For most of our Invermere Judo Club members, new and returning, judo began on September 15th.

However, for three of us, it began the last week of August. Emma Norquay, Marcia Paget and I went to Oyama (in the Okanagan region) for a girls’ judo camp.

The high calibre of instructors was amazing. We had the 2014 Master’s World Champion and six-time Canadian Master’s Champion, Kathy Hubble; the former provincial head coach and Level 3 certified coach, Renee Hock; a retired RCMP officer and National A Level Referee, Donna Hanson; the 2013 Senior Canadian Champion and 2014 Judo B.C. Athlete of the Year, Lisa Nadajima; and the current Team BC Coach and Level 3 certified coach, Aline Strasdin. These coaches shared with us many of the challenges they faced, their approaches to situations and advanced techniques.  The knowledge we gained has been invaluable! We look forward to sharing the information learned with our club members.

Judo practices times are Mondays, 5:45 to 6:30 p.m. for children age six to eight; and Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. for recreation judo. See you on the tatami!

This week’s column was written by Karen Sharp, Hermann Mauthner’s daugher, who is a 2nd degree Black Belt. To learn more about the Invermere Judo Club, visit invermerejudo.com or email invermerejudo@gmail.com.