Judokas strike gold in Thunder Bay

With their largest contingent travelling to an out-of-town competition this season, the Fort Frances Judo Club also had one of their most successful–with four different judokas bringing home gold medals.
Paul Dobransky continued his medal count by earning gold in the under-30 kg division and a silver in the under-34 kg category at the Thunder Bay Open last weekend.
David Mundle also had a strong meet, fighting his way to a gold medal in the under-56 kg division while also picking up a silver in the 60-kg one.
Cody Carmody picked up a gold in the under-22 kg division while David Fagerdahl topped the under-37 kg category.
Fabian Bird was the other local medal winner, earning bronze in the under-56 kg division.
John Grynol (under-49 kg), John Green (under-78 kg), and Tony Evans (under-81 kg) all finished in fourth place in their respective divisions.
Les Wiersema, an instructor here, said he felt it was one of the more positive meets for the local club in terms of medal count and participation.
He also said many of the competitors gained valuable experience–especially the older judokas who often have trouble finding adequate training partners.
“The seniors worked really hard [at the competition],” said Wiersema, himself a brown belt. “We’re proud of all of them. They all worked very hard.”
And competing against other top-notch opponents from elsewhere will go a long way in developing their skills and transforming them into even better fighters, Wiersema noted.
The meet attracted participants from as far away as Manitoba, southern Ontario, and the U.S. Those on hand also were able to take part in a training clinic that featured some of the top judokas in Canada.