The U.S. Open is always a good tournament for me to go to because in addition to the Judo, there’s the Judo politics too. I had the opportunity during the 2009 U.S. Open to sit down and talk to a few of our political leaders. Continue reading
I just noticed that Pan American Judo Confederation (PJC) fees will be charged at the 2009 U.S. Open in San Jose. The PJC, through a coup d’etat supported by the IJF, is replacing the PJU as the ruling body for the Americas. Competitors get to donate $20, while coaches, referees, and officials are stuck with $30. This is being done this year because the Open is “an official sanctioned PJC circuit event.” I suspect that we are once again trying to improve attendance at the Open, but in the past, being on the official PJU circuit did next to nothing to improve attendance. My guess is that it won’t do a darn thing for us this year. I hope I am utterly wrong though. Continue reading