2019 JUDO NS PROVINCIALS COACH'S REPORT

Fighting for SJK at the Nova Scotia Provincial Championships this weekend were:

Logan and Jackson MacMillan (LTAD), Livie Thoms, Bazyl Burns-Bahadur, Ella Thoms, Fraser Lake, Riley Nielsen, Sophie Nielsen, Lily Nielsen, Logan Wheeliker, Isaac Fillmore, Kadin Areny, Kandice Verge, Logan Cook, Connor Kavanaugh, Noah Hardy, Sophie Lake, Rachel Lake, Leland Bishop, Tyler Verge, Chris Cormier and Mark Hill.

Livie Thoms- This was Livie's first ever tournament outside of LTAD and she killed it! She had a big division which gave her so many great fights; Livie brought home her first silver medal.

Bazyl Burns-Bahadur- Bazyl had a long day with some tough fights, against both: people he knew, and people he didn't. In the end he brought home a bronze medal

Ella Thoms- Ella fought in a mixed boys and girls division. After her first two fights Ella unfortunately had to pull out due to a stomach ache.

Fraser Lake- After a minor setback with finding a gi to fit him, Fraser went in with great energy and a positive attitude; overall it was a great learning experience for Fraser.

Riley Nielsen- This was Riley's very first tournament, she was fearless going into her fights with a more experienced opponent, and came out with her first ever silver medal

Sophie and Lily Nielsen- This was also the twins very first tournament and they absolutely blew my mind! I've yet to see anyone so calm on tournament day, win or lose nothing fazed them. You girls better get used to fighting each other, I think you're going to be the same size forever.

Logan Wheeliker, Kadin Areny, Isaac Fillmore- As usual, these guys got to fight each other, with one other judoka thrown in. Every time they fight one another, it's a guessing game of which way the fight might go. When fighting each other I have no choice but to sit in the middle quietly and watch it unfold, each fight is what I would consider a perfect match!

Logan Cook- Logan had a large category that seemed to grow everytime we turned our heads; his fights were tough but he held out and it often came down to a judges decision. Logan displayed true class on the mats every time he fought.

Kandice and Tyler Verge, Sophie and Rachel Lake- These ladies got thrown all together with one other judoka into a huge mashed up category. They sure put on an exciting couple of matches and I finally got to watch Kandice beat her rival, not once but twice. Kandice took home a brand new shiny gold medal to add to her collection; Tyler, a bronze; Rachel, a bronze.

Connor Kavanaugh- Connor crushed his competition, literally. Connor had some tough competition, but once it came down to ne waza, they didn't stand a chance. He took home a gold medal.

Noah Hardy- Noah came into the day ready to fight, and that's exactly what he did; Noah was another one who got beat his rival. Each of Noah's fights showed me different skills I didn't even know he had. Noah brought home yet another gold medal

Leland Bishop- Leland was fighting in a category above his own but you would've never known. As the day went on, he nerves wore off and by the time he was on the mats he was ready; calm, cool, and collected. By the end of it all he brought home a silver medal

Chris Cormier and Mark Hill- Fighting each other and one other judoka these guys put on a great show; as they often have to fight each other, they always pull off different things I never expect to see. Chris took home a gold, and Mark a bronze.

Sunday Mark and I attended a training camp at TNT, put on by provincial coach Charlene Tanner. It was an awesome experience, training with people we wouldn't normally get to train with and a good time had by all!

Being the lone coach this weekend with two mat surfaces, sometimes it happens that both mats have SJK athletes fighting at the same time, and I have to make the decision on my toes of where I'm going. Fortunately for me, when I'm not there, my teammates take over. While I was sitting in the chair on one mat, I glanced over to see what was happening with another one of our athletes on the other mat; sitting all around the chair were many of our own, coming together to coach their teammates through victories and losses. You all make me indescribably proud.

Coach Abbi

Team Judo Kai