One of the cool things about going to a National event is that you can meet and sometimes even train with some of the superstars of American judo.
Last year at the Senior Nationals in Texas, I got to meet Jimmy Pedro Jr., a two-time Olympic Bronze medalist and coach of some of the most successful American judo competitors of the last three Olympic cycles. He was just hanging out at the Hatashita Sports booth next to the competition floor, so I took this picture with him in between my two matches.
Following the Nationals this year, there will be a 3-day Brian Olson judo clinic. Olson is a four-time Olympian and World bronze medalist. You can go one, two, or all three days. This is a great way to increase your “mat time per dollar spent” – a formula you should consider when travelling for judo, which I learned from the great Serge Bouyssou, another uber-successful judo coach based in Rhode Island.
You can also use this clinic to mentally justify staying in Las Vegas for another day or two after the tournament 🙂
