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Blind, Visually Impaired Judo Athletes to Compete in 15th Annual San Jose Buddhist Sensei Memorial Tournament
// U.S. Association of Blind Athletes
// February 2, 2007
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – On Sunday, Feb. 11, 13 of the USA's best blind and visually impaired judo athletes compete in San Jose, Calif., at the 15th Annual San Jose Buddhist Sensei Memorial Tournament. This tournament is one of two USA Judo Senior E-Level tournaments for blind and visually impaired athletes to accumulate points toward qualification for the 2007 International Blind Sport Association (IBSA) World Championships and the International Paralympic Committee Parapan American Games this summer, both qualifying tournaments for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.
“Competing against sighted athletes in this highly competitive tournament further prepares our blind and visually impaired athletes for national and international competitions,” said USABA Head Coach Willy Cahill. The second of the two Senior E-level qualifying tournaments will be the Northglenn Judo Championships in Northglenn, Colo., on April 7.
Sponsored by Tiger Claw, highlighting the USABA National Judo Team are Scott Moore (Englewood, Colo.) and Myles Porter (Toledo, Ohio). Moore, a veteran judo athlete, has competed and medaled in three Paralympic Games (Atlanta ’96 – bronze, Sydney ’00 – gold and Athens ’04 – bronze). Moore became the first judo athlete to win a gold medal for the United States in either Olympic or Paralympic competition. He was also the second ever visually impaired athlete to become nationally ranked among sighted athletes by USA Judo. Moore currently trains in both Denver, Colo. and at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
A newcomer to the USABA National Team, Myles Porter is a current Resident Athlete at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center, where he lives and trains full-time with the USA National Judo Team. Porter turned heads at his international debut during the 2006 IBSA World Championships, where he finished fifth. Recently, Porter became just the third visually impaired athlete to become nationally ranked by US Judo among sighted athletes by finishing second at the 2006 Dallas Open.
Other USABA athletes competing in the tournament include: Emmanuel Brannon of Seminole, Fla.; Christella Garcia of Chicago, Ill.; Adnan Gutic of St. Louis, Mo.; Ron Hawthorne of Kansas City, Kan.; Michael Larson of San Francisco, Calif.; Lisamaria Martinez of San Leandro, Calif.; Lori Pierce of Arvada, Colo.; Johann Shockency of Andover, Minn.; Cindy Simon of Wayne, N.J.; Tina Thompson of Los Angeles, Calif.; and Andre Watson of Philadelphia, Penn.
From Feb. 11-13, a training camp will follow the tournament for the USABA National Team and will be held at Cahill's Judo Academy in San Bruno, Calif. Willy Cahill, USABA’s Head Coach is a 7th Dan with more than 55 years of coaching experience including Olympic, Paralympic, Goodwill and Junior Pan American teams. Professor Cahill has produced over 1,200 national and international champions.
About USABA: The mission of the United States Association of Blind Athletes is to increase the number and quality of grassroots-through-competitive, world-class athletic opportunities for Americans who are blind or visually impaired. For more information, visit our website www.usaba.org.
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