Magdalene's Going Away Party

Kids and parents all know Magdalene Pernambuco, our wonderful assistant teacher in the kids classes. She is going back to New York soon to get ready to attend Barnard in the fall, so we'll be getting some Korean barbecue at Gogi Time (2600 Telegraphh Avenue in Oakland) at 7pm this Saturday the 24th to send her off. If you're planning coming, PLEASE LET ME KNOW so I can make reservations. So far I have eleven people down. If you've never been Korean barbecue is all you can eat, lot of fun and delicious - $27 per person or $14.95 per child age 4-10 plus tax and tip.

USA Judo Senior Nationals May 11-13

I just registered for the USA Judo Senior Nationals, which are being held in Round Rock, Texas (north of Austin) May 11th-13th. It is open to ALL COMPETITORS age 17 and up. They have novice divisions (everything below sankyu brown belt), brown belt divisions, black belt divisions, and Master's division (or old man division, as I like to call it - which is where I'll be competing).

I would encourage anyone with at least one year of training and a few tournaments under their belt to attend. The requirements are different than a local tournament - you must be a member of USA Judo, and your birth date must be verified by passport or birth certificate, among other things. If this sounds interesting please reply to this email and let me know so I can help you get registered.

The official website with all the information you need can be found here. Sensei Ivan and Sensei Chris have both competed in this event as recently as last year so you can also ask them about it.

Everything Else

The Western Collegiate Judo Championships are being held this coming up Saturday, February 24th, right next door at UC Berkeley. It's free to watch, and volunteers are needed to help run the tournament.
I'm doing a gi order soon. I keep white single weave gis on hand in a variety of sizes. If you want something special like a blue gi or a double weave, or a gear bag or a t-shirt, please look at the Hatashita Sports website and let me know what you would like before Monday the 26th.
As of today we are moving Open Mat from Friday to Wednesday 7-8:30. There will no longer be an adult class on Friday night. Don't forget about Monday and Wednesday adult classes 7-8:30! At the moment they are smaller than Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday classes, so if you need some closer attention or have specific questions, come by and take a class on Monday or Wednesday.
New postcards are available! They are at the front desk. Please feel free to grab some and give to your friends.
Recently we had some promotions in adult class, and we attended the San Jose Buddhist tournament and the Hanabi in-class tournament. You can read all about it on the blog, and see pictures on Instagram.