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Hasting Judo Club’s esteemed
Les Pike is celebrating 50 years at the club and to mark that
landmark his former protégé Neil Chalcroft, now of Hollington
Judo Club, wrote the following tribute:
I apologise if I’ve left
anyone out but I hope you enjoy my take on the Les’ time in the
Olympic sport of judo.
This story starts in 1868
when a man was born who was to change many lives as the Japanese
shoguns rule was coming to an end. In 1882, Jigoro Kano was starting
and developing judo at a time when the world was on the verge
of changing in a big way. Kano changed the way we looked at sport
and lead the way for Physical Education in every school in the
world.
In 1930 another little
guy was to start out in life, and would go on to start judo in
1954.
Although never to make
the big time as a competitor or top official Les certainly shows
that the man footing the ladder is equally or more important as
the man reaching the top because without grassroots coaches you
never find those able to reach the top.
As the world was changing
again, with the Second World War just over, Les started his judo
career in London. The British Judo Association had only formed
six years before and he took his first three grading’s at the
Budakia in south Kensington.
In 1959 he moved and joined
Hastings Judo Club which started officially in 1954 at Hugenden
Road Church Hall. Les quickly made lifelong friends at the club
and ventured to France to compete with the club.
The Hastings Club had lost
its home in the 60’s and almost folded in 1963 as they were forced
to relocate but I know Les was vital in securing their future.
Again in 1967/8 the club
was homeless again and Les’ drive and Ken’s teaching employment
gave the club opportunity to move into St. Pauls School around
the end of 1968 which is when I came in.
Les again was doing his
bit found to secyre new funds and buy new mats. Hastings Youth
Service’s Alex Dorbanery helped fund the new mat area. Alex always
seemed to have a soft spot for judo and was always supportive
in finding funds to support coaching.
The numbers then flourished
and Mondays and Wednesdays were big junior classes, often with
well over 30 in a session in addition to a modest adult session.
Around the same time ‘Big’
Rodney Evens started the Judokia which we now know as the Zodiac.
The club’s success soon
meant the club had a very strong committee supporting Ken and
Les which was chaired by Denis Lock who was better known for life
boat work.
The BJA had started under
Geoff Gleeson as national coach and he was instrumental in stabling
a coaching standard and requirement for judo. Ken’s teaching skills
and Les’ love of judo saw them recognised as some of Britain’s
first amateur specialist sports coaches.
And how do I remember Les
in particular going over and over his lesson plans at times? We
were a little cheesed off doing the same thing twice a night and
twice a week for several weeks, but I know it was to benefit us
all even up to day.
The three-day day weeks
and power cuts in 1971/72 and again in the middle 70’s didn’t
stop Les and it was often down to ground work only with a few
candles in Jam jars around the mat, something we definitely would
not be allowed to do now and the club had just got its first proper
mat a Milom one with canvas and frame which was soon doubled in
size and never sure just how Les got that canvas out.
And I think there are many
things that I remember Les for such as his pop, pop motor bike,
which saw him resemble Wallace from Wallace and Gromit.
He was always been at the
club first to put the mats down always eating his sandwiches and
a cup of tea, after a long day at jones glass and latterly at
ITL he never could have been home till at least 10pm.
I am told that Les was
no mean contest man in his younger days and was part of the team
that went to Dordrecht in the early days of judo part in the exchange.
The Hastings Club had always held its own grading’s with examiners
coming from London but at St. Pauls these started to grow into
quite large events with Terry Waters, Hastings 1 st Dan Grade
examining and more often John Waite from London, the friendship
he made here was always great when we Dan graded at the LJS and
the soft spot George Chew had for all you older members from his
time as Hastings president.
The Sussex Championships, particularly the juniors, were just
starting to grow and the Hastings club had an odd medal here and
there. The first was Keith Banks I believe and apart from the
odd entry no one really entered competitions and there wasn’t
that many then so when Mick Bourne and I started doing the growing
completion circuit we were very unsure of how things worked.
I can remember a problem
at Crystal palace and the controller asking for the Hastings coach
and I realised Les was well known outside our club.
The 1960’s also saw judo in the Olympics and there was a great
interest in our judo because we were winning medals as a nation.
Les was there pushing us all on and the days of the Hastings crowd,
only having the odd Dan grade was going to change and Les‘s efforts
of going over and over the Goko always meant all of us from all
the local clubs and school groups were some of the most proficient
when doing our theory exams nearly all getting at least 94%, more
common a 100% pass.
In the late 70’s, early
80’s a large group from Hastings travelled on the last Sunday
in the month to the LJS in Stockwell London which was a real mecca
for 1 st Kyu’s and Dan Grades as I can remember four full sheets
of brown belts, a total 120 on one occasion.
How many Dan grades has
Hastings produced under Les? He keeps a running total but the
manner of grading’s at this time meant coaches like Les were often
much lower grades than their pupils and sounding off at one grading
about this to John Waite George Chew Dave Stanley and others they
asked me for an example to which I gave Les a humble 2 nd kyu
as he needed his 1 st kyu to be awarded his first Dan non-competitively.
As you needed to fight
for 1 st Kyu there was little chance for Les at his age and size.
Well the outcome of me sounding off was that if we got him to
a grading things would be dealt with. A few weeks later several
lads went to a veterans grading in Statford. The Examiner John
Wade was in on the conversation and when Les walked in to grade
there was no one he could be matched with but I know that on paper
that day he had 2 contests lost one to ippon and won one with
wazari all that was needed he was now 1 st Kyu. Now all that had
to happen is wait for a letter from Mick Leigh BJA chairman, Les
now could be the grade he should be 1st Dan black belt.
I have personal thanks
to Les because at 19 years old doing the club coach course was
very hard but Les kept me at it until I was perfect with my teaching
plans doing what he had done by letting me drive classes mad until
it was right.
I do not ever remember
any one being turned away from judo if they could stand on the
mat. Les would teach them and sometimes there have been youngster’s
with difficult disabilities but Les has never wavered and gave
all his attention to them just like all of us. Les was well ahead
of time with integrated inclusion in the sport.
Some more able sportsmen
and women have used judo and Les enthusiasm to move on other sports
which I know several openly recognise and we have all lost good
judoka to rugby the best locally know are two of Les’s old lads
Kit and Pierce Clayton.
We’ve done shows and demo’s
everywhere, for every organisation. I remember the call, Les’
words, he said: “Hi boy, what are you dojg Saturday, we’ve got
a display...”.
Red Cross, St Michael’s
Hospice and the R.N.L.I are just a few and some of the places
we have done displays well that’s a another story.
To conclude the display
was always the Bus stop routine, Les wouldn’t have done a show
without it. And in the early days Les and Ken always finished
the display with the self-defence routine.
And again on Sundays, Les
was teaching at Broomham School which is now Bucks.
There have been times when
Hollington the Zodiac or Bexhill or the old Battle club were stuck
for a coach for a class Les would never fail to help us out and
stand in. I remember when we were at Hollington and won a prize
from Williams sports which was a large discount of the cost on
a complete replacement G mat we had 90 days to raise £1200 pounds
so organising a sponsored throw completion we needed bodies Les
was there like a shot with the Hastings club members and collecting
money for us.
And approximately Les has
coached near 10,000 people in judo and with displays introduced
judo to close on a quarter of a million people sp it is no wonder
that this little patch of England has more clubs and groups than
anywhere else something researcher’s from the BJA never can get
their heads round.
During all this time Les
has found time to bring up family, worked with Evelyn as a foster
carer and went on to add Desman to the family
Les has always treated
everybody that he has instructed as his extended family and keen
to give us any support needed in difficult personal times even
if just a chat on the phone in support
Although Les’ fitness wasn’t
what it once was, and the odd time out of action on occasions,
I remember the phone calls to make sure I could cover the classes
always worrying about everybody else first.
And yet when Les’s Engine
needed a major over haul at Kings College hospital most would
have said it’s time to hand over but not Les he couldn’t wait
to get back to his judo. He was even now nursing Evelyn after
major heart surgery at the same time, but now he really has to
stop, after almost 60 years on the mat covering seven decade’s
and 50 of those teaching judo.
Sadly there is only Steve
Philips and myself coaching with direct links to the old guard
but Les is able to leave the Hastings Club with three good coaches
in Steve, Katy Sumners and Roy, Katy becomes the fourth generation
coach having just qualified as a UKCC level 2 club coach.
Over the years we have
had many opportunities to thank him the first was about 1977 with
the observer Rothmans trophy but he couldn’t work out why the
world and his brother had turned up to train that night and complained
the mat was to full.
Hastings Judo presented
Les with the Viking trophy for his efforts in supporting us all.
His next award was the
Erica Heiller Shield for services to Hastings sport, I believe
you were the last as somebody sadly lost the trophy on its return
or did you add to the family jewels?
Sussex awarded Les the
Chairman’s Vase in 2003 for his work as mat official time keeping
something he has carried out for at least 30 years and nothing
more satisfying as either a competitor or a referee to see them
glasses peering back over the clock and analysing the contest.
And more recently the Hastings
and Observer awards evening again saw you with another award for
your voluntary services to Hastings sport.
Dave Clark picked up on
tonight and BJA London Manager Karen French presented a certificate
in an April awards evening to mark his service to the sport.
Mark Denny made a presentation
from the county and his Hastings YMCA club presented him with
a watch. And it was agreed that as Mike Leigh would be the highest
grade present it was only right for him to present Les from 1st
Dan to a Full 3rd Dan.
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