SJSU Judo student-athletes have a lot on their plate; throw 6 judo practices a week into the mix of classes and work, and you have yourself the packed schedule of on of our judoka. One thing that they also have is a strong support system. Our athletes come from across the nation, and although it can be challenging to leave home, the resulting bonds with the other students evolve into true team spirit on and off the mat.
This weekend, two of our teammates will be competing on the World stage in Rio de Janeiro at the World Championships. Marti Malloy and Colton Brown have been training for this moment for many months now. Although we won’t be in Rio, we will be watching together—as a Spartan Family—cheering for Marti and Colton.
“The Spartan Dojo is incredible,” says Colton Brown of the SJSU Judo Program. “I have been training in San Jose for four years and it has been one of the best decisions I ever made. Although the training is grueling, it feels good to have family out on the mat with you cheering and supporting when practice gets rough. In my opinion, great things are going to be in SJSU Judo’s Future.”
As fantastic as it is to be a part of the Spartan Judo Family, there is truly no place like home! Alum and Coach Keith Nakasone says, “I feel that the family’s support is absolutely critical in order for the athlete to succeed at any major competition. Not just financially, but both emotionally and mentally.” Although parents, brothers and sisters are not physically present on the mat everyday watching Colton and Marti, train, we know that they are the ones who can offer the most love and support to these two outstanding athletes. So we asked them how they feel about seeing Marti and Colton fight at the World’s!
The Malloy Family says, “We are so excited and emotional to see Marti on the world stage once again, and the community back home is going wild! We can’t wait to see her on the mat, and good luck to all the USA athletes!”
The Brown Family says, “We are very proud of Colton, he’s come a long way with his judo. We are also grateful for his team members and coaching staff. We love the camaraderie of the SJSU judo team; when our players are out there fighting, the whole team is rooting for each other and we think that is fantastic!”
Don’t miss any of the action this week. The schedule of fights for USA athletes is on the USA Judo website here: http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Judo/Features/2013/August/25/Draws-are-Cast-Lightweights-Fight-Tomorrow
The draws for the entire tournament are on ippon.org here: http://www.ippon.org/wc_sen2013.php.
And when you’ve figured out which matches you want to watch, like Marti and Colton’s, you can tune in at http://212.227.28.227/live/.
Marti fights Wednesday and Colton fights Friday. Go Team USA! Go Spartans!
Team USA Picture Photo Credit to USA Judo.