I was a judo player through my university years. Judo was an essential ingredient in my personal realisation of my bodily strength and mental power. I learned that I could jump, fall, roll, lift, and throw; and I learned that I could escape a stranglehold or an armlock or a larger person trying to pin me to the ground. Women were outnumbered by men in our club, but much better represented than in other adult judo clubs: we made an effort to welcome and respect women. I competed in national Intervarsity competitions, and I helped teach a beginner’s class for women and men just starting explore judo as art or as sport. Judo was an key ingredient in the start of my adult journey toward feminism. I learned that I could be strong instead of vulnerable; that I could compete in a physical sport and not just in academics (I hated high school sport!); that I could lead and organise in a male-dominated arena; and even that it was ok to be sweaty and dishevelled and grunt and shout.
Every martial artist needs a hero: mine was Keiko Fukuda, and she’s a hero in anyone’s language.
[image credit: Judo Info]
Fukuda, born in 1913, was a judo student studying under the founder of the martial art, Jigoro Kano, and is his last living pupil. From JudoInfo:
When Fukuda began taking lessons in 1935, she was one of only two-dozen women in the school, which is known today as the Kodokan International Judo Center. Kano had invited her to study judo because of her martial art lineage. She was the granddaughter of a renowned jujitsu master, who had taught that Japanese martial art to Kano. “At that time, I was only 21 years old, being taught the ways of Flower Arranging, Formal Tea Ceremony and Brush Writing, which was customary for young ladies in Japanese society,” Fukuda wrote in her 1973 book, “Born for the Mat”.
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Filed under: Friday Hoyden, history, sport
Just for anyone else who learned to ski at Perisher Ski School in the 70s, the snow this week is so good that Pepe has turned up to ski for the first time in 15 years, and Hermie was out there yesterday as well.
Kristian, who so many of us had a crush on back around ‘75, is still teaching and now a grandfather. The march of time is kinder to some of us than others (I’m certainly not as streamlined as I once was).
I wrote in a recent comment what the attraction of skiiing is for me. It’s the intense physicality, the concentration on minute muscular and joint position changes that spell the difference between controlling the skis and not. It’s a great antidote to over-intellectualisation. The basic principles of skiing are quite simple, it’s whether you can effectively concentrate just on the landscape and your body alignment that determines how well you can master the sport.
Obviously, the stronger and more flexible your body the better you can control it as you hurtle down a mountain. Mine could improve in those departments, definitely. I’m just lucky I learnt good technique at an early age (thank you Pepe, Hermie and Kristian) so that I can keep myself out of trouble without being superfit. I also keep my flexibility training up, even though I don’t do formal yoga or anything. I just don’t go as fast as I used to 25 and 30 years ago.
Still, like nearly all the other fatties on the mountain, I do better than all but the superfit and permanent seasonal residents. It’s fun to see how much that surprises people.
I’ll try and take a nice sunlit shot of the lodge’s icicle connection and post it sometime over the next few days. It’s very impressive.
Filed under: sport, travel
February 17, 2007 • 10:29 am
Netball participation numbers are dropping, which is a problem for women’s fitness in Australia and New Zealand as traditionally netball has been the sport with the highest participation rates for women.
A friendly lurker (thanks, R.) sent me a link to this story: Blokes out of their league. Senator Kate Lundy raised the issue in a Senate estimates committee hearing after a report into participation rates was published by Netball Australia last week. Interestingly, instead of listening to the conclusions of the experts who actually played and studied the game, one Mark Peters (who heads up the Australian Sports Commission), came up with totally new theory, which was his, that what was driving falling participation was (a) all about injury rates and (b) he knew exactly which silly girl rule was to blame, too, by golly.
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Filed under: sport
December 22, 2006 • 1:57 pm
So Shane’s retiring. Enjoy your mooted commentary career, and try and behave yourself.
Georgina has a post up at LP, and Shaun has one up at Sidelined.
A lot of the commentary has been about his sexual infidelities, which don’t especially bother me – it’s a personal matter between him and his wife, and at least he seems to genuinely like the women he fools around with.
I was always more bothered by the bookmaking scandals and the drug-ban – unprofessional and unsportsmanlike, and a really bad example to young players looking up to him as the man who brought back spin.
A confusing character. A great bowler. Definitely will be missed.
Filed under: sport
November 26, 2006 • 11:57 am
Just when the world of tennis seems to be boring and predictable (Williams, Federer, Federer, Williams), you can always count on Damir Dokic to liven things up a bit.
JELENA Dokic has again been forced to rubbish the claims of her controversial father Damir, who said she was kidnapped during the week.
Surprise, surprise.
Filed under: celebritism, sport
November 7, 2006 • 9:30 am
I don’t give a stuff about the Melbourne Cup.
I don’t bet on it, and I don’t deliberately watch it. As I’m not part of a socialising workplace, neither am I a lady who lunches, I’m able to do this unostentatiously without being nagged.
The last few years I’ve known the name of at least one horse in the race, but she’s not running this year.
Am I the only one?
[crossposted at Larvatus Prodeo]
Filed under: Sociology, sport
November 1, 2006 • 11:14 am
An hour ago I was standing on the promenade at Coogee above where Willie Mason was sunbathing below, skylarking (loudly) with a few fellow Kangaroos.
How did I know they were Kangaroos? They were wearing their team shorts. Wasn’t that helpful of them for those passing by?
Anyway, mea culpa: there were heavy things lying around, yet I didn’t drop anything on him.
Filed under: Life, sport
October 20, 2006 • 12:26 pm
