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Rutland’s Vale Judo Club
defeated reigning Premiership champions and two-time Heineken
Cup winners Leicester Tigers to win the Club of the Year award
at the 2010 Leicester Mercury Sports Awards which were held at
The Walkers Stadium on Thursday 20 January.
The highly-rated club is
one of the largest judo outfits in the East Midlands with almost
200 players, an excellent volunteering structure and one of the
best and most extensive school programmes in the Olympic sport.
Vale won the British Judo
Association’s Club of the Year award in October having worked
closely with the National Governing Body to hold activities which
run in conjunction with their key initiatives such as the Women
and Girls programme.
In November the club linked
up with the Rutland School Sports Partnership to launch a judo
academy for students and took part in a sponsored swim where a
team of 30 judoka completed 2144 lengths, a distance of 33 miles,
which is 12 greater than the English Channel swim, in just two
hours.
Vale Judo Club saw off
a host of the city’s finest sports clubs who were nominated for
the award including Leicester Storm, Leicester Lady Ladies Hockey
Club and Leicester Coritanian AC as well as Aviva Premiership
leaders Leicester Tigers.
Head coach Mike Newton
said: “We were extremely surprised and pleased to win; the club
has worked hard to get to where we are today.
“We maintain the level
of success by pushing ahead on many fronts, we focus on very technically
orientated judo, introducing juniors to the right competitions
at the right times.
“We offer different recreational,
officiating or competitive pathways to club members, continuing
to improve the club’s administration and working hard with the
local schools to introduce and encourage judo. It also helps of
course that we have very active press and fund raising officers
in Derek Haughton and Nikki Heyworth.”
The club’s budding players
took part in a Preparation for Performance event staged by the
British Judo Association on 15 January which featured former world
champion Craig Fallon and Gavin Davies, a former British Champion
and European Cadet Championship winner.
Mike Newton said: “What
I liked the most was the ‘double lapel and roll‘ move which is
very effective. Craig Fallon and Gavin Davies were excellent,
we took 13 of our youngsters and they had a great time as they
had autographs and pictures with both players.”
Vale Judo Club train at
29B Pillings Road, Pillings Road Industrial Estate, Oakham, LE15
6TQ. Junior randori and fitness training takes place on Friday
at 19:00 – 20:00 with the adult session following at 20:00 – 21:00.
Junior and adult recreational training is held on Tuesday evenings
and Saturday mornings – more details are available at www.valejudo.org.uk
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