JUDO: Rousey, Schutz Dominate Female Awards at The Titan Games
By Sherrie Phillips // USA Judo// June , 2004
ATLANTA, GA. â€" Ronda Rousey with her all-American girl look and her determined game face had no idea that she would be selected as the Female Titan Athlete under 20 years old for the entire Titan Games Saturday evening at Philips Arena when the award was announced. However, the award was indeed Rousey’s at the end of the evening. The prestigious award is given by the US Olympic Committee to a female athlete under 20 years of age that displays outstanding performance in one of the combat sports that participates in the Games. The winner of the award is selected through nominations from members of the press as well as the officials from each sport.
Rousey demonstrated she has what it takes to be named a Titan by maintaining her composure and her confidence under pressure earlier in the evening. In match six of the night, she fought a grueling and event filled match with Dou of China. The match was action filled with attack after attack and ultimately ended up going to Golden Score, commonly known as overtime. Rousey worked diligently in the overtime portion of the match for over 2 minutes until she dropped with seoinage to take the win for the US Team with a Yuko.
Rousey is the daughter of Ann Marie Burns who was the first ever World Champion in the sport of judo for the United States. In addition, Rousey currently trains in Boston at the home club of Jimmy Pedro who is a strong hope for a Gold in Athens this summer.
It’s no surprise that Celita Schutz , a two-time Olympian and seasoned veteran, was named the overall Female Titan for the Titan Games. The Famale Titan Award is the highest award of any female athlete participating at the event. Schutz was clearly a technical class above the competitors in her category. Her presence of mind and technique both illustrated that she is a likely contender for a medal in Athens this summer. “We are very proud to have the team recognized in this manner by the Olympic community and we’re looking for an even stronger performances as we build towards Athens� said Olympic Coach Marissa Pedulla.
Schutz is currently training in New York in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games. Friday evening Celita faced Mexico in a match that lasted under one minute. She had a repeat performance when she faced China on Saturday evening, clearly establishing her as a standout among the athletes at the event.
Congratulations!!!
Way to go! More exposure for Judo is always neat!