Semester One 09/10
Rollin' in the New year
With a display of sweeties and suspiciously acquired trophies, the unsuspecting freshers were lured into the clutches of the mighty and mischievous Judo Panda once again. Clubs and Socs week marked an undoubtable victory over the hearts and wallets of the local student population.
The year has only just begun, and club membership is already up by 50% over the previous year. "We have soo many members now, if they all show up for training we're f**cked", joked club captain, Anthony Guinan.
Over 20 students showed up for training on the Wednesday evening of Clubs and Socs week, soon topped by a record 36 the following monday. No single training session at the DCU Judo Club has ever pulled that successfully before. Treasurer, Susan Phelan, was excited about the amount of girls that signed up this year, and says she looks forward to wrestling with each and every one. She encouraged the beginers, explaining "I'm just like any other girl - you kick a football to me and I scream! But I still love judo!"
Coach and Sensei, Mick McGuinness, said he was delighted to see so many new faces on the mats, and vowed to have them learning their first throws by the end of the night. Several stylish o-goshis and o-soto-garis performed on yours truly can attest to his success.
The committee has put in for for more training mats in this year's grant application. If the takings of membership on C&S week are in any way indicitive of how many can be expected at training, they're gonna need em!
Devin Anderson
11/10/2009
Crouching Children hidden Mosque
For most of people, Sunday morning means lying in, relaxing and dozing off the effects of Saturday night's antics.
For Susan Phelan, Anthony Guinan and Devin Anderson of DCU Judo, however, it meant waking up at the crack of dawn to treck out to a mosque in Clonskeagh to what they suspected would be a Judo competition. They were half right.
Pulling into the carpark they were.. let's say... disturbed.. by the proliferation of ankle biters around. You would have thought the stand selling judo teddies would have given it away. Or perhaps it was when Devin, who had forgotten his judo suit, tried to purchase one only to be told "Sorry, I only have ones for up to twelve year olds with me today".
Yes. It was a childrens' competition.
Devin was quite content to sit this one out, having no gi to wear. Anthony was not as easy going, and insisted he be entered into the tournament on the grounds that his girlfriend referred to him as "a big baby".
Parents of 12 year old, Tommy Boyle, debated Anthony's claim, insisting with a pun that the regulatory officials were making a big mosque-stake. Competitor Amy Nooney also pointed out that he was "a big smelly head".
Despite these remarks Mr. Guinan went on to thwart all opposition in the 31kg + category and he was crowned Islamic Cultural Center Champion 2009. A medal is a medal, and DCU Judo now has one more gold to its name!
Devin Anderson
Competition held 25/10/2009