For Immediate Release
September 6, 2006
CONTACT:  John Miller 303-547-2004

Colorado athletes won two silver and three bronze medals at the USA Judo National Ladder Tournament on Sunday, September 3, in Harlingen, Texas.  Colorado place winners are listed immediately below, followed by event details and complete results, courtesy of USA Judo.

Female 78kg             

3. Jane Lock (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)                  

Male 60kg               

3. Zachary Maes (Wheat Ridge, Col. / Northglenn Judo)                

Male 73kg               

2. Shane Simerly (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)

Male 81kg                
3. Lucas Mignogna (Golden, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club)

Male 100kg          
2. James Kannianen (Northglenn, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club)               

USA Judo News Release:

September 3, 2006

Ladder Tournament Results

(Harlingen, Texas) – Most of the judo players from Saturday’s Fall Classic National Championships returned Sunday to compete in the Ladder Tournament, an event which provides athletes not on the roster with a competition opportunity following the Classic while rostered athletes often fight up a weight division. 

On Sunday athletes had the chance both to fight new competitors as well as avenge losses from the Fall Classic with several athletes taking titles on both days in different divisions.

Junior World Team member Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) added a gold medal in the 57kg division to her Fall Classic title at 52kg.  In the process, Durand defeated 52kg Senior Nationals silver medalist Natalie Lafon (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site) for the second time in two days

Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site) fought up as well, competing at 63kg after winning 57kg on Saturday. 

Gotay’s toughest challenge in the division came from Junior World Team member Hannah Martin (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center).  Martin, who failed to medal Saturday looked better at the Ladder, going toe-to-toe with Gotay, a two-time National Champion at 57kg.

Neither athlete scored during the first three minutes of the match before Gotay managed to throw Martin, first for a yuko (quarter-point) and later for a waza-ari (half-point) with 45 seconds left in the match. 

Katie Mocco (Scotia, N.Y. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center) also won a second title, fighting up from 70kg to win 78kg.

Molly O’Rourke (El Cerrito, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute) and Junior World Team member Marina Shafir (Albany, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center) fought on Saturday with O’Rourke taking a decisive win.

As the two both fought in the +78kg division Sunday, the fights were closer in the three-match series.

Shafir dominated the first match, throwing O’Rourke for ippon (instant win) in the first minute.  Shafir looked like she would win gold after the second match as she led by a waza-ari (half-point), yuko (quarter-point) and a koka (smallest points) scored off of a penalty committed by O’Rourke.

Then with just over a minute left O’Rourke caught Shafir with an uchimata (inner thigh throw) for ippon.

O’Rourke continued her motivation in the next match, winning by a yuko and forcing Shafir into a penalty as the match wound down.

Jeanette Rodriguez (Margate, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) was clearly disappointed with Saturday’s results where she finished third, including a loss by pin in the finals of the loser’s pool to Ann Shiraishi (Elk Grove, Calif. / Okubu / APOA Judo Club). 

At the Ladder Rodriguez had another chance with Shiraishi.  Not just one chance, but three as the two both fought up from 48kg to 52kg.  After beating Tara Clark (Hercules, Calif. / APOA / Okubu Judo Club), the #4 junior at 52kg, Rodriguez then beat Junior Olympic Champion Chrissy Chow (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri) before embarking on her best-of-three finals series with Shiraishi.

In the first match, Rodriguez threw Shiraishi for a koka as the match wound down.  Shiraishi then dropped down to beat Clark in the loser’s pool and move back up for another chance with Rodriguez.  This time Shiraishi, likely one of the most improved female players during the past year, led by a yuko and koka before pinning Rodriguez with sankaku (triangle hold) to win the match.

Rodriguez, best known for her stand-up judo, then threw Shiraishi for ippon with a  rear leg throw to win the division.

On the men’s side, Junior World Team member Jake Larsen (Santa Rosa, Calif. / Redwood Coast Judo Club) continued to be impressive after producing a win in the 90kg division Saturday in his first trip to a senior event.  At the Ladder he moved up a weight division to 100kg and still managed to win in a field comprised entirely of true 100kg players who likely had at least a 20lbs. advantage.

Among his wins was an impressive defeat of Jonathan Fuller (College Station, Texas / Texas A&M Judo Club), throwing Fuller for a waza-ari and then pinning him for ippon.

Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) and Taylor Takata (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site) each picked up a second medal for the weekend, winning the +100kg and 73kg divisions, respectively.

Bobby Lee (Lauderhill, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site) matched last year’s 81kg Ladder Tournament gold with a second one this year after finishing second Saturday in the 73kg division.

In addition to going undefeated in four matches, Lee also earned his third win this weekend over Nick Delpopolo (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center).  In the past few months the two have fought in the finals of every junior competition the two have entered with Delpopolo every match until the Junior U.S. Open a month ago when Lee won in a Golden Score match.

Saturday Lee won their loser’s pool match and would produce two more wins at the Ladder to win the gold medal while Delpopolo finished second.

Complete results are as follows:

Female 44kg             

1. Margaret Drake (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)                

Female 48kg             

1. Stephanie Baim (Dallas, Texas / Unattached)                    

2. Ashley Cameron (Garland, Texas / Becerra)                   

Female 52kg             

1. Jeanette Rodriguez (Margate, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)                 

2. Ann Shiraishi (Elk Grove, Calif. / APOA / Okubu Judo Club)                       

3. Tara Clark (Hercules, Calif. / APOA / Okubu Judo Club)               

Female 57kg             

1. Franchesca Durand (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)  

2. Danica Kamakana (Honolulu, Hawaii / Kamehameha Judo Club)                  

3. Paola Genao-Butler (Pasadena, Texas / Champion Judo Club)                    

Female 63kg             

1. Valerie Gotay (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site)               

2. Hannah Martin (Burnt Hills, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)                 

3. Tessa Plana (Dallas, Texas / Dallas Judo)

Female 70kg              

1. Jessica Wooldridge (Cedar Hill, Texas / Texas A & M Judo)

2. Michelle Kruse (Wichita, Kans. / Air Capital Judo Club)

Female 78kg             

1. Katie Mocco (Scotia, N.Y. / NYAC / Jason Morris Judo Center)                  

2. Halee Shadden (Mineral Wells, Texas / Ruben Martin Judo Club)

3. Jane Lock (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)                  

Female +78kg            

1. Molly O'Rourke (El Cerrito, Calif. / East Bay Judo Institute)

2. Marina Shafir (Latham, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)

Male 60kg               

1. Aaron Kunihiro (Covina, Calif. / Gardena Judo Club)                

2. Arnold Toriumi (Honolulu, Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri)

3. Zachary Maes (Wheat Ridge, Col. / Northglenn Judo)                

Male 66kg               

1. Jeremy Liggett (Scotia, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)

2. AJ Silverman (Schenectady, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)                

3. Cristian Garcia (North Miami, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)                   

Male 73kg               
1. Taylor Takata (Harlingen, Texas / Harlingen USA Judo National Training Site)
2. Shane Simerly (Colorado Springs, Colo. / Olympic Training Center USA Judo National Training Site)
3. Jacques Alabre (Princeton, Fla. / Pinecrest)                

Male 81kg                

1. Bobby Lee (Lauderhill, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)

2. Nick Delpopolo (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)                  

3. Lucas Mignogna (Golden, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club)

Male 90kg                

1. Victor Jean-Baptiste (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Pedro’s Judo Center)

2. Alex Maratos (Miami, Fla. / Miami Bay Judo Academy)                 

3. Yuko Sin (Glenville, N.Y. / Jason Morris Judo Center)

Male 100kg               

1. Jacob Larsen (Santa Rosa, Calif. / Redwood Coast Judo Club)                     

2. James Kannianen (Northglenn, Colo. / Northglenn Judo Club)               

3. Jonathan Fuller (College Station, Texas / Texas A & M Judo Club)

Male +100kg              

1. Adler Volmar (Coral Springs, Fla. / North Miami USA Judo National Training Site)

2. David Bleeker (Pekin, Ill. / Canton Judo Club)               

3. Micheal Rosenquist (Mustang, Okla. / USA Stars)                  

Male Open               

1. David Bleeker (Pekin, Ill. / Canton Judo Club)                      

2. Mick Kaminsky (Marquette, Mich. / Unattached)                       

Results by State for both Fall Classic and Ladder Tournaments

      Point System:

Place won | Point Value

    1         5

    2         3

    3         1

   STATE name                    |Total|# 1 |# 2 |# 3 |