Seven SF State students competed for the first time against students from throughout the nation in the 2005 National Collegiate Judo Association Collegiate National Championships on March 19.

The tournament, held at San Jose State University’s Event Center, was the first official tournament competition for the SF State students. Even though five out of seven SF State students lost in the first round of the tournament, they used everything they have learned from the last two semesters of class meetings.

Student Molly O’Rourke won the women’s 78 kilogram class at the National Collegiate Judo Association Collegiate National Championships on March 19 at San Jose State University’s Events Center.

O’Rourke, who is ranked second in the United States in her category, needed only 10 seconds to win in the final. The 21-year-old kinesiology major will attend the Senior National Championships in April.

“It was a good warm-up for me considering I’ve fought in only one other tournament this year,” said O’Rourke. “I know a lot of (my teammates) were nervous going out there.

“It’s natural to be nervous, so I tried to help as much as I could, like watching their games, helping them warm up and cheering them up.”

Jordan Wright, a 20-year-old international relations and cinema major, won his first match in the men’s 81 kilogram class before falling in the second round, defeated in only 15 seconds by a competitor who held a black belt. Then he lost in his consolation match with a laying position after he almost won with a wazaari - which means “the throw.”

“I felt I was controlling (in the last match),” said Wright, who began studying judo last semester. “My opponent somehow got me in a laying position on the ground.”

Two of the seven SF State students, including Wright, made it past the first round.
Several of the students said the tournament was an eye-opener that made them want to learn judo even more.

“It was really a good experience for everyone who never competed, and (we) got comfortable with this kind of atmosphere,” said Wright. He said he is applying for a study abroad program to France this fall, and plans to continue training if where he said he would find a place to train in judo.

Tom Edwards, a 19-year-old business and philosophy major, said he will train hard to prepare for returning to competition next year. Edwards was just one kilogram over the limit for the 100 kilogram class.

“It was painful,” said Edwards, who was matched against his SF State teammate Alejandro Quintana in the consolation match. “I’ve got to get angrier.

“I need to stop being afraid of my opponents. I wish I have won, but I just have to come to the next tournament to try harder and lose weight.”

Caitlin Fitzpatrick, who fought for the women’s 78 kilogram category, said she had an experience that made her want to train judo harder and learn more.

“I learned … how to overcome the fear when you step on the mound and see the opponent, who is bigger than you or more experienced than you,” said the 19-year-old French and international relations major. “It was a lot of fun.

“The main thing I learned was that I really enjoyed doing judo. I will definitely continue working on this for very long time.”

Caitlin’s mother Christine Fitzpatrick, 50, has a reason to encourage her daughter to support her in doing judo.

“For me to see her [Caitlin] sparring like that for the first time, I think it’s great,” said the elder Fitzpatrick, who practiced the tekondo fighting style for eight years. “I was very excited to come here.”

“I think (judo)’s great because it helps to develop your mental body as well as physical body. It’s very important to study any of the traditional martial arts seriously. I encouraged her 100 percent.”

David Matsumoto, an SF State psychology professor and fifth-degree black belt who instructs the judo
team, said his students did a good job and that it didn’t matter whether they won or lost.

“Whether they won or lost the match, when they leave today not thinking about it, reflecting on it or growing themselves based on their experiences, then it doesn’t matter. It wasn’t good,” Matsumoto said. “If they go away from today, whether they won or lost, reflecting on it and becoming a better person for it, then it’s good.

“I don’t believe our class has to be made for winning judo matches. The whole purpose of the class is to teach good judo. In the end, competition is all about yourself, never about the opponent. It is beating something in yourself.”