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Results of the New York Open Team Judo Championship
1st – GERMANY
2nd - USA
3rd - CANADA
4th – ITALY


NEW YORK, NY – On Sunday, March 6, 2011, The New York Athletic Club hosted the first ever New York Open Team Judo Championship, a showdown of Canada, Germany, Italy and USA. The teams in the Judo tournament included some of the strongest players in the world, featuring World and Olympic competitors as well as numerous national champions. The tournament was sponsored by Film Annex and the New York Athletic Club and was sanctioned by USAJudo, the national governing body for the sport of Judo.

RESULTS:
1st - GERMANY
2nd - USA
3rd - CANADA
4th – ITALY

Team Judo competitions are very popular in Europe and Asia, drawing thousands of fans and colorful non-traditional Judogi's. Team Judo competition encourages audience participation and offers cash prizes to the winning team, and in this tournament the teams were vying for a $2,000 cash prize that accompanied the gold medals. The athletes competed in front of a large and vocal New York crowd with many Judo fans watching the action. DJ Mark LaRush rocked the house throughout the event, pumping the crowd up with music. Live commentary during the matches was provided by five-time national champion Carrie Chandler.

Legendary tennis great Billie Jean King and founder of the Women's Sport's Foundation presented the 2011 Rusty Kanokogi Award grant to judoka Hana Carmichael, and acknowledged the 2009 award grant to judoka Kayla Harrison. In presenting the Rusty Kanokogi Award, Ms. King spoke of her friend Rusty as the heart and soul of women's judo. The Rusty Kanokogi Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation was created for the advancement of U.S. Women’s Judo and helps U.S. female judo practitioners financetravel and training. The award was named for Rusty Kanokogi, a pioneer of women's judo, who paved the way for thousands of women and girls into the sport. She is credited for helping bring women's judo into the Olympic Games in 1988, and played a great role in the development of the sport through her tireless devotion to judo.

Once the matches began, the action was fast and furious, with Team Germany defeating Team Canada and Team USA defeating Team Italy. In the semi-finals, Team Germany defeated Team Italy, and Team USA defeated Team Canada, which set up a gold medal showdown of Team USA versus Team Germany.

Team Germany's Coach was two-time New York Open Champion Toni Lettner, and Team USA's Coach was Jimmy Pedro, World Champion, two-time Olympic Medalist and the Coach of the 2012 US Olympic Judo team.

In the 66kg division, 2010 Pan American Champion Brad Bolen started Team USA off strong by pinning Danny Wallach for ippon, which drew whistles and cheers from the crowd and earned him a standing ovation.

In the 73kg division, Nick Delpopolo and a tough German opponent Stefan Kneitinger, ending their match in a scoreless draw.

Moving into the 81kg division, 2008 US Olympian Travis Stevens defeated his German opponent Robert Gess by wazari and moved Team USA into a comfortable 2-0 lead.

In the 90kg division, Team Germany sent out Rene Kirsten to take on Garry St. Leger of Team USA. St. Leger was the local crowd favorite all day, as he hails from New York City. However, the crowd couldn't will him to victory, as the powerful Kirsten slammed St. Leger with Uchimata, making the score 2-1 in favor of Team USA going into the 5th and final match.

In the +90kg division, American Kyle Vashkulat had sustained an injury earlier in the day when fighting the Italian. With no alternate in his division to replace him, Vashkulat decided to gut it out to try and secure the win for the Americans. In what became the match of the tournament, Vashkulat and Dominik Gerzer thrilled the crowd with high in the air powerful attacks.

At one point in the match, Vashkulat appeared to have won when Gerzer attempted a sacrifice throw and landed with severe force on his back. Both corner Judges called ippon for Vashkulat, but the referees were called off the mat by the Jury, and the ippon was waived off. This decision drove the audience into a frenzy, and the match was still scoreless with the fifth and final minute approaching.

When Vashkulat attempted a throw, Gerzer lifted him high in the air with a counter-attack that took them all the way off the mat. Team Germany and its fans were delighted. Vashkulat's back hit the wood floor fifteen feet from the contest area with a thud that shook the building. All eyes then turned to the corner judge, who stretched his arm out straight, deeming the throw started in-bounds, and the referee called ippon, giving the win and the gold medal to the Team Germany. A stunned Team USA watched as Team Germany swarmed the mat and lifted Gerzer high into the air in celebration. The German cheering section in the crowd went wild, and cheers could be heard throughout the building.

Although both teams were tied with two wins each, because Team Germany won both of their matches by ippon and Team USA had one ippon and one wazari, Team Germany was declared the winner.

Team Canada defeated Team Italy to take the bronze medal.

For more information about the New York Open Team Judo Championship, visit www.newyorkopenjudo.com or www.facebook.com/NewYorkOpenJudo.

The entire New York Open Team Judo Championship was filmed by Film Annex, who is airing the event on their website www.judoarts.com.

Watching a Judo Competition

After a ceremonial bow, each judo match begins with each opponent grabbing each other by collars and sleeve of the judo uniform, the judogi. The objective of the match is to score an "ippon," which wins the match – this is akin to a knockout in boxing or a pin in wrestling. Scoring an ippon can occur from a) throwing the opponent to the ground so he lands on his shoulder or back; b) pinning him to the ground on his back for a length of time; or c) subduing him in a choke, strangle hold or armlock. Any of these score ippon and win the match. Although an ippon is the objective, there are also partial points scored during the match. Points can be awarded when a variety of throws or blocks are successfully accomplished. At the end of the match, the highest quality score wins.

About Judo

Judo debuted as an official Olympic sport in 1964 and is practiced by millions of people throughout the world today. The discipline of Judo is a Japanese martial art and combat sport that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Best known for stunning throws, Judo also involves much grappling on the ground like wrestling, using controlled holds, pins and arm locks.

Judo, translated as "gentle way," teaches balance, leverage and flexibility in performing throws and other skills, and helps to develop complete body control and fast reflexive action. Skill, technique and timing, rather than brute strength, are the essential ingredients for success in this sport. Worldwide, over 20 million people practice judo, with all age groups, both sexes and disabled persons all able to participate in learning and practicing in the sport.

Judo develops self-discipline and respect for oneself and others, and helps teach self-confidence, concentration and leadership skills. It's no coincidence that several world leaders have also studied Judo, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, former U.S. Senator of Colorado, Olympian Ben Campbell, and former President Theodore Roosevelt, as well as many celebrity judo practitioners, including director Guy Ritchie, actors Chuck Norris, James Cagney and Peter Sellers.

About Film Annex

Film Annex, an official sponsor of the event, is an online film distribution platform and Web TV Network with over 250,000 users and 1.5 million viewers a day. The company creates free Web TV channels for content providers and supports them financially through an ad-revenue sharing model. A meeting point for filmmakers, film festivals, film enthusiasts, companies, and organizations, Film Annex educates and entertains audiences by making meaningful, diverse, and high-quality films available to a global audience. Film Annex also supports athletes and Olympic sports like Judo and Fencing. For more information, www.filmannex.com.


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CONTACT:
Carrie Gray, New York Open Judo
Publicity.Judo@gmail.com