MONTHLY CLUB ROUND UP (OCTOBER '25)
- EdinburghJudo
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
October kicked off with Dave, our newest 1st Dan, being presented with his black belt by Billy after securing the last of his competitive points at the Alba Veterans Open in September.
There are many people involved in a players journey to a black belt (and Dave has acknowledged those who’ve helped him on his) however, it’s been his own perseverance that’s really made this possible; always turning up to training, helping others and overcoming the bumps along the way.
Well done from everyone at EdinburghJudo, Dave - onto the next challenge!
It was a tough shift for the boys competing at the Welsh Junior & Senior Open down in Cardiff.
There were wins, losses, lessons learned and well earned 7th place finishes for Omar in the junior -73KG category, and Reece in the senior -73KG category. Plenty to work on back in training towards the next event.
Thank you to Craig for driving everyone down to Wales and for coaching on the day.
Closer to home, a group of players braved the high winds and rain brought by storm Amy to travel up to Inverness for the Highland Budokan Grand Prix.
This was the last Scottish Grand Prix event of the year, with the group getting the last bit of competitive experience in the bag before this month's Scottish National Closed Championships. A great experience all round for those who took part, with plenty of team spirit, pulling together and helping each other throughout the competition day - great work!
B Band
CiCi (-63KG): Silver
C Band
Ella (-52KG): Silver
Jake (-66KG): Silver
Kirsty (+70KG): Silver
Sara (+70KG): Bronze
Fergus (-73KG): 5th place
Senior
Regina (-57/63KG): Gold
A massive congratulations to the 21 beginners who achieved their 6th kyu (red belt) to round off the latest edition of our Beginners Judo Course!
We were very impressed by the technical skills shown throughout the grading. The group have come to each class with plenty of enthusiasm throughout all 6 weeks, and it certainly showed in their demonstrations on grading evening - well done!
A huge thank you to everyone who participated in the course, and to our wonderful coaches Craig and Nick, who continue to provide inspiring and enjoyable sessions for adults of all ages and abilities.
Over in Spain, Sarah and Scott were competing at the Malaga Senior European Cup, with Billy alongside to support the pair.
To start the weekend, Sarah powered through her pool in the +78KG category to secure a spot in the final; coming away with a silver medal from her first international appearance since 2023!
Following a strong campaign through the repechage, featuring 3 consecutive wins and some impressive groundwork, Scott finished the weekend off with a well deserved 5th place in the -90KG category after narrowly missing out on the bronze medal.
With these results, both Sarah and Scott have met the minimum nomination requirements and now qualify for selection to compete at next year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Good performances by both, now to keep the momentum going forward and work hard towards upcoming events!
Every year on October 28th marks World Judo Day. As well as commemorating the birthday of Jigoro Kano, the founder of judo, World Judo Day is an opportunity to celebrate all that judo offers beyond just sport.
Both on and off the mat we learn together, share experiences, create memories and forge friendships all across the globe. We’re very fortunate to have such a wonderful community at EdinburghJudo, with members of all ages and abilities making the club such a great place to be!
Although it may be getting chilly outside, there's no time to cool off as we head into November, as there's plenty of events lined up that will keep the action coming in thick and fast at EdinburghJudo!
We have our squad and junior gradings fast approaching, which you can book by clicking the button below. Everyone is working extra hard in their classes, practicing the skills that they will be demonstrating to the coaches on grading day in order to earn their next belt - always a very exciting time at the club.
Beyond the dojo, there's lots of competitive action scheduled throughout November: the Scottish National Closed Championships and National 1st Kyu & Dan Grading back-to-back at Ravenscraig, the Veteran World Championships in Paris, plus the Bonsai and Keizoku development events for our younger players to get a taste of competition.
Next month's round-up is sure to be a busy one, so keep an eye out on your emails!
See you then,
The EdinburghJudo Team ⛩️
