Asher Young remembers his first judo tournament like it was yesterday.
It was the Prince George Open.
Young won a gold medal. He was six-years-old.
That was four years ago. And Young, now 10, is older and wiser.
He sparred to a gold medal in the Under-12 boys under-30-kilogram division at the B.C. judo championships a month ago in Abbotsford.
More recently, he captured gold in the U12 junior boys under-32 kg class at the Steveston tournament in Richmond on Saturday.
But Asher wasn't the only one from his family to bring home hardware from the B.C. championships and Steveston.
His two other siblings - older brothers Lochlan, 11, (silver, U14 under-50 kg) and Maxwell, 13, (gold, U16 juvenile men under-46 kg) plus his dad Shawn, 43, (gold, senior men intermediate under-73 kg) - also stood on the podium at provincials.
In Steveston, Lochlan clinched silver (under-14 junior boys under-50 kg) while Maxwell claimed bronze in U16 juvenile men under-50 kg. Maxwell moved up from his usual weight class, under-46 kg, as no one was in his division.
Not bad for the family which trains out of the North Capital Judo Club, a regimen that all started in 2010.
"I wanted to try martial arts and karate, and my dad did karate and judo," said Asher, a Grade 5 student at Beaverly elementary. "I tried judo and we all liked it. That's when all of the brothers started. I just kept coming here and going to tournaments and training."
And they all like it for different reasons, with the hopes of one day qualifying for the provincial team and competing at nationals.
"It's all about core strength and technique," said Lachlan, who lost the gold medal at the B.C. championships by five seconds when his match timed out.
"I like the tournaments and travelling," added Maxwell.
Shawn, the director of programs at the youth custody centre, first practiced judo when he was nine and competed until he was 11.
And after watching his sons spar on the mats for the first two years, he donned his judo Gi in 2012. And he's glad he did.
"I got healthier and lost 30 pounds," he said. "I've learned it's a journey, and not a sprint. It's just a lot to learn and it [judo] makes you humble."
And while his sons admit there is a brotherly rivalry between them, they realize now they can help each other to improve and get better.
They warm up together prior to their matches at tournaments and also practice their techniques and different moves on each other.
Living in the Beaverly area, the Young family travels 45 km into the city to practice twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) from 8 to 9:30 p.m.
Lachlan is a Grade 7 student at Beaverly elementary, while Max, a Grade 8 student, attends school at College Heights secondary.
It's a busy schedule, but they make it work and it's worth it in the end.
Judo, it seems, is a family affair at the North Capital Club.
"It's an all-around sport, it's a family sport," said Shawn. "There are very few sports where you can participate with your kids. Fifteen dads are on the mats with their sons and daughters [at our club]. You get to bond and watch them grow."
"It's neat having dad around," added Asher.
