Irving Texas, July 22-23, 2011
Suzuran Judo sent three athletes to compete at the 2011 Junior Olympics in Irving, Texas:
- Emil Tapper (8)
- Thomas Chisholm (16)
- Daniel Chisholm (18)
Traveling Day, July 21, 2011
The athletes saw an early morning on Thursday July 21 flying from Colorado to Texas. Stepping out at the Dallas-Forth Worth airport was an experience in itself… the heat was incredible.
Once at the hotel, it was time for Emil and Thomas to registeer and weigh-in. Thomas, who arrived earlier in the day, had to stand in line for hours before he finally could step on the scale showing that he made weight to compete in the 66 kg division. Emil, who arrived later in the day, had an easier time in his registration making weight to compete in the 26 kg division.
For Emil and Thomas, the evening included some relaxing time in the pool and a quick bite to eat. Meanwhile, Sensei Jeff spent his time with the other coaches overlooking the draw for the 850-some athletes that were scheduled to compete the next day. This process was long and did not complete until after 1 AM in the morning.
Once the draw was complete, we learned that Thomas’ division included 11 athletes while Emil’s division included 21 atlethes. Rarely do we see tournaments of this size.
Day 1: July 22, 2011
Thomas Chisholm
Both Emil and Thomas competed on Mat 5 Day 1. Thomas’ division ran in Session 1 while Emil’s division ran in Session 3. That’s right, yet another tournament where younger athletes have to wait all day to compete! This makes absolutely no sense as it affects these young athletes negatively.
Thomas first match was the third match on the mat and he started the day with a nice throw for a Yuko followed by a strong pin winning the match on Ippon. The second match saw Thomas blocking several throw attempts from his opponent after which Thomas starting to increase the intensity level. After another blocked throw attempt, Thomas’ opponent found himself in a position no one wants to be in… Thomas applying a choke. A few seconds later, the choke has done its job with the opponent tapping.
The third match includes a solid throw for what looked like a clear Ippon. Unfortunately, the opponent spun so fast that the Ippon was waived off. Thomas continued to show case his ability to block any throw from his opponent while attempting throws himself. One of the throws awards Thomas a Yuko, which eventually wins the match.
The fourth match is a short with Thomas’ opponent being blocked when trying a throw. Thomas tries a throw himself, which lands him a position for a choke ending the match. After the match, it turns out that his opponent has twisted his knee. We never want to see an opponent being hurt so we hope for a quick recovery.
To this point, Thomas hasn’t even lost a point or received a penalty. Now, it’s time for a match for the gold!
The opponent in the fifth match is Jack Hatton from the Jason Morris Judo Center, Glenville in New York. Thomas continues to show off his capabilities to block throws. Strangely, Thomas gets penalized for stepping out of bounds several times but the video shows that his foot is still within bounds. Clearly, the referee wasn’t clear that both feet have to be outside the contest area for a Shido to be called. Thomas does get a Yuko but loses the match on penalties. To quote Mark Hatton, Jack’s dad: “Thomas got robbed on the match.”
However, the day isn’t over because the tournament is run as a true double elimination. Now, both Thomas and Jack have lost one match each. This means that they have fight each another once again.. this time truly for the gold.
Match 6 becomes a tactical affair with Thomas blocking throw attempts. The only point in the match is a Yuko awarded to Thomas after a counter to a counter. The match ends with Thomas running out the clock by staying active on the ground. Thomas won the gold in the 66 kilos class at the 2011 Junior Olympics!
Most amazingly, no opponent was able to throw Thomas or even score a single technical point. US Judo might not have known who Thomas Chisholm was before this tournament but they certainly do now!
Sitting with Thomas, it took a good 10 minutes before the whole thing sank in… suddenly, Thomas face lit up in a huge grin. Priceless.
-66 Kg
- CHISHOLM Thomas
- HATTON Jack
- SKIFF Eric
Videos:
Emil Tapper
After a long wait, it was finally Emil’s time to compete around 4:30 PM. Luckily, Corbin Mallo from Northglenn was competing in the same division so the two high energy boys were able to be bored together.
The first match shows how much Emil’s Randori has improved as Emil is now blocking many grip attempts and stepping around throws. For some reason, Emil isn’t pulling guard on the ground going to the knees instead… more to work on there. The match goes full time and golden score, which Emil unfortunately loses on a Yuko.
The second match is against what looks like a wrestler. The match goes back and forth with Emil again going to his knees rather than guard on the ground. The opponent is picking Emil’s leg on the ground, which is a move Emil hasn’t seen before (a new move to learn!) but figures out how to defend quickly. Emil is ahead on a Yuko at the end of the match where he pins his opponent in a side mount, which is a pin he never want to use in training. This time, he holds the pin for Ippon and wins the match.
The third match is a short one with Emil pretty much throwing himself awarding the opponent Ippon. With that, Emil’s day is over.
Per Sensei Jeff, Emil shows great improvement and that he really does belong at this level of competition. We will chalk this up in the experience column to compete another day.
Videos:
Celebration
With the end of Emil’s tournament, the team went out to celebrate Thomas’ gold at Benihana. It was a sight to see the boys gape over the show at the Hibachi table. 
For Emil, the day ended with a lot of time in the pool, which he truly enjoys. He slept well that night.
Day 2: July 22, 2011
Dan Chisholm
Dan’s matches took place on Mat1.
Unfortunately, the camera man for the day was trying to watch Mary’s first match so most of Dan’s first match was missed… all but the final Ippon that won the match for Dan. (Dan’s match is in the background of the video).
Dan’s second match started out well. Unfortunate, Dan accidentally does an illegal move with his leg and gets disqualified for both the match and the tournament. Sometimes, the margins aren’t on your side. Clearly, there’s no intent in Dan’s move as showed in the video… Dan doesn’t even know that it happened.
A very upsetting end for the Suzuran team. We will learn and come back stronger than ever!
Videos:
Other Day 2 Matches
Representing the OTC, Josh Brown and Mary Decker also fought on Day Two. Josh lost his first match, won two just to lose the fourth match. Mary lost her first match, won the second match, and lost her third match. Neither Josh nor Mary placed.
Closing Remarks
We are, of course, extremely proud over Thomas’ gold medal but also Emil’s valiant efforts. Our heart goes out to Dan with the hope that he’ll be back for another tournament or two before it’s time for Marine boot camp.
Overall, the hard training that preceeded this tournament was extremely helpful for our athletes. The team that has trained with Dan, Emil, and Thomas deserve a lot of recognition for helping our three boys prepare for this tournament. The Suzuran team is growing and we hope that more of our athletes will be found competing on a mat close to you in the near future.
Happy throwing!
Picture Gallery
Some pictures from the tournament. Photos from Thomas’ matches courtesy of Hector Santiago Jr.
Still, Dalton wins the match on a pin for Ippon.
