The youngest children, who have only recently trained in judo, started with ground fighting. This had the advantage that this age group was able to take part in the competition early and with little knowledge of judo, thus gaining their first valuable experience. Under the eyes of parents, grandparents and acquaintances, they already demonstrated beautiful techniques, and one or two opponents were perfectly held on their backs.
The more experienced judokas started with the standing fight, in which the aim was to put their clubmates on their backs. It is always a special challenge to meet a training partner in competition, but this psychological hurdle was also overcome well. The referees Tino Fürst and Niklaus Burtscher were able to award numerous ratings for successful judo throws. During particularly beautiful actions, a murmur went through the judo hall or there was spontaneous applause.
The coaches Thomas and Guido Ledergerber as well as Julia Al Ali gave the children valuable tips during the breaks in the fight, which led to one or two judoka improving significantly from fight to fight. Each participant was rewarded for coming with a medal and a small snack, so that the children left the dojo with beaming eyes.
The eleven category winners are: Andrin Breu, Leonie Krüse, Marius Hubschmid, Matthias Zaga, Jomaa Al Ali, Niklas Harder, Moritz Mayer, Damien Engler, Jeremia Ebneter, Abem Zaga and Olivia Tangl.
The Judo Club St. Gallen–Gossau can look back on a very successful and accident-free club event. Anyone interested in the sport of judo can find further information about beginners courses from the age of five on the homepage www.jcsg.ch
