She was competing with and against the best judo athletes in B.C., and Tami Goto was a standout in that talented crowd.
Goto, who trains at the Prince George Judo Club, was a double gold-medalist at the youth provincial championships in Abbotsford last weekend. Goto topped the podium in the under-16 and under-18 divisions in the minus 48-kilogram weight class. Another PGJC member, Branden Edwards, also claimed gold at the youth provincials. He was unbeatable in the under-18 minus 66kg division.
The Hart Judo Academy was also represented at the championships, and three of its athletes - Asher Young, Ioan Frizzell and Maxwell Young - battled to gold medals. Asher Young finished first in under-16 minus 42kg, Frizzell won in the under-18 minus 50kg class and Maxwell Young claimed top spot in the under-18 minus 55kg category. Frizzell and Maxwell Young also came home with silver medals in the under-16 and under-21 divisions respectively, while Asher Young took a bronze medal in under-14.
Other local judokas who earned medals in their categories were: Kyra Edgson (PGJC), silver; Sydney Edgson (PGJC), bronze; Ryan Russell (PGJC), bronze; Taylor Schaus (PGJC), bronze; Ryan Russell (PGJC), bronze; Gabriel Paterson (HJA), bronze; Isaac Kamstra (HJA), bronze; and Matthias Schenk (HJA), bronze.
This week, Judo B.C.'s new provincial coach, Jeremy LeBris, is in Prince George working with local judokas. Next on the schedule for the athletes is the Pacific International tournament, March 4-5 in Richmond.
Immediately following the Richmond meet, many will attend a national training camp which will feature instruction from two-time Olympic medalist Janusz Pawlowski, who is Canada's National Training Centre coach. Pawlowski, originally from Poland, won a bronze medal in 1980 in Moscow and a silver in 1988 in Seoul.
