By Roberto PELAEZ
The representatives of the Ryoku Judo Club did not miss the opportunity and with the conquest of 11 gold, six silver and three bronze medals (20 in total) they dominated the tournament called Las Vegas Judo Championships 2022 that took place at the Slam Academy, in Henderson.
It was an excellent gift for sensei -master- Sergio Sánchez, who had his birthday on February 26, excited to see the exponents of the Ryoku Judo Club impose themselves among more than 360 competitors from California, Arizona, Utah, Washington and Chicago, in addition of the premises.
The event took place in 2019 and 2020 (it was canceled in 2021), and a few days ago the Ryoku returned to ratify its undisputed level.
The experienced coach is accompanied by Miguel León, Luis Arregoitía, as well as Sergio (Jr.) and Nelson Sánchez.
In the contest, 19 judokas, from different categories, competed for the recognized organization of this ancient martial art, the performance was such that Sergio himself (inducted into the Judo Hall of Fame in the state) only managed to point out: tremendous gift, in clear allusion to the medals and his birthday.
It is worth mentioning that the exponents of the Ryoku Judo Club have starred in a magnificent performance in various competitions at the national level, and their harvest of medals is significant. It was founded in 2006 and since then the medals and trophies make up an outstanding figure more than once in different media.
A few months ago the headquarters of the RJC (the dojo) was dressed up with the presence of Cuban judokas Driulis González and Amarilis Savón, Olympic and world medalists, who trained children, youth and adults.
On October 30, Sergio’s students and his group of coaches dominated the so-called Nevada Open, to ratify that the work is on track and is bearing fruit.
Sánchez is in love with his family and judo; He has been linked to this sporting discipline for many years, demanding like few others, “to which you have to give -he says- all your strength and more”.
It is not strange that without thinking twice, he assures: “Being a ‘sensei’ of judo is not easy, you teach a sport that many people do not appreciate, do not value, and of course do not know its benefits; many people are unaware, he stresses, that judo is a way of life”.
On more than one occasion he has stated: “The worst thing for a sensei is to come to his dojo and have a small class, knowing that a considerable number of students are at home wasting hours in front of the television or playing video games, wasting talent”.
Medals and trophies indicate that the effort in demanding training sessions pays off.
