They'll be defending their home turf on Saturday.
But, before local judo athletes could start thinking about upcoming battles at the Prince George Open, they had fights in Edmonton that required their attention. And, at the Edmonton International tournament, P.G. judokas were masterful on the mats.
In various categories, members of the Prince George Judo Club were awarded seven gold medals, four silver medals and three bronze medals. Meanwhile, Hart Judo Academy students brought home four golds, three silvers and one bronze.
From the PGJC, medallists were: gold -- Sydney Edgson, Matteo Rodrigues, Drew Deevy, Tami Goto, Rafael Rodrigues, Taylor Schaus and Kyle Wilkinson; silver -- Zack Edwards, Branden Edwards, Kristen Yawney and Elijah Zwiers; bronze -- Kyra Edgson, Josh Price and Sydney Angielski.
HJA medal-winners were: gold -- Byron Laass, Elizabeth Simmons, Kimiko Kamstra and Jamie Allan; silver -- Juliana Bergstrom, Lavanna Laass and Brian Lee; bronze -- Grace Northrop.
The Prince George Open will start at 9 a.m. at the Civic Centre. The event will bring together competitors from across the province.
n For Stefan Zwiers, the Pan Am senior judo championships ended far too quickly.
Zwiers, a 21-year-old who learned his craft at the PGJC, lost his one and only bout at the international meet, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, on the weekend. Zwiers was paired with an El Salvadoran, got caught very early, and, just like that, the match was finished.
Zwiers was entered in the under-100-kilogram category.
The championships were a qualifier for the Pan Am Games, set for Guadalajara in October.
Zwiers will be in New York this weekend for the Spartak Judo Cup and will compete in senior nationals in Edmonton in May.
