Judokas hitting mat for another season

The Fort Frances Judo Club is back on the mat for another season.
With 47 judokas registered, and another 30 on the waiting list, the local club is having success in both numbers and the quality of athletes it is producing at the competitive level.
Head instructor Delbert Deschamps, who will be taking over on a full-time basis this season while Frank King takes a leave of absence, said the club has its usual mix of competitive and recreational judokas back practising each Monday and Thursday in the old Filmore building on First Street East.
“Usually we average around 50 a year, and we have most of the people back from last year,” said Deschamps, in his seventh season of teaching judo.
“Some kids moved on to school and some of the younger ones moved away but for the most part everyone’s back,” he noted. “We only have seven or eight new ones this year.”
Of the competitive judokas back for another season, several will be looking to improve even more at meets. In fact, a handful of senior competitors trained during the summer months and were graded.
“We move them higher in their endurance and their level of techniques, and we teach them different techniques,” said Deschamps, a black belt along with his son, Billy, and newcomer Chuck McDonald, who joined the club late last season.
“The calibre of their training increases and we work them harder because that’s what they’ll have to do to get better,” he stressed.
The club will be hosting a mini tournament for its beginners sometime in the new year, said Deschamps, adding club members also will be competing at out-of-town tournaments.
“There’s always a tournament to go to each week in places like Selkirk, Winnipeg, Brandon, or Thunder Bay,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Deschamps also said he’s been impressed so far with the involvement of the parents, who either stay to watch their kids or have decided to try the sport themselves.
“I see more parents getting involved and watching what their kids are doing the majority of the time,” he remarked.
Bob Dobransky, whose son, Paul, is one of the club’s top competitors at tournaments, said he decided to join for several reasons.
“I basically got involved to keep in shape because it’s good exercise and it’s a fun sport,” he noted. “And it gives me a chance to learn the sport so I can help Paul train and work on his moves as he gets older.”