100 Mile House's Kokoro Judo Club is on track to be the largest club per-capita in B.C. this year.
Sensei Ian Briggs said they already have 90 adults and children enrolled in the club this year, the most he can remember in years. There are so many judoka that Briggs said they're running out of mat time, which is a good problem to have.
"It's satisfying and it's the result of a whole bunch of things. Excellent instructors and we have a fantastic culture in our adult class and it's the adults who run the club," Briggs explained. "They are the ones who help out with the fundraising, the cleaning and they understand judo. If you have a strong adult class, which we do, you get a good result. That's our secret sauce"
This high turnout comes after having 99 club members by the end of the year last season. Briggs noted, however, that was over an entire year and this is the first time he's seen enrolment this high, this early.
"Our registration is up again this year and we're probably going to have to close a few classes because there's not a lot of space out there. We're lucky we do have a lot of instructors," Briggs said. "Two things limit us, the size of the mats and the number of instructors. We've got good instructors but we're limited by the side of the mats."
One of these instructors helping Briggs this year is longtime club member Stephanie Ball. Now an adult with children of her own, Ball, 29, first started taking judo at the age of 10, earned her black belt at 17 and was a competitive judoka throughout those seven years.
"(Judo) has taught me a lot of street skills, what to look out for, movement, balance and it's literally good for everything," Ball remarked, emphasising its potential for self defence.
Ball said the club is amazing and she was happy to come back and help out after leaving the club for a few years . Whenever she teaches her students she does her best to instil in them a competitive spirit. She noted that taking part in competitions really helped her grow as an athlete and she hopes to encourage the kids to follow in her footsteps.
"It feels really nice being able to share my experiences and my style of judo. Everyone has their own little style of judo," Ball said, noting she also makes sure to have fun with the kids.
Briggs, who is also still the president of Judo BC, remarked he's proud four of his students have made it onto the Team BC Judo Squad. These include Max Springmann, Diana Kozakova, Nabil Louraid and Myah Mason. To make the team Briggs said the four had to maintain a level of fitness and do well at competitions.
"Once you're on Team B.C. there's a lot of training requirements, there are out-of-province tournaments, a lot of camps and regional practices in Prince George and Kamloops," Briggs remarked. "It's a lot of travel, lots of commitment but we do have the five kids committed to it. Kids in 100 Mile, they're tough kids and it's a result of their training and their abilities."
While the club may have plenty of members already this year, registration is still open. Ball noted that judo is a great way to get to know people in the community and to enrich your children's lives. Anyone looking for more information is invited to reach out to the club at info@kokorojudo.ca.
