Joes Judo Juniors in Gripping Form
A judo club that was only formed 2 years ago has made a real impact at the Saltburn Open Judo Competion held at Saltburn Leisure centre. The Thornaby Pavilion Judo Club returned with a bagful of medals after some tremendous performances from their junior members. The competition was broken up into weight and age catergories with the players taking part in three fights each and the under 5’s demonstrating their skills and techniques. A total of 7 golds, 2 silver and 1 bronze medal were won by the judo players of Thornaby whose ages ranged from 5 to 11 years.
The rapid progress of the club which trains twice a week on Tuesday and Friday at Thornaby Pavilion is due to the guidance of their legendary judo coach 76 year old Joe Glynn. Joe has been coaching and competing for over 60 years and was instrumental in resurrecting the club. As honory president of Judo in the Northern Area, Joe is well respected and an inspiration to many. The club now has over 13 dedicated members and the children have picked up on Joe’s tremendous enthusiasm for the sport.
A very proud Joe said “The success at the Saltburn tournament is testament to the hard work that the children having been putting in during their training sessions. I am especially proud of the younger members of the club who really shone in their performances.Judo is a fantastic sport for teaching youngsters discipline and respect for their opponents these children have made an old man very happy”
If you are interested in getting to grips with Judo, Thornaby Pavilion is holding classes on Tuesdays and Fridays 6.30-7.30pm for children aged 6-11 years of age and 7.30-8.30pm for children aged 12 and above. If you require further details contact Thornaby Pavilion on (01642) 760971.
