Kerry TANSEY is a strong advocate for the inclusion of adaptive judoka and has been working tirelessly within the European Judo Union in recent times, continuing the work she has been doing back home in Great Britain. Tansey participated in the Judo Festival and has since been an active member within the Education department, contributing greatly to the EJU Get Together in Venray last year.
With the British Schools Judo Championships for Adaptive and VI judoka only a month away on the 9th and 10th of March, this session was a great preparation activity. Tansey explains,
These national inclusion days are hugely important to provide opportunities for the kids to thrive in their own environment. These events break down the kids anxieties to new events and new challenges so they have already met lots of people and trained with each other prior to stepping up and competing at the British Schools championships. It ensures they always have a friendly face that they know they can talk to.
One judoka attending the inclusion day was 22 year-old Ciara McKenna,
I have been doing judo for 10 years at Rush Judo Club, the adaptive and inclusive days are really important for me to train with similar judoka. Judo means a lot to me and gives me a focus. My goals in judo are to go on to achieve my black belt and hopefully win the British tournament that’s coming up.
Author: Thea Cowen