Mr Gleeson Reports On The Recent IAPS National Judo Finals

The Championships were back after a two-year break due to the covid. Hazlegrove raised a team of six girls, Esme, Polly, Livia, Sophia, Yeva, and Isla (a seasoned old hand, the only one with experience of this event in this group) to go and represent the school, as so many have done in the past!

It was a difficult competition, most of the girls having little to no experience of this kind of thing. They all went at it with great spirit. There were a few knockbacks, defeats are always a painful experience but not one, let that dampen their ardour! Esme went out first and won her fight in great style, followed by Polly, also winning! We were off to a great start.

Each girl didn’t let the pressure of the day get to them, soldiering on, often going against the same opponent more than once, watched by an audience of over a hundred parents and coaches, officials, and referees. A very pressured experience!

To illustrate the mettle of the girls involved, at one point Esme and Polly were pitted against each other. The knowledge they have of each other, due to training at school, made things particularly tricky. They spent the whole match laughing as they vied for an advantage to win the bout! This is the only time in the fifty-odd years I’ve observed judo competitions that I have ever seen both competitors laughing! A special experience, a historic one in fact! Livia, in her turn, a very strong judo player from our school club, was a real stalwart of the team. It didn’t matter to her what happened, she was there and did herself and the school proud!

The other girls of the senior devision went out as they were called, fighting hard against each adversary! With the maturity of the seniors, the intensity also increases massively! Isla was the first one to win, a consummate victory. Nothing less than I would expect from such an experienced player! Soon, Yeva was called on to fight Isla, our two strongest judoka! Each strong, each determined. Isla, came out on top. In the lull following that match, she said to me, “I don’t think I can beat Yeva again if I have to fight her again”. This is exactly what happened and she proved herself wrong. This is to take nothing away from Yeva, who went into every bout with a spirit that was faultless. Definitely, someone to watch for next year’s competitions!

Sophia, our final backstop in the team, cool, calm, and focused, sat, quietly waiting for her turn, watching everything that went on. Completely non-phased by any of it. Nothing seemed to ruffle her. When the medals were given out, she took her place on the podium, coming away with a bronze medal!

All the girls and the school should be proud of the efforts the girls made at the weekend! Six girls, six medals! A profoundly outstanding achievement! I am so very proud of them all! But also I feel we must take a moment to thank the parents of the girls, transporting them across the country supporting the players, not only their own but the girls from both age groups! It was a real “team” effort! I was so happy to be a part of it! The enthusiasm of the parents was so refreshing, they really seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience! Thank you so much to them!

Lastly, I would also like to say, a big ‘thank you' to all the judo students even those who didn’t go!  They helped a great deal with the preparation for the event. Also, the school staff for arranging, coordinating, and communicating with all involved, it couldn’t have happened without their support! And finally once again the parents for their generosity and support!  I had such a lovely day and feel so very proud of everyone’s achievements! Well done to the Hazlegrove girl’s team!!

Mr Gleeson