The spirit of Teo Blázquez is still latent in the Sant Jordi Judo Club. Today marks just one year since the death of one of the founders of the club and, surely, the main promoter of judo on the island. At this time, the entity jordiera He has known how to get up from the blow and move forward. “We miss him a lot, but we have worked hard to keep his spirit alive in everything we do,” said Juan Blázquez, son of the legendary Teo and who recently became the new island delegate of this sport, in addition to club president.
“The club is in a good moment, although we are not going to deny that this year has been a challenge without Teo, who was the soul of all this,” said Juan Blázquez. The CJ Sant Jordi has managed to recover to the point that it currently has close to 300 licenses, which represents a considerable growth in students. The president of the club highlighted the important role played by “the judo families, now older, who were concerned about knowing how the club is doing”, as well as the Sant Josep City Council, which “gives them a hand, is attentive and helps us.” take care.”
Regarding the current state of the current club, Juan explained: «We have supported each other a lot and we continue to grow, trying to modernize some aspects of the club to adapt to the times, but always respecting their vision and that desire to do things well, as always. he liked it. “Teo left us a very solid foundation and that has allowed us to move forward without losing the essence that he transmitted to us.”
«We are carrying out new projects, updating training methods and improving facilities, but always with their energy and values as a guide. The club continues to be that great family that he dreamed of and we continue to look to the future with the same desire with which he started all this,” he continued.
Regarding the changes produced, he listed: «Training systems, high performance group, administrative system, apodcast and new ideas in visual material. There were also modifications in the directive: “There are still those from before but second line since they saw that more older students wanted to get on the bandwagon to join this great family.”
Regarding the legacy that has been left and is maintained, Juan highlighted “the great family” that exists and “the values.” The reorganization has been easier precisely “because it is a family.” “All the students, the old board, the new board and the teachers have made it easy for me,” he added.
Regarding the level of judo in general on the island currently, the island delegate highlighted that “this year we consider it to be an adaptation to all the changes, but, as he taught us, with perseverance and trust plus the family, I only know that each day we will go better. At the level of Ibiza there are many things to improve, but on this island there is product to be better and among all the judokas and clubs we will be able to raise the bar.
Canseco’s return
Among the modifications and advances made is the return of Víctor Canseco, who now acts as coach after a successful sporting period that led him to win national titles and achieve bronze in the European under-23 Championship. Canseco highlighted that he had really “always” been linked to the lcub since it started “when he was 5 years old at CP Sant Jordi.” «It is true that after leaving the competition I was disengaged for a few years for personal reasons. It was very hard for me to have to leave elite competition while still young and it was a situation that was difficult for me to digest. I was still in Madrid for a few years and in 2018, when I returned to the island again and since my eldest niece started doing judo at the club, I started going back to watch the training sessions and thus resume my relationship with judo. new. One afternoon, Juan and I met and he proposed to me that when I finished training as a coach he wanted me to be part of the club’s coaching staff. I finished training and since August I have been the coach of the children’s, cadet, junior and senior categories. Yes, it is true that I am saddened by not having been able to enjoy this new stage with Teo, which I am convinced and so I know that he was especially excited just like it was for me,” he explained.
Víctor lives this new stage of teaching “with a lot of commitment, enthusiasm and motivation.” «We are working with great love and care over low heat to help the students achieve their goals. This is a task that I am not doing alone. Juan, as president of the club, is doing an exceptional job from the office, taking care of the families so that they do not lack anything and helping the club to continue growing in sports and extra sports. We also have Sergio Sánchez, who is in charge of the club’s base categories and, of course, Antonio Ferruz, who, apart from training the base judokas in the club, is with me every day helping me and contributing to the team. of competitors. “I am convinced that Teo is very happy and very proud of how the club is being managed and the direction it is following,” he said.
Canseco stated that “Teo’s legacy is eternal.” «If it had not been for him, the Sant Jordi Judo Club would not be the club it is today. From scratch he created a judo club and has made it a sporting benchmark on the island and also in the Balearic Islands, and for many years we have also been a benchmark at the national level. But the most important thing of all and what people from the outside do not see is the greatest legacy that Teo has left and it is none other than that of a family. We have always been, we are and we will be a sports family,” he argued.
«You see how the first generations of students of the club now bring their children to learn and enjoy a martial discipline such as judo and it is very beautiful. The respect that from the youngest to the oldest, from the newest to the oldest, have for Teo’s figure and memory is very moving. And I’m talking about the kind of respect that is the value that one earns with one’s actions. That is why Teo is eternal, because he formed a family where the most important thing has always been to be good people and, later, good athletes. Teo will always be the father of this great family that we are thanks to him at the Sant Jordi Judo Club,” said Canseco.
