The Scottish summer has flown by quickly so far, with a lot more judo action than sunshine, so this will be a summer super edition of the club round-up!
June kicked off with a bang as we hosted the second edition of our Festival of Judo; a spectacular event celebrating developing skills, camaraderie, and the spirit of judo.
It was a very busy day, with over 140 kids from 9 different clubs/schools on the mat across two sessions, all developing their skills and having fun together. There was great attitude and enthusiasm on display by all during the mini-matches and our club mascot, Obi the Highland Cow, came to meet everyone afterwards too!
Shout out to our team of coaches, staff and young volunteers for helping make the event a success and ensuring everyone had an enjoyable and safe time. Also, a HUGE thank you to the visitors from PeeblesJudo, Sporting ENSŌ, Focus Judo, Tanoshii and our school clubs at George Heriots, ESMS Stewart’s Melville, Clifton Hall and Edinburgh Academy for your support at the Festival of Judo!
The highlight of these events is always bringing our judo community together. It was great to see all of the kids from their respective clubs interacting together on the mat and making new friends along the way. Everyone showed a great level of determination, enthusiasm and judo technique, and were outstanding representatives of your club/school.
We hope you all had a good day at the Festival, and we look forward to seeing everyone at the next event!
Congratulations to Paul T who was finally presented with his black belt after earning the last of his points earlier in the year.
Some factors caused a little bit of a delay in Paul getting to proudly wear his black belt, but it's great to have him back on the mat as a well-deserved 1st Dan!
Just before the end of the school term, we were invited to St. George's School's Olympic Day, where Sarah A, Sarah C, Craig and Andrea had lots of fun introducing everyone to judo.
It was great seeing all of the youngsters from St. George's and Merchiston Castle School getting involved and being so enthusiastic about sports and the Olympic values - hopefully we have inspired some future Olympians! Thank you again for having us!
During our two-week summer break, the team had the privilege and experience of being invited for a judo session onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth with the Royal Navy Judo!
Following a judo session in the ship's very own dojo, Liam and Matthew took everyone on a very informative tour of HMS Queen Elizabeth. It was great learning about all of the different features of the ship and how the crew work to keep everything operational. We got to get our hands on the navigation bridge, had a race on the flight deck and a quick game of darts too!
A massive thank you to Matthew, Liam and Andrew for welcoming us to the ship’s dojo and for organising an unforgettable day for our team. It was great having the guys join us at the club whilst HMS QE was docked at Rosyth and we look forward to seeing you both again when you’re next onshore!
With the club reopening after our short break, it was time for our annual summer camp and as the 2024 Paris Olympics were in full swing, this year's edition of camp was all about the Games! 🏹🏃♀️🤸♂️🤾♂️🥋
Our coaches and young volunteers came together to give the camp an Olympic overhaul and it's safe to say that the kids loved getting a taste of archery, athletics, gymnastics, handball and more! There were also Olympic-themed quizzes, talent shows and mascot colouring in to bring the excitement off the mat, as well as on it.
Well done to everyone who came along to camp and gave it their all! If you missed out on this year's summer camp, check out this short video showing a glimpse of the sporting action:
Club coaches Nicky and Scott were invited down to Merchiston Castle School to run a “Judo for Rugby” session as part of the school’s Summer Rugby Camp.
Nicky and Scott showed the youngsters some of the grappling and movement we use in judo, and worked on skills that they can effectively transfer into their rugby game.
Thanks to all who took part, your enthusiasm to learn and develop your skills was unmatched and we look forward to working with you all again in the future!
Well done to all of our senior guys who attended the JudoScotland Masters Kyu & Dan Grading at the end of July.
Some good contests saw points earned towards their next grade, and most importantly, everyone showed a good understanding of what we learn at the club.
A lot of positives all around and a great experience for the guys who may not often compete!
As the final weeks of the summer holidays approach, we're still on our amended summer timetable until August 12th - but that doesn't mean there has been any less action at the club!
Everyone continues to give their all in every session and with the school term approaching, we are looking forward to kicking off another exciting academic year for our school clubs.
See you in next month's round-up,
The EdinburghJudo Team 😎 ⛩️