Judoist on track for nationals

It’s time to find out whether Jared Catholique-Bruyere’s remarkable story this season will have a happy ending.
The 16-year-old local judoist has pieced together a monumental season—and takes his unbeaten record to Toronto this week for the junior national championships running tomorrow through Saturday.
“I’m just concentrating on keeping it going,” Catholique-Bruyere said about his second trip to the nationals, after being runner-up in the 81-plus kg division last year in Edmonton.
“This year, the difference is I’m fighting harder,” he noted. “Last year, I didn’t want it as much and wasn’t enthusiastic about it. This year, I have a lot more energy, and having my coach there [Chuck McDonald] this time will be cool.”
The superlatives run low when discussing Catholique-Bruyere’s season to date. He pocketed titles at the St. Boniface Open, the Selkirk Open, the Ontario Open, and the Mid-Atlantic Martial Arts Championship.
He also captured the junior provincial crown, and defeated long-time rival Mike Grunberg of Ajax twice in clinching a berth on the Canada Winter Games team.
To top it off, Catholique-Bruyere won three matches in a combined total of less than five minutes to grab the gold medal at the Games in Bathurst-Campbellton, N.B.
His three victories during the team competition helped Ontario win the silver in that event.
“I’ve thought about hard it would be if I lost at nationals after winning at the Canada Winter Games,” said Catholique-Bruyere. “I lost last year and was so close. This is something I really want.
“There’s lots of pressure. It’s nerve-wracking. You don’t want to lose the [unbeaten] streak now,” he remarked.
Catholique-Bruyere expects to meet some familiar faces on the mat at the nationals, as each province will send two fighters from each weight division (as opposed to only one at the Canada Winter Games).
“I’m hoping for top three, and I’m really hoping for first,” he said. “I can’t really predict how I’m going to do, though, as I don’t know who’s all going to be there.
“But I don’t think there will be a letdown after winning at the [Canada Winter] Games,” he added.