Club Sports at USAFA?

Could any mods waive the message requirement for PM for Rlo93? Don't want to post contact info where everyone can see it.
 
Actually, it looks like I can get PMs once I’ve posted five messages…just registered earlier today…so please indulge me in posting a couple more…
 
I’m keen to hear from any cadets who are doing judo. Curious where the dojo is—last time I was there it was tucked away in some corner somewhere. Way different from when I was a cadet!
 
Main reason things were different back then was that Lt Col Paul Maruyama from the Athletic Dept was the team coach (back then judo was a regular seasonal sport/team, not a club). “The Coach” as he was known, was a member of the first U.S. Olympic Judo team in 1964, and he subsequently coached the 1980 and 1984 Olympic judo teams while on active duty assigned to the Academy. This might seem odd today, but judo had a huge following in the US Armed Forces—and particularly in the AF—after the war.

I’m any case, nobody was going to mess with The Coach! We had a big room in the corner of what used to be the main weightlifting room in the gym. He retired from Active Duty when I was a doolie but would still come down once a week or so to mop the floor with us youngin’s…while complaining about being ‘out of shape’! It was really an honor to learn from him. I even asked him to commission me at graduation. He’s still in Colorado Springs, teaching at Colorado College…and getting up there in years too!

About a year after he left, they stuck us in a converted racquetball court and things continued to go downhill from there. They made us a club sport, which put us on par with the chess club, and money to go to competitions got tighter. It was kinda the end of an era. Hope things have turned the corner now, 30 years later.
 
And while I’m at it, one more post on the AF’s historical connection with Judo. Quoting below from Gen Curtis LeMay’s Wikipedia page. For those of you who don’t know yet, LeMay was was a storied AF general who wrapped up his career as Chief of Staff, and is buried at the Academy’s cemetery. He’s perhaps best known for his tenure as commander of Strategic Air Command (where, among other things, he promoted judo as a combat sport among bomber crews):

Judo's resurgence after the war was due primarily to two individuals, Kyuzo Mifuneand Curtis LeMay. The pre-war death of Jigorō Kanō ("the father of judo"), wartime demands on the Japanese, their surrender, postwar occupation, and the martial-arts ban[70] all contributed to a time of uncertainty for judo. As assistant to General Douglas MacArthur during the occupation of Japan, LeMay made practicing judo a routine part of Air Force tours of duty in Japan. Many Americans brought home stories of a "tiny old man" (Mifune) throwing down healthy, young men without any apparent effort. LeMay became a promoter of judo training and provided political support for judo in the early years after the war. For this, he was awarded the license of Shihan. In addition, LeMay promoted judo within the armed forces of the United States.[71]
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This explains why the oldest judo association in the US—USJA—had its roots in the armed forces, and was originally the Armed Forces Judo Association.

Ok, enough with the history lessons! Hope at least one of you learned something interesting and useful.
 
Rlo93 said:
I’m keen to hear from any cadets who are doing judo. Curious where the dojo is—last time I was there it was tucked away in some corner somewhere. Way different from when I was a cadet!
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DS is in the Judo club, he is a C3C and joined second semester last year. I asked if they have met this year and he says they have not started yet. I’ll try to get some contact info for you. They do have an Instagram account usafa_judo
 
FH76 said:
DS is in the Judo club, he is a C3C and joined second semester last year. I asked if they have met this year and he says they have not started yet. I’ll try to get some contact info for you. They do have an Instagram account usafa_judo
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Thanks FH76!—Will check out the Instagram account.
 
Went to a judo try out on Thurs ( and will be returning). We're tucked away in one of the combative rooms at least right now. By the spin room on second floor.
 
FlyFalcon said:
Went to a judo try out on Thurs ( and will be returning). We're tucked away in one of the combative rooms at least right now. By the spin room on second floor.
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Very cool! Out of curiosity, how many cadets showed up?
 
Rlo93 said:
Very cool! Out of curiosity, how many cadets showed up?
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There were 3 females including myself, one upperclassman and two doolies. There was about 15 guys, so a decent size. We filled the area we were rolling in. I believe we had 4 cadets leading and showing how to fall/ different moves.
 
Rlo93 said:
Wow that’s awesome! Glad to hear there were some women there too…more would be better.
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I agree, especially because when I was paired with a guy they seemed hesitant to perform the moves, even when it wasn't a full move. I'm used to an almost all male gym for Jiu jetsu so getting tossed and pinned by guys is normal for me.

Had to tell them over and over to commit to the move. If you throw or pin me correctly, I can react correctly and no one gets injured. If you do it with too little force I could get injured as the move isn't designed that way. At least that's my view.
 
FlyFalcon said:
I agree, especially because when I was paired with a guy they seemed hesitant to perform the moves, even when it wasn't a full move. I'm used to an almost all male gym for Jiu jetsu so getting tossed and pinned by guys is normal for me.

Had to tell them over and over to commit to the move. If you throw or pin me correctly, I can react correctly and no one gets injured. If you do it with too little force I could get injured as the move isn't designed that way. At least that's my view.
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Totally agree with you FlyFalcon. I started judo when I was 8yo and got my butt kicked by a girl (for the first time) when I was 10. Good lesson to learn at a young age—gender doesn’t matter on the matt…only technique. Just keep kickin some butt and the slow ones will learn!
 
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