this event. First up the day after arrival were the Masters were Paul Green (Konarakai) won Gold & Mark Montgomery (Simply Judo) won Silver setting the standard for the week ahead... Next up were the Cadets. All 4 of our cadets made the finals in their weight categories with Kirstie Strouts- McAllion (St Columbs), Joshua Green (Konarakai) & Matthew Elliott (Simply Judo) all winning Gold and Jamie McFadden (Shori) winning Silver. All 4 Cadets doubled up the next day and competed in the Juniors & again, all 4 finished in podium positions, despite fighting up an age group. Kirstie Strouts-McAllion (St Columbus) claimed her 2nd Commonwealth title winning Gold again with Matthew Elliott (Simply Judo) winning an excellent Silver. Both Jamie McFadden (Shori) & Joshua Green (Konarakai) won hard fought Bronze medals. Our Cadets were joined by our 3 Junior players; Daniel Mayhew (Simply Judo) who won Silver with Jodie Jordan (Abbey) & Victoria Colhoun (Simply Judo) narrowly missing out on medals finishing in 4th place. The last day saw the Seniors take to the mat and even more success for our NI Team who won 3 silver medals. The 1st was won by Jodie Jordan (Abbey) who put her disappointment from the juniors behind her; the other 2 Silvers were won by 2 members of the 2014 Commonwealth Games team, Kirsty Kee (Simply Judo) and Gavin McNeill (Edinburgh Club). Daniel Mayhew (Simply Judo) narrowly missed out on a second Commonwealth medal finishing in 5th place. Massive congratulations to the entire team, who represented themselves, their clubs & Northern Ireland with great distinction. Thank you to Mark Montgomery & Paul Green for their help & support throughout the week.

Scott Mayne (Former) NIJF National Coach

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Club News—The Judo Academy Peter Cassidy is 14 years old and has been doing judo for only 5 years with The Judo Academy. Showing commitment and dedication he was chosen as a NI Regional player. Wearing his patches with pride he competed and won Gold at the Swords Open, Leinster Open, Bronze at the All Irelands and Silver at the Irish Open competition in 2016. Peter wanted to test himself and his skills, and his coach encouraged him to compete at a competition in England. We choose the British School Championships in Sheffield at which he won a Bronze medal losing one fight. What a great event. Later that year we decided to go to Southend on Sea to compete in the Southend International, fighting players from Netherlands and England. No medal was won but a huge amount of experience was gained. Having started a progressive strength, conditioning and education course with personal trainer Mary Hunter and Lear Training Group, Peter has increased his flexibility and fitness and he has shown a great attitude to the new learning and has become one of the team working closely with the adults. The children who are participating in the conditioning have shown great success at competitions with all taking medals at the NI Closed. Nothing would make him prouder than having the opportunity to represent NI at an event and he knows it takes hard work to get there. He is now 5 months into his first year as a Cadet and has already won Gold in the NI Closed Championships. Can I say thank you to the coaches and team at The Judo Academy for encouraging him, training him and actually seeing potential. Here's to a great start to Cadets for Peter Cassidy! Brian Cassidy