When Werner Bierbaum, long-time trainer at the Haaren Judo Club, looks back on the club’s 50th anniversary, which it is celebrating next Saturday, June 29, he remembers a number of oddities. Starting with the fact that the club was still a bit of an exotic existence when it was founded in 1974.
At that time, judoka had the reputation of being gangs of thugs because the sport was still completely unknown in the region. So it was no wonder that Gerhard and Elisabeth Jörissen from Haaren, who had already been training in the Netherlands for several years, dried their judo suits between bedsheets, as Werner Bierbaum remembers.
Werner Bierbaum has been a coach at the Haaren Judo Club for a long time and can tell a few anecdotes from the club’s history. Photo: Anna Petra Thomas
They had resisted an initial request to establish their own club in Haaren, but eventually there was a first judo demonstration in the hall of what is now the country inn Haus Lutgen.
To make the training possible, Gerhard used his connections and bought exercise mats from his Dutch trainer. These mats were brought across the border in a large-scale, illegal smuggling operation.
Werner Bierbaum
Trainer
To make this demonstration possible, the Jörissens even transported their six judo mats to the restaurant on the roof of their VW. “After the demonstration, everyone present was enthusiastic and decided to found a judo club,” says Werner Bierbaum. Those involved were Lissy and Hans-Jakob Claßen, Elisabeth and Gerhard Jörissen, Heinz van Helden, Heinz Görtz, Heinz Jakobs and Johann Jörissen. The founding meeting took place on August 19, 1974.
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“To make the training possible, Gerhard used his connections and bought exercise mats from his Dutch trainer,” Werner Bierbaum continues. “These mats were brought across the border in a large-scale, illegal smuggling operation.” Despite this “slightly criminal” start, the club was registered in the association register, he smiles.
The first training sessions were offered in the youth center, but it was soon bursting at the seams. The club was able to move to the gym of the community secondary school, now a comprehensive school, where it still trains today. Lambert Gransch donated a new, large mat to the club for the new hall. “For this rescue act, he was not made a knight, but he was made an honorary member,” says Werner Bierbaum.
The priest blessed this new mat. The fact that he felt a little uneasy after the first demonstration was even mentioned in the parish newsletter: “All I can say is that I was filled with dread when I saw an exercise up close afterwards,” he wrote. “All I know is this: if I let myself fall down like that just once, I could be brought home in tatters. Something like that takes practice.”
Mona Schmitz (below) and Sofija Koch are part of the youth of the Haaren Judo Club and, like all members, they live not only the sport, which would be useful in the event of self-defense, but also the social values to which judo is committed. Photo: Anna Petra Thomas
The initially small Judo Club Haaren eV is now one of the oldest and largest clubs in the Judo district of Aachen. The currently around 140 active judokas, including around 85 children and young people, are trained by seven trainers under the direction of head coach Werner Bierbaum (5th Dan, A-Trainer-Competitive Sport). The focus is on both recreational and competitive sport.
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A judoka from Haaren even made it onto the popular TV show “Wetten dass?” with a judo bet against Olympic champion Frank Wieneke. The men’s team has been fighting successfully in the Cologne district league for years. Diverse, continuous training work, a differentiated training plan and, in addition to joint training, a pleasant, cooperative atmosphere are important goals of the club. The fact that the quality of the training has been good since 1974 is demonstrated by the many successful belt tests and a large number of passed Dan and black belt tests.
Anniversary celebration
To mark its anniversary, the Haaren Judo Club has organized a course with Peter Frese (8th Dan), Honorary President of the German Judo Federation, for its members aged 14 and over on Saturday, June 29. From 1 p.m., all interested guests are invited to join in the celebrations in the gymnasium and on the schoolyard of the comprehensive school.
The judo club offers two one-hour open training sessions for all interested children and young people, for the age group 5 to 8 at 2:30 p.m. and for the age group 9 to 13 at 4 p.m. Simple sports clothing without metal elements is sufficient. “We train barefoot, earrings should be removed or taped up,” recommends Werner Bierbaum.
2024-06-27 16:32:21
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