I just got an email containing Jimmy Pedros speech fot the president of USA Judo. I was hopping some of you guys could give your views of the 2 candidates that are running. The guy from the Florida_Judo group did not forward Dr. Ron Tripp's speech so I couldn't agree or disagree with what he said. My main worry with Jimmy Pedro is that I have herd some of you on here critisize the fact that when he went to the last Olympics he didn't have to go thru a trial. I see he mentions in his speech "Lack of organization that results in last minute
changes (e.g. Olympic Trials) and additional expenses
(e.g. expensive last minute plane tickets) ." This sounds like he dosn'r like the system inplace now.
So dose anyone have any points they could share with me on the 2 people running for president?
I think Jimmy would bring more visibility to US Judo. He also knows what needs to be done to win at an international level.
What we don't know about Jimmy is how well he would run an organization. What's his experience? Other than working in marketing for Monster.com; I don't know what business experience he has. He does have an Ivy League education, so that is a big plus.
The other thing I would question, is what is he going to do about the players that he is currently coaching? Would he give up coaching? I could see a definite conflict of interest if he was President of USJI and coaching a roster of ranked players.
I think anyone who is voting should ask themselves the question, "Has American Judo progressed or regressed since the last administration was voted in?" If you think they've regressed, well I guess it makes Jimmy's candidacy more compelling.
I don't know enough about what they've accomplished in terms of funding, training, increased membership etc. since they were voted in, so I don't have much of an opinion on it.
As far as platforms or missions, here is what you can probably count on, no matter who wins. They will overpromise and underdeliver. The best intentions in promoting the sport, always crash into the wall of reality.
To: USA Judo athletes
From: Jimmy Pedro, candidate for USA Judo President
Re: Athlete Support
Athletes:
Background
In the past 4-8 years, we have seen a steady decline
in the direction and amount of support that USA Judo
has provided its athletes. Our performance as a
country in international competition has been
inconsistent and well below our potential. Athletes
don't have available to them the training and coaching
resources necessary to compete successfully on the
international level.
If you look at the last four years, you have probably
experienced the following:
Little or no communication from the Organization or
the Development Committee responsible for connecting
with athletes
No written plan outlining the athlete development
process
Lack of organization that results in last minute
changes (e.g. Olympic Trials) and additional expenses
(e.g. expensive last minute plane tickets)
No support from the administration or coaching staff
to help with training and competition planning
Significant financial resources spent sending large
delegations of staff members to events while
continually complaining about the lack of funds.
Athletes expected to fund their own training, coach
themselves, arrange their own competition and travel
schedules, and try to compete with professionals in
almost every other country in the world.
Under my administration, one of the primary objectives
of USA Judo will be to prepare our athletes to succeed
in international competition. We will do so in such a
way that EVERY athlete will be provided the
opportunity and resources to become world class. I
intend to build a program where you can reach your
true athletic potential.
We Must Do Better
One of the primary reasons I am seeking the Presidency
of USA Judo is to improve how this Organization treats
and supports its athletes. I believe that we have many
talented athletes in this country who can succeed at
all levels of international competition. I believe
that the decline in our international performance is
less a result of "athletes who can't win and don't
train" and more a result of a disorganized system that
doesn't adequately prepare, support, nor help athletes
succeed.
As an athlete, you have a limited time in your career
to train, learn necessary skills, and gain the
experience you need to be world class. If you don't
have an organization that supports your efforts and
has the know-how to help you, you will struggle, it
will be expensive, and you may not reach your true
potential.
Most of the individuals running for USA Judo
leadership positions in September at the US Open have
been leading this Organization for the last four years
and even longer. If you are satisfied with the results
they have produced and the programs they have
implemented, I encourage you to vote for them.
If you are not satisfied with our results and not
satisfied with the programs that are available to you,
I ask for your support.
Because you have a limited amount of time to be a
world class athlete, it's critical that USA Judo have
a competent plan that helps you. You don't have years
and years for this Organization to get it right.
I understand what it takes to develop world class
athletes. If you are an athlete who is willing to
commit to training diligently and are dedicated to
becoming world class, you will thrive in the
Organization that we will build together.
Here is what my administration will do to make sure
you have an opportunity to achieve your goals in Judo.
Focus On Athletes
Supporting our athletes will be a top priority for my
administration. We will provide the guidance and
resources necessary for you to develop into a world
class athlete who has the skills and the training to
compete successfully overseas.
Every athlete counts and each person is important. We
will NOT put all of our money into the junior program
and “throw away” all our senior athletes as some have
suggested. We will continue to focus on ALL athletes
who are willing to commit to the program and are
striving to win. My administration will be directly
responsible to athletes.
USA National Judo Team
We will start a true USA Judo National Team for junior
and senior athletes. We will define and communicate
the criteria for qualifying for these Teams and the
steps an athlete must take to receive financial
assistance for competition and training activities, in
advance.
I will personally work with the US Olympic Committee
(USOC) to ensure that we are maximizing the amount of
financial resources available to Judo athletes. As our
international performances improve, we will be
eligible for more USOC funding.
National Teams will be selected at the beginning of
each year. As a member, athletes will receive support
and guidance from the National Coaching Staff. Each
coach on the Staff will be responsible to a group of
athletes and will develop and implement annual
training and competition programs.
When you travel as a member of the National Team, you
will have a competent coach who knows you, has worked
with you on the mat, and who is accountable for your
success.
Competent National Coaching Staff
We will assemble a National Coaching Staff for juniors
and seniors who can deliver results. The coaching
staff will be responsible for developing an annual and
four-year written development plan for seniors and
juniors. They will be responsible for creating
training programs for the top five athletes in each
weight category on the National Roster.
A regular review process will take place to evaluate
the previous year’s performance. Coaches will be held
accountable for their performances. No longer will
athletes feel like they have no one to turn to for
help.
My goal is to expand the number of qualified coaches
in this country that can genuinely help and contribute
to our teams’ success. The more qualified coaches we
have, the better our chances are of producing world
class athletes.
Expand Training Options
It is very important that we expand the training
options available to our athletes so that athletes who
want to live and train in different regions, have an
opportunity to do so.
Initially, we will encourage different training
programs around the US to apply to be regional
training centers. Through these regional training
centers, we will run training camps, bring Judoplayers
together for joint workouts, and start to build a
feeder system.
Regional coaches will be responsible for each regional
Judo center. Not only will that coach conduct training
sessions and run clinics, but he/she will attend
regional events and act as an additional resource for
the elite juniors and seniors in that region.
These centers will also start the process of
identifying talented junior Judoplayers and
encouraging them to participate in a more formalized
training program.
Apparel Sponsors
When USA Judo athletes travel internationally, we will
look like a team. My administration will solicit
sponsors for Judo gis, apparel, and other necessary
equipment that will be provided to qualifying team
members and made available at cost to others. We will
train like a professional team, look like a
professional team, and fight like a professional team.
Communication With Club Coaches
The majority of top athletes in this country come from
local Judo clubs with dedicated, competent coaches. In
the past, your coaches have largely been ignored
during training and development activities that
involve the National Coaching Staff. This will change.
I understand clearly the importance of including club
coaches in the development process. My administration
will invite club coaches to participate in the
national development process and we will solicit their
feedback and recommendations.
Those coaches who are successful and interested will
be invited to join the National Coaching Staff and
take on larger roles in the development program.
Better Administrative Organization
Organizational support for overseas competition,
training camps, and funding (e.g. grants) over the
last couple of years has been unreliable at best. This
will change. The National Office and the Development
Committee will be responsible to athletes. Last minute
planning will be substituted with timely notice,
better communication, and advanced planning.
The Organization will communicate directly to athletes
and establish clear cut criteria for funding,
qualifying for teams, and for future training and
competition activities. No longer will it be common
practice, for example, to give an athlete one day’s
notice to accept an invitation to compete in Japan.
Training plans will developed in advance and
communicated to all.
Conclusion
In my career as an athlete, I understand that you need
the support of your country and your National
Governing Body to have a chance at Olympic and world
level success. Under my leadership, USA Judo will
provide guidance, support, and professionalism to all
athletes who are willing to commit themselves to being
world class.
This is not just talk. This letter is my commitment to
you about how I will lead as President of USA Judo. In
turn, I expect each and every one of you to make a
commitment to be the best athlete you can be.
Together, with athletes, coaches, and administrators
accepting the responsibility to succeed, USA Judo will
become a world power in Judo.
I encourage you to come to the Athletes Meeting in
September at the US Open and vote for me. With your
hard work and my commitment, together, we will make
USA Judo a world class Organization.
Definitely reenforces the need for the USJA/USJF. It seems from his speech that he is unaware that non-elite judoka exist. I'm not complaining, I think that it is a good idea for USJI to concentrate on the "world class athletes", but it does provide a solid argument against the people who say that we don't need more that the one judo organization (USJI).
I hope you are having a wonderful day. As we move to the future, I want to thank you for your support and dedication to our administration and to our sport the past four years.
I was at a recent breakfast listening to Dennis Hastert, Speaker of the House, talk about rewarding people who step forward to lead and serve. He said good people who accept a leadership role do so for love of a cause or a call to arms, not for money, fame or personal gain. So how do you reward a person who makes this commitment for doing a good job? You reward them with the one thing you have that is yours and yours alone. You reward them with your vote and support when they want to continue to work for you. I am asking today for your vote and support of a great team of leaders devoted to a mission of success for American Judo. I am asking for your vote and support of a team of experienced leaders with a proven track record. I am asking for your support of leaders who have excelled off the mat, in the business world, and world of real life issues, whose decisions can cost jobs and affect lives forever. I am asking for your vote and support of our team.
Many great things have occurred in this administration that may go unnoticed, and I wanted to share with you my applause for these successful efforts. Vice-President, Lance Nading, has done an outstanding job for you. Lance and his Budget and Finance Committee have turned around the corporate financials. The corporation is financially liquid and our budget is balanced. Deficit spending has been eliminated and the Foundation is earning money. The fiscal management practices in place are the result of Lance's leadership. We are very fortunate to have Lance's business experience and financial leadership working for USA Judo. We must constantly address the ongoing crisis of sky rocketing costs of all sports related insurances and the challenges we face to stay fully insured. We have experienced leaders able to combat the challenge to provide affordable and effective coverage to our athletes and coaches.
Faced with the economic repercussions of September 11 and the Iraq war, we have survived very well during these economically hard times. Federally funded grants targeted for our purposes are essentially at a halt. In late 2000, we initiated the grant-writing project to fund teams to Europe and China based on cultural international exchange. These funds would have sent both junior and senior teams along with staff overseas and freed up dollars for USA Judo previously taken from our budget for training. This program was an annual exchange and we had commitments from the Israeli and Arab nations to participate, but the program was halted with Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sherrie Phillips will be your next Secretary of USA Judo. This is exciting news to have her on our team. She has outstanding grant writers at her disposal and we intend on pursuing many new grants that we can utilize to promote USA Judo on an off the mat. Sherrie brings a war chest of knowledge and marketing skills.
I am proud of our Development Committee's effort in staying focused on the target. We qualified 12 of 14 weight categories for Athens. USA Judo will have athletes in Athens. USA Baseball and USA Field Hockey are two NGB's that will not. Both sports did not qualify to participate in the Olympics. Can you believe it? Baseball, the American staple of sports is staying home. That is how hard it is getting. We will have NBC television coverage in Athens and our Olympic Trails were broadcast nationwide. We have enjoyed television coverage as part of the Titan Games the past two years with several rebroadcasts of the event. In an outstanding performance at the Titan Games, we defeated China. Our entire team was poised, postured, and intent on fighting like Americans, like champions, and the type of hero's we want to cheer for. We had three special recognition awards in the event and the Titan Hall of Fame reception.
We set out four years ago to establish a national team composed of members that reflected the medal winning groups of the successful judo nations. The age range of our team now is moving in that direction and this is shown by the increased number of young athletes on our roster and on our 2004 Olympic Team. I was proud to see Bob Berland, Brett and Marissa make the commitment to give back to the sport and come as the national coaches. I am anxious to see who will be the next American Judo Hero's to come into the coaching program for 2008.
Leo White will be your next Director of Development. Tommy Dyer has agreed to stay on board and assist Leo in continuing to raise our level of athlete performance. Jim Hrbeck has committed to stay and continue the thankless job of statistics and juniors. Jim is one of the best scouts in the work and Leo?s program will target funds to get Jim scouting at the top-level international events. Tommy's team expanded the athlete opportunities to earn national team roster points by classifying domestic C-E level tournaments regionally across the nation including the New York Open, Liberty Bell, Swamp Classic, Midwestern, San Jose Buddhist, and others. The operations of Development will move from the National Office and all tasks for Development travel, etc., will be handled by a Development secretary under Leo White. This will reduce the burden on the National Office Staff and allow us to focus more time on service to our members. Leo has committed to further modifying and improving the coaching model so that more and more coaches will have the opportunity to participate. I have placed a motion for the fall agenda to establish a Coach Commission Subcommittee that will have a positive impact on our coaching program.
Gary Norton has done an outstanding job with the scholastic system. This years High School and Collegiate Championships in Florida were the largest in over 20 years. The total number of entrants was approximately 350. I am happy that Gary has agreed to continue to take the lead in this program and stay as a member of our team for the next four years. His ideas for expanding the program are exciting. He intends to have a high-profile international high school team Tournament in place very soon.
Under the direction of Fletcher Thornton, Standards and Certification of this administration continued to expand the Coaching Certification Program initiated by Dr. Matsumoto to a functional nationwide program continually registering and educating our pool of national coaches from A to E levels. I am extremely happy to announce that Nestor Bustillo has agreed to take the reins in the program and continue in the footsteps of Corrine Shigemoto. Nestor brings his experience as an educator and administrator and will be very successful in this new role. Our many thanks to Corrine for her outstanding service to us.
Standards funded and continues to develop the Jr. Rank System of USA Judo to a workable DVD product for our members who receive the system free of charge. Mr. Fletcher Thornton and his team have done an outstanding job in the rank system and the certification programs. We continue to work hard and remain optimistic of rank unification for American Judo. USA Judo will hire a national developmental coach next year to give seminars and clinics nationwide to promote the Jr. Rank Program and enroll new members to USA Judo. We will be looking for one of our highly visible retiring athletes for this position and will begin the interview process following the Olympics. We have earmarked the funds for a coach's salary and will support it with a percentage of the $$ generated from new memberships.
Tad Nall's dedication to protecting USA Judo often goes unrecognized. The countless hours each day he spends on USA Judo marks him as one of the hardest workers in USA Judo, in my opinion. His Law and Legislation team is outstanding. I was very happy to seat Ms. Karen Mackey to the Law and Legislation Committee. She practices in Iowa and is a great asset. She is the first female representative ever to serve on Law and Legislation. Tad's team developed and implemented a background screening process for all coaches and club associates to protect our young or vulnerable members from abuse. The screening processing numbers are approaching 500 at this time. His team has successfully defended us and resolved many issues.
The U.S. Open is our premier event. Previous to my election to the Presidency, I asked many of the countries why they reduced their delegations or chose not to attend at times. Straight across the board, they were unhappy with the altitude of Colorado Springs for competition, and had grown tired of the same venue. Vice-President Lance Nading and I, along with Pat Amman, Chair of the Tournament Subcommittee, set in motion moving the tournament to Las Vegas. This was a "first" and our numbers, quality of players, and attendance by international teams has continued to rise. The "internationals" love Vegas, but the past year we have had difficulty with rooms and venue. We are now looking closely at moving a future tournament to Florida in August to follow the Jr. U.S. Open. Florida also has many points of interest for the internationals and it will draw more South American competitors due to the cost savings. This would be positive in two new areas, it would provide an additional tournament in seven days for the 17-20 year olds competing in the Jr. Open and give all our players a shorter season with time for cross training or injury rehab. Currently, our team gets about a month off after the U.S. Open if they are interested in starting the European tour in January.
We have greatly improved our international relationships over the past four years in Europe and Asia. Mr. Yonezuka is our representative to the Kodokan and does a magnificent job as chair of the Kodokan Committee. Kodokan ranks are now processed only by USA Judo, through Mr. Yonezuka?s recommendations. I made three trips to the Kodokan and met with Mr. Kano several times on other occasions to bring this to a successful close. This was a huge success for USA Judo as far as our rank system. I was very happy our administration was successful in our request of the IJF to honor one of our member's with an International Judo Federation Bronze Medal.
We established USA Judo Regional Training Centers who provide certified coaching, referees, and host point tournaments. Our first training center at University of Louisiana-Lafayette has been extremely successful in membership, grants, and the Swamp Classic. Great job Connie. We continue to review future sites and are closing the final contract on the South Florida Center that will pay USA Judo approximately $100,000 a year for ten years as part of participation in the Impact Zone Project. Over the next four years we will continue to strive to reach our goal of 16 centers. Recently, I visited the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista and we are in discussion of utilizing the OTC for judo athletes. I have spoken with the USOC, and they are supportive of this venture as well.
As President, I mandated to the Sportsmedicine Chair that a multidisciplinary professional team consisting of medical doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists, and trainers comprise the Sportsmedicine Committee. I want to thank Dr. Robert Nishime and his team for their support of our administration continuing the next four years and their commitment to stay on board doing the great job they do. Dr. Nishime's team has made a tremendous impact in the level of care, and our athletes are in the best hands.
In reorganizing many of the subcommittee structures we have provided USA Judo with a better product and we are so fortunate to have committed members who are totally dedicated to you and our goals. I met with the Women's Sports Subcommittee and in addressing their concerns moved their program from Operations to Development to eliminate what many of the Women's Committee members felt was locking them out of participation in the Development Committee functions. Our subcommittees are more effective than ever before.
Our focus and intent is to improve our service to our members and strive each and every day to put our athletes on the medal podiums around the world. As in any venture, a big part of the success is dependent upon funding. We are presently researching the opportunity to offer "family memberships" of USA Judo to made membership more attractive and financially feasible to families. I continue to work on the merchant vendor credit card processing project and I expect this to close and be operational shortly. We have a letter of intent from Howard Pollack and PM Group to co-venture a concert with a top name artist and continue to work with potential sponsors to provide the escrow money to move it forward. I spoke with Jay Warwick at the Olympic Trials, and again at the Titan Games, and the USOC is very interested in participating in this as well. I am also in discussion and attempting to secure Mobile Wireless Security and IBID, as corporate sponsors for USA Judo through 2008.
I am seeking financial sponsors for our subcommittees and for officer expenses. Since 1996, as Vice-President, and now as President, I have paid 99% of my own travel, rooms, meals, etc., when representing USA Judo in the U.S. and internationally. I know this affects some of the other officers and program directors and probably exceeds $10-20,000 a year in personal funds to attend national meetings and international events. I understand this is also a problem at many state levels.
Bill Rosenburg met with the Executive Committee and reported he will be retiring. He has indicated he will assist us in any way through a smooth transition and make sure our next four-year Executive Director has a full understanding of all the duties necessary in our relationship with the USOC. We are currently modifying the Executive Director job description to expand the position to mandate fundraising and increase the focus on servicing the A and B members of USA Judo.
We will continue to work hard to accomplish the mission of turning USA Judo into a world power. Our team is providing a cure, not a Band-Aid to the problems. USJF President Mr. Saito and I spoke at the Olympic Trails and his comments were right on target, "It took USA Judo a long time to get where it is, and it won't get back on top overnight." In the past year, we have made significant progress. I will continue to extend a hand of friendship and work with the USJA and the USJF harmoniously to achieve our goals as the American Judo Family.
The next four years are going to be extremely challenging times for USA Judo in our relation with the U.S. Olympic Committee. The changes you saw in the Board of Director's of the USOC will matriculate into all NGB's. These changes will be mandated and how we respond will dictate future funding and support from the USOC. I have spoken with the USOC, and I am confident the Program Plan that we are currently working on, and will present, will result in financial success. We are very fortunate to have our National Office in the United States Olympic Committee Headquarters for an unbelievable $200 per month. Our administration has worked very hard to develop the strong relationship that currently exists with the USOC Sports Partnership, and I am confident it will continue to grow stronger with your current leadership moving forward.
If we are to be successful in overcoming these upcoming challenges the next four years, it is going to require the skills and knowledge of experienced leaders and administrators to keep USA Judo at the top of the game. Our team is the best qualified to accomplish the task. In 2000, we committed eight years of service to you in order to get American Judo back on track. We are on course and headed in the right direction. I am asking for you to reward this great team with your vote and support for the next four years. Thank you.
Tough decision on your hand guys. I think that Jimmy's idea is better. My thinking is that you can change as much understructure of the sport as you want, if it isn't visible to the public it's not generating more funds and more people. If you concentrate on a program that will give everyone a chance to go to the absolute highest levels of Judo it may persuade more people to stay with the program and the results on international competitions will increase the new enrollments. You think US networks would not broadcast judo in fairly good slots of US had a chance to medal at every event. You could prolly even score showing worlds if US atheletes had great chances there. Through the increased interest in the sport everyone would be better off.
A couple of things run through my mind when reading these speaches.
1) Jimmy makes some painfully valid points. The level of coaching and support at the high levels seems very disorganized and poorly implemented. The best point he made was that fact that we need to utilize and develop the coaches at the local level. Local coaching is what builds the foundation of an athlete mentally, physically, technically etc. When players make a transition to the Elite level, they are expected to leave their coaches, and history behind them and trust in the OTC powerstructure. Not a great way to go IMO.
Including a players local coach in the Elite level coaching process will do nothing but help everybody involved and make athletes more comfortable throughout the course of their career.
2) Ron did a great job highlighting some of the accomplishments of his adminstration. Some of the things mentioned helped me remember all of the good things that have happened. And in true Japanese etiquitte, he highlighted the team effort of his staff rather than putting himself on a pedestal. It's pretty easy to throw stones to knock the guy on the top down. It's a lot harder to stand on the top of the heap, because the Buck stops there. Ron reminded us that there have been a lot of Pros to combat the cons we all like to bitch about.
One thing nags at the back of my mind though.....I'm pretty positive that 80% of the support staff will stay in place regardless of who wins this election. There's nothing in Jimmy's speech that makes me believe that any of the Leo White's, Sherri Russel's or Saito's of the US Judo world will stop doing their jobs if Jimmy's elected.
Just from the speeches, I'm thinking that Jimmy has the most fresh ideas on how to bring in more hardware (medals) from the big tournaments.
Just for what it's worth, regarding the team selection for the last Olympics, nobody on the team went through a trial. For some reason, they did not do a trial that time, and the people who were ranked number 1 as of a given date were automatically on the team.