Pinewood Judo Club recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary. Each year we hold an Annual Awards Dinner and normally the seating is for about 150 people. The 2002 Awards Dinner attracted 200 Judoka and Supporters covering the last 50 years. This number could have been far greater if the room had permitted. It was a great success and at times, quite emotional. Amongst those in attendance was one of our first ever Junior National Medallists Michael Courtney, who won Silver at the first ever Nationals in 1968 at the Crystal Palace.
I remember the year well because we won Gold by Stephen Hill and Silver from Michael. There were very few weight groups and it was for boys only, under 17 years old.
We have won medals each year since that date, except in 1973 when the event was missed out. You can imagine the tension around Pinewood is quite high as we approach November. In fact very few members, except me, can do anything right for some weeks before!
Past Judoka and Supporters from way back were in attendance at the dinner, from various parts of the World. Michael Mercieca, many will know him by his proper name Moose, travelled over from Austin Texas to be with us. He reckons it was the most expensive dinner he had ever attended. However I am glad he came because it fell to him to present me with my 7th Dan certificate.
I would like to thank everyone involved in making my 7th Dan happen, it is greatly appreciated and I have put the certificate up in the Club. I can now strut around as though I know what I am doing, or I would do if my bad knee didn’t restrict my naturally athletic movements.
In honour of this momentous occasion I have bought a new coat so you could have some difficulty in recognising me. It is now black and a new style, suitable for the next 50 years.
I was pleased to welcome Miriam Blasco who flew over from Spain just for the evening. Nik Fairbrother made it two Olympic medallists and Karen Roberts who fought in Sydney gave us quite a distinguished bunch of Olympians to brighten the evening. In addition we had all of our top fighters in attendance, truly a great moment for me and I was touched when I realised how far some had travelled to be there.
Another couple that I was very pleased to see and I thank them for making the long trek to Pinewood were Bob and Kim Willingham. Bob was good enough to take dozens of photographs, so the event may be mentioned in the World of Judo Magazine.
I would like to again, thank all the past Judoka, Parents and Supporters for their attendance. It gave the event an incredible atmosphere and proved I was right to include parents into the framework of the Club.
I believe I was one of the first Coaches to allow parents to sit and watch training sessions. In time I even involved them in the general running of the Club. Keeping them well away from the Judo side, of course.
It is this policy that has given us our own club and, due to my obstinacy, it has remained a Judo only facility ever since. No other sporting persuasion has ever been allowed to put their trotters on our mat. This means 24 hours a day the Tatami, weight training room, showers and sauna etc are available to our Judoka.
I have weakened and given them all a week off, although some have still been training over Christmas. Two even did a session on Christmas Day morning. I am writing this during the Christmas break, which means that good will towards Man and Officials, prevails. I have even decided not to put the World to rights, just yet!
Judo is a Great Sport; it has given me an enjoyable life. It is strange when you think that, one minute you are trying to get the better of someone and when that is finished, you can be the best of friends. I have met some very interesting people and made some good friends over the years, at home and abroad.
I do enjoy tournaments; after all success is the coach’s reward for getting something right. I think the coach should fight for his corner and get the best decision he can for his Judoka and club. Once the contest is finished, whatever the result, get on with supporting the next fighter. I hope I behave in this manner, but I suspect sometimes I do get a little excited.
Already I have ten contests lists up on the tournament notice board, if you are running an event and I usually enter your contests please post me an entry form early. This E, Mail business is all right, but I often forget to read the mail section for weeks on end.
I hope you all had a pleasant Christmas; I will finish this tirade by wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
Don Werner.
