Earlier today ESPN had a story of Uchida(?) and said he winningest (is that even a word) college coach you've never heard of. He is 92 yrs old but didn't look his age at all.
Gave a short bio of his childhood and how he was asked to be the judo coach. At the end they said the program is in jeopardy because of cuts. Is this really likely? A university program that successful being cut.
This would be terrible if so.
Another related story.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/video/#!/news/local/When-The-Going-Gets-Tough--The-Tough-Keep-Coaching/151641635
the cuts very well may hurt, but if it comes down to it the Alumni of the Judo team will do everything in their power to fund the program in whatever way it can be done.
amazing story.
If the San Jose State University Judo program is cut it will be for one of two reasons (not suggesting it will happen just suggesting how it might happen):
If Gene Bleymaier chooses focuses his energy on popular sports programs with indifference to history and tradition.
http://blogs.sjsu.edu/today/2012/sjsu-president-names-new-athletics-director/
Notice the prominent image of judoka performing randori amongst the other sports photographs in the banner. Oh, wait... $h!t.
http://campaign.sjsu.edu/athletics.html
If Uchida sensei retires completely. The San Jose State University Judo program has had some fits and starts the last few years.
Here is an article from Kikuchi sensei, note the language "continued their re-emergence as a premier National Training Center."
http://www.usjf.com/2012/05/san-jose-state-university-judo-team-takes-home-big-medal-count-at-usa-senior-judo-nationals/
There is a lengthy backstory but you can see below for comments from Dave Camarillo about some of the events.
http://www.onthemat.com/articles/DATM_David_Williams_01_01_2003.html
SJSU Judo is not under the direction of the Athletics program. Maybe that is one reason there's no pictures?
What is in danger is funding. The State of California has a budget problem and some funding that the judo program receives might not be available from the University.
I don't think its a huge amount of money that they receive. If such should happen, it will fall on the shoulders of the SJSU alumni to find the funding if they want it to continue.
edit. double post.
GB... while i respect what you are trying to say, you are misinformed seriously. an overwhelming amount of SJSU Judo Team funds come from alumni and fundraising.
i was there when the change took place from removing judo from the athletic dept and away from all the NCAA garbage and the crap caused by a poorly run athletic department overall. in fact, even when the judo team was under athletics, they didn't give us any funding, we had to raise it all on our own anyways.
the university itself gives next to nothing other than a room and a tiny coach budget as the team is an actual class AND club at the same time. the most that will be lost is the class funding portion. they will not remove the team from the building that is about to be renovated to the tune of tens of millions and have a brand-new dojo built that will the the envy of every judoka in the USA.
The other question that I do not have answers to is if ASB, the student body, will continue to fund "club sports." the judo team does get a small budge from ASB, but just like the above, if it was removed then the alumni would just need to step it up with another fundraiser or two per year.
thus, those who know how things are set-up, see it as a time when things might not be peaches and cream, but we also know that the team itself is not fading away.
Morris can't pick up the slack?
What does Morris have to do with anything?
I only made a cursory read of the thread. The jist I got was that if SJSU loses funding or somehow goes under it will obviously be devastating to those kids. Are there other options? (I think I'm just kinda looking to see if Jason is important in any way to the Judo world)
Jason Morris Judo Club is a USA Judo National Training Site, and Jason Morris was also the coach of the 2008 USA Judo Olympic Team. Two members of JMJC are on this year's Olympic Team, and several Olympians and other international calibre athletes have called him coach at one time. You can assign your own value of importance to those facts.
Like Joshua, I don't see the relevancy to SJSU. What they share is a designation by USA Judo as a National Training Site. Other than that, they share very little, so who knows what type of option parents and students would consider it, if the extremely unlikely happened?
As explained earlier, the funding that SJSU stands to lose is small, designated mostly for class funding, not the team. Even the money that they receive from USA Judo has to be earmarked very specifically. The real money to operate the team comes from alumni and fund raising. As long as they keep doing that, there is very little risk of the team being disbanded. Why would the university disband a program that has minimal costs, yet many benefits? How many other club sports at SJSU produced Olympians this year?
Understood. Thanks.