The Balmoral Judo Club made a strong impression on the tatami at the 4th annual Manitoba Open Circuit tournament, held Nov. 1 and 2 at the Dakota Fieldhouse in Winnipeg.
More than 275 judoka from across Canada competed over the two-day shiai, marking the first major test of the season and a chance for athletes to put their grip work, throws and groundwork to the test.
Balmoral athletes demonstrated strong technical execution and competitive spirit throughout the event.
Britni and Emily Trombo earned gold in the Nage-no-Kata division, a formal paired demonstration of throws where teams are judged on timing, control, balance and precision. Their performance highlighted clean kuzushi (off-balancing) and smooth transitions.
In individual shiai results, Chase Wakeham captured gold in senior male novice -81 kg, showing effective tachi-waza (standing techniques) and patience in match management. Reaghan Wakeham took gold in U14 novice female -44 kg, while Momchil Jongstra dominated his draw to win gold in U12 male Group 3.
Bronze medals went to Avery Wakeham in U16 male advanced -50 kg, Maverick Paton in U12 male Group 3, Leo Paton in U12 male Group 2, and Ryker Rutledge in U12 male Group 1. Several of the club’s judoka secured wins by waza-ari and showed strong ne-waza (groundwork) control throughout the weekend.
The club will now shift focus to training and randori sessions in preparation for the St. Boniface Open and Provincial Championship, taking place Nov. 22 in Winnipeg.
