News Articles/Reports
Subscribe to our Newsletter2011 USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships, Irving, Texas
USA Judo Junior Olympic National Championships
July 23-24, 2011
Irving, Texas
Ippon Judo Dojo, in Lakewood, WA brought home 6 medals from the USA Judo Jr. Olympic National Championships last weekend. Kiaya Van Scoyoc, age 15, won gold, and silvers went to eight-year-old Saisha Morales, eleven-year-old Isaac Harai, eleven-year-old Jasmine Parker-Borerro, fourteen-year-old Davon Johnson, and fifteen-year-old Patrick Mendiola.
Another local player, thirteen-year-old Brian Short of Bushikan Dojo in Puyallup, battled with his good friend Davon Johnson (mentioned above) and won the gold medal in their division.
LAKEWOOD JUDO KIDS TAKE FOUR NATIONAL GOLDS
USA Judo's Youth and Scholastic National Championships
April 2 & 3, 2011
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ippon Judo Dojo, a non-profit judo club that meets at the Lakewood Family YMCA in Lakewood, Washington, sent thirteen competitors to the USA Judo Youth and Scholastic National Championships last weekend, and came home with nine medals. Gold Medalists were Jasmine Parker-Borerro (11), Davon Johnson (14), Kiaya Van Scoyoc (15), and Patrick Mendiola (15). Saisha Morales (8), Tatiana Parker-Borerro (8), and Isaac Harai (11) came home with silver, while Thomas Ortega-Sedlacek (15) won a bronze and Kiaya Van Scoyoc won a bronze in an additional age category.
Patrick Mendiola stood out among the gold medalists, winning his first National gold while fighting up in the highest age category, IJF Junior. His outstanding attitude through the difficult climb to gold earned him the Best Sportsmanship Award for Day Two.
Kiaya Van Scoyoc (-70Kg) will represent the United States in the Cadet World Judo Championships on August 11-14, 2011 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Please contact Head Coach Jason Harai at (253) 228-7146 for more information.
USA Judo's Youth and Scholastic National Championships
April 2 & 3, 2011
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Ippon Judo Dojo, a non-profit judo club that meets at the Lakewood Family YMCA in Lakewood, Washington, sent thirteen competitors to the USA Judo Youth and Scholastic National Championships last weekend, and came home with nine medals. Gold Medalists were Jasmine Parker-Borerro (11), Davon Johnson (14), Kiaya Van Scoyoc (15), and Patrick Mendiola (15). Saisha Morales (8), Tatiana Parker-Borerro (8), and Isaac Harai (11) came home with silver, while Thomas Ortega-Sedlacek (15) won a bronze and Kiaya Van Scoyoc won a bronze in an additional age category.
Patrick Mendiola stood out among the gold medalists, winning his first National gold while fighting up in the highest age category, IJF Junior. His outstanding attitude through the difficult climb to gold earned him the Best Sportsmanship Award for Day Two.
Kiaya Van Scoyoc (-70Kg) will represent the United States in the Cadet World Judo Championships on August 11-14, 2011 in Kiev, Ukraine.
Please contact Head Coach Jason Harai at (253) 228-7146 for more information.
2007 Pan - American Games Judo Championships, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Travis Stevens with a throw @ the Pan Am Games
Travis with his Pan Am Games Gold Medal
Three National Champions from Lakewood Judo Team
Posted by Ben Sclair · August 6, 2009
Ippon Judo Dojo at the Lakewood Family YMCA took a team of eight competitors to the USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships in Orlando, Fla., last weekend, and brought home seven medals.
Gold medals were awarded to first-time National competitor Tatiana Borrero-Parker, 7, now four-time National Champion Isaac Harai, 9, along with Davon Johnson, 12. Silver medals were awarded to Jasmine Borrero-Parker, 9, Lahna Harai, 7, and Kiaya Van Scoyoc, 13. Patrick Mendiola, 13, took home a bronze medal.
The victory was especially sweet for Davon Johnson, whose previous three attempts at a National title resulted in fourth place finishes.
“He wanted this bad,” says coach Jason Harai. “Davon was hungry for that gold medal. He never stopped working hard all these years, and I could really see that desire and dedication during our Junior Olympic Training Camp and all the extra practices our National Team had. He went all-out, all the time.”
Ippon Judo Dojo offers coed classes for students 6 to adult. We encourage families to join and participate in judo together. All ages are welcome to join judo just for fun or to get in better shape and to learn.
Seattle Times
LOCAL BOY WINS GOLD AT JUDO JR. US OPEN
July 28-29, 2007
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Young judo players from fourteen countries participated in the USA Judo Jr. U.S. Open Judo Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Among them was Isaac Harai, 7, of Ippon Judo Dojo in Lakewood, WA. Isaac’s last match, against the fighter from Barbados, was his closest, but he managed to protect his lead, winning the gold medal.
Several of Isaac’s teammates also medaled. Mychayla Villani (9) and Anthony Haskins (18) took silver, and Christian Villani (10) took bronze.
Other medalists from the Northwest include Eric Soler (12) of Emerald City Judo in Redmond and Austin Hronek (14) of Obukan Dojo in Portland, who both placed third.
Seattle Times
LOCAL JUDO TEAM STANDS OUT AT JUNIOR OLYMPICS
July 21-22, 2007,
San Antonio, Texas
As the 2007 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships got underway, the team from Ippon Judo Dojo, of Lakewood Washington, broke into cheers at the announcement that their alumni, Travis Stevens of Tacoma, competing on the same day at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, had just won the gold medal. Inspired by this news, the team of nine from Ippon Judo Dojo, Stevens’s home town dojo, then went on to win an amazing five Junior Olympic gold medals and three silvers.
On day one, fourteen-year-old Joshua Villani, who beat the previous year’s quadruple crown winner and took the gold (Boys Juvenile A, 53 kg), was recognized as that day’s Outstanding Judoka (the equivalent of an MVP) by USA Judo. The highlight of day two was seventeen-year-old Jared Sterling’s win over Aaron Kunihiro, a two-time Senior National Champion, in the Boys IJF Junior 60 kg division. Sterling’s spectacular leg picks earned him the Best Technique award for the day by USA Judo.
Other gold medal winners were seven-year-old Isaac Harai (Boys Bantam 3, 23 kg), ten-year-old Christian Villani (Boys Intermediate 2, 34 kg), and seven-year-old Jasmine Parker-Borrero (Girls Bantam 2, 30 kg). Taking the silver were nine-year-old Mychayla Villani (Girls Intermediate 1, 30 kg), eleven-year-old Kiaya Van Scoyoc (Girls Intermediate 2, 60 kg), and eighteen-year-old Anthony Haskins (Boys IJF Junior, +100 kg), who is also this year’s USA Judo Collegiate National Champion.
Ippon Judo Dojo’s head coach, Jason Harai says, “I expected our team to do well, but this weekend’s performance was like a dream. These kids all worked hard, and it’s nice to see that paying off.”
Jared Sterling, Joshua Villani, Christian Villani, Mychayla Villani, and Isaac Harai aren’t done yet. They will represent the United States in the USA Judo Junior U.S. Open, in Fort Lauderdale, FL this weekend, July 28-29. Coach Harai says, “I look forward to seeing what these kids can do on the international level.”
Posted by Ben Sclair · August 6, 2009
Ippon Judo Dojo at the Lakewood Family YMCA took a team of eight competitors to the USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships in Orlando, Fla., last weekend, and brought home seven medals.
Gold medals were awarded to first-time National competitor Tatiana Borrero-Parker, 7, now four-time National Champion Isaac Harai, 9, along with Davon Johnson, 12. Silver medals were awarded to Jasmine Borrero-Parker, 9, Lahna Harai, 7, and Kiaya Van Scoyoc, 13. Patrick Mendiola, 13, took home a bronze medal.
The victory was especially sweet for Davon Johnson, whose previous three attempts at a National title resulted in fourth place finishes.
“He wanted this bad,” says coach Jason Harai. “Davon was hungry for that gold medal. He never stopped working hard all these years, and I could really see that desire and dedication during our Junior Olympic Training Camp and all the extra practices our National Team had. He went all-out, all the time.”
Ippon Judo Dojo offers coed classes for students 6 to adult. We encourage families to join and participate in judo together. All ages are welcome to join judo just for fun or to get in better shape and to learn.
Seattle Times
LOCAL BOY WINS GOLD AT JUDO JR. US OPEN
July 28-29, 2007
Fort Lauderdale, FL
Young judo players from fourteen countries participated in the USA Judo Jr. U.S. Open Judo Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Among them was Isaac Harai, 7, of Ippon Judo Dojo in Lakewood, WA. Isaac’s last match, against the fighter from Barbados, was his closest, but he managed to protect his lead, winning the gold medal.
Several of Isaac’s teammates also medaled. Mychayla Villani (9) and Anthony Haskins (18) took silver, and Christian Villani (10) took bronze.
Other medalists from the Northwest include Eric Soler (12) of Emerald City Judo in Redmond and Austin Hronek (14) of Obukan Dojo in Portland, who both placed third.
Seattle Times
LOCAL JUDO TEAM STANDS OUT AT JUNIOR OLYMPICS
July 21-22, 2007,
San Antonio, Texas
As the 2007 USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships got underway, the team from Ippon Judo Dojo, of Lakewood Washington, broke into cheers at the announcement that their alumni, Travis Stevens of Tacoma, competing on the same day at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, had just won the gold medal. Inspired by this news, the team of nine from Ippon Judo Dojo, Stevens’s home town dojo, then went on to win an amazing five Junior Olympic gold medals and three silvers.
On day one, fourteen-year-old Joshua Villani, who beat the previous year’s quadruple crown winner and took the gold (Boys Juvenile A, 53 kg), was recognized as that day’s Outstanding Judoka (the equivalent of an MVP) by USA Judo. The highlight of day two was seventeen-year-old Jared Sterling’s win over Aaron Kunihiro, a two-time Senior National Champion, in the Boys IJF Junior 60 kg division. Sterling’s spectacular leg picks earned him the Best Technique award for the day by USA Judo.
Other gold medal winners were seven-year-old Isaac Harai (Boys Bantam 3, 23 kg), ten-year-old Christian Villani (Boys Intermediate 2, 34 kg), and seven-year-old Jasmine Parker-Borrero (Girls Bantam 2, 30 kg). Taking the silver were nine-year-old Mychayla Villani (Girls Intermediate 1, 30 kg), eleven-year-old Kiaya Van Scoyoc (Girls Intermediate 2, 60 kg), and eighteen-year-old Anthony Haskins (Boys IJF Junior, +100 kg), who is also this year’s USA Judo Collegiate National Champion.
Ippon Judo Dojo’s head coach, Jason Harai says, “I expected our team to do well, but this weekend’s performance was like a dream. These kids all worked hard, and it’s nice to see that paying off.”
Jared Sterling, Joshua Villani, Christian Villani, Mychayla Villani, and Isaac Harai aren’t done yet. They will represent the United States in the USA Judo Junior U.S. Open, in Fort Lauderdale, FL this weekend, July 28-29. Coach Harai says, “I look forward to seeing what these kids can do on the international level.”
