The 2012 NY Open Team Tournament is scheduled for Sunday, March 4, 2012 at the NYAC. Please visit this site for more information as it develops.

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Results of the New York Open Team Judo Championship 1st - GERMANY
2nd - USA
3rd - CANADA
4th - ITALY

NEW YORK, NY “ On Sunday, March 6, 2011, The New York Athletic Club hosted the first ever New York Open Team Judo Championship, a showdown of Canada, Germany, Italy and USA. The teams in the Judo tournament included some of the strongest players in the world, featuring World and Olympic competitors as well as numerous national champions. The tournament was sponsored by Film Annex and the New York Athletic Club and was sanctioned by USAJudo, the national governing body for the sport of Judo.

RESULTS: 1st - GERMANY 2nd - USA 3rd - CANADA 4th - ITALY

Team Judo competitions are very popular in Europe and Asia, drawing thousands of fans and colorful non-traditional Judogi's. Team Judo competition encourages audience participation and offers cash prizes to the winning team, and in this tournament the teams were vying for a $2,000 cash prize that accompanied the gold medals. The athletes competed in front of a large and vocal New York crowd with many Judo fans watching the action. DJ Mark LaRush rocked the house throughout the event, pumping the crowd up with music. Live commentary during the matches was provided by five-time national champion Carrie Chandler.

Legendary tennis great Billie Jean King and founder of the Women's Sport's Foundation presented the 2011 Rusty Kanokogi Award grant to judoka Hana Carmichael, and acknowledged the 2009 award grant to judoka Kayla Harrison. In presenting the Rusty Kanokogi Award, Ms. King spoke of her friend Rusty as the heart and soul of women's judo. The Rusty Kanokogi Award from the Women's Sports Foundation was created for the advancement of U.S. Women's Judo and helps U.S. female judo practitioners finance travel and training. The award was named for Rusty Kanokogi, a pioneer of women's judo, who paved the way for thousands of women and girls into the sport. She is credited for helping bring women's judo into the Olympic Games in 1988, and played a great role in the development of the sport through her tireless devotion to judo.

Once the matches began, the action was fast and furious, with Team Germany defeating Team Canada and Team USA defeating Team Italy. In the semi-finals, Team Germany defeated Team Italy, and Team USA defeated Team Canada, which set up a gold medal showdown of Team USA versus Team Germany.

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Team Germany's Coach was two-time New York Open Champion Toni Lettner, and Team USA's Coach was Jimmy Pedro, World Champion, two-time Olympic Medalist and the Coach of the 2012 US Olympic Judo team.

In the 66kg division, 2010 Pan American Champion Brad Bolen started Team USA off strong by pinning Danny Wallach for ippon, which drew whistles and cheers from the crowd and earned him a standing ovation.

In the 73kg division, Nick Delpopolo and a tough German opponent Stefan Kneitinger, ending their match in a scoreless draw.

Moving into the 81kg division, 2008 US Olympian Travis Stevens defeated his German opponent Robert Gess by wazari and moved Team USA into a comfortable 2-0 lead.

In the 90kg division, Team Germany sent out Rene Kirsten to take on Garry St. Leger of Team USA. St. Leger was the local crowd favorite all day, as he hails from New York City. However, the crowd couldn't will him to victory, as the powerful Kirsten slammed St. Leger with Uchimata, making the score 2-1 in favor of Team USA going into the 5th and final match.

In the +90kg division, American Kyle Vashkulot had sustained an injury earlier in the day when fighting the Italian. With no alternate in his division to replace him, Vashkulot decided to gut it out to try and secure the win for the Americans. In what became the match of the tournament, Vashkulot and Dominik Gerzer thrilled the crowd with high in the air powerful attacks.

At one point in the match, Vashkulot appeared to have won when Gerzer attempted a sacrifice throw and landed with severe force on his back. Both corner Judges called ippon for Vashkulot, but the referees were called off the mat by the Jury, and the ippon was waived off. This decision drove the audience into a frenzy, and the match was still scoreless with the fifth and final minute approaching.

When Vashkulot attempted a throw, Gerzer lifted him high in the air with a counter-attack that took them all the way off the mat. Team Germany and its fans were delighted. Vashkulot's back hit the wood floor fifteen feet from the contest area with a thud that shook the building. All eyes then turned to the corner judge, who stretched his arm out straight, deeming the throw started in-bounds, and the referee called ippon, giving the win and the gold medal to the Team Germany. A stunned Team USA watched as Team Germany swarmed the mat and lifted Gerzer high into the air in celebration. The German cheering section in the crowd went wild, and cheers could be heard throughout the building.

Although both teams were tied with two wins each, because Team Germany won both of their matches by ippon and Team USA had one ippon and one wazari, Team Germany was declared the winner.

Team Canada defeated Team Italy to take the bronze medal.

For more information about the New York Open Team Judo Championship, visit www.newyorkopenjudo.com or www.facebook.com/NewYorkOpenJudo.

The entire New York Open Team Judo Championship was filmed by Film Annex, who is airing the event on their website www.judoarts.com.

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Watching a Judo Competition

After a ceremonial bow, each judo match begins with each opponent grabbing each other by collars and sleeve of the judo uniform, the judogi. The objective of the match is to score an "ippon," which wins the match – this is akin to a knockout in boxing or a pin in wrestling. Scoring an ippon can occur from a) throwing the opponent to the ground so he lands on his shoulder or back; b) pinning him to the ground on his back for a length of time; or c) subduing him in a choke, strangle hold or armlock. Any of these score ippon and win the match. Although an ippon is the objective, there are also partial points scored during the match. Points can be awarded when a variety of throws or blocks are successfully accomplished. At the end of the match, the highest quality score wins.

About Judo

Judo debuted as an official Olympic sport in 1964 and is practiced by millions of people throughout the world today. The discipline of Judo is a Japanese martial art and combat sport that originated in Japan in the late nineteenth century. Best known for stunning throws, Judo also involves much grappling on the ground like wrestling, using controlled holds, pins and arm locks.

Judo, translated as "gentle way," teaches balance, leverage and flexibility in performing throws and other skills, and helps to develop complete body control and fast reflexive action. Skill, technique and timing, rather than brute strength, are the essential ingredients for success in this sport. Worldwide, over 20 million people practice judo, with all age groups, both sexes and disabled persons all able to participate in learning and practicing in the sport.

Judo develops self-discipline and respect for oneself and others, and helps teach self-confidence, concentration and leadership skills. It's no coincidence that several world leaders have also studied Judo, including Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, former Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, former U.S. Senator of Colorado, Olympian Ben Campbell, and former President Theodore Roosevelt, as well as many celebrity judo practitioners, including director Guy Ritchie, actors Chuck Norris, James Cagney and Peter Sellers.

About Film Annex

Film Annex, an official sponsor of the event, is an online film distribution platform and Web TV Network with over 250,000 users and 1.5 million viewers a day. The company creates free Web TV channels for content providers and supports them financially through an ad-revenue sharing model. A meeting point for filmmakers, film festivals, film enthusiasts, companies, and organizations, Film Annex educates and entertains audiences by making meaningful, diverse, and high-quality films available to a global audience. Film Annex also supports athletes and Olympic sports like Judo and Fencing. For more information, visit www.filmannex.com.

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CONTACT: Carrie Gray, New York Open Judo PHONE: (516) 967-4729 EMAIL: publicity.judo@gmail.com www.newyorkopenjudo.com

New York Open Judo Championship 2010 Results

The NYAC\\\'s 27th New York Open Judo Championship was held October 17, 2010 at Hunter College of the City University of New York\\\'\\\'s main gymnasium while the New York Athletic Club\'\'s facility under goes an extensive renovation. The New York Open has proven to be a magnet for top international male players and those elite American men preparing to compete on the world circuit. All who enter deem themselves ready for the challenge and are vying for the $1000 prize award to the winner of each weight division.

The 2010 New York Open saw a resurgence of US talent on the winner\'s podium as Americans took first place in three of seven divisions. The NYAC\\\'s two-time US National champion Nick Kossor took the -60 kg gold with a booming uchi mata for ippon and took home the Most Valuable Player award for his consistent demonstration of all manner of judo techniques on the day.

Canada\\\'s Joel Benoit took first place at -66 kg division while American Michael Eldred outlasted Colombia\'s Vallejo in a Finals overtime match that exhausted participants and spectators alike.

The -81 kg division featured an all-French finals with Dimitri Gomes-Tavarez outlasting Sylvain Barzic.

Long-time NYAC competitor and USA\\\'s five-time National Champion, Aaron Cohen reigned in -90 kg. in a deep field of strong Europeans. The Germans won the other three medals while a Slovene and a Frenchman took the two fifth places.

A native of the Dominican Republic and a long-time New York City resident, Jose Bossaird, took first in a stunning upset in -100 kg.

Two-time New Open champion, Olympian and World bronze medalist Joao Schlittler of Brazil seized the +100 kg. division in dominant fashion completing the day with four ippons in four contests.

The opening ceremonies included for the first time a demonstration of Nage No Kata by USA Kata champions, Jeff Giunta and Heiko Rommellman, Jr.

For more information, please visit our web-site at www.NewYorkOpenJudo.com and www.JudoArts.com, a web channel created to promote the sport of judo and other martial arts.

The 2010 New York Open will be held Sunday October 17, 2010. This year the tournament will be held at Hunter College located at 68th Street and Lexington Ave, West Building.

Olympian and New York Open Champion, Flavio Canto (BRA)is has been honored and a CNN Hero. Click here to read why: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/07/16/cnnheroes.flavio.canto/index.html

Photographer Tiago Rohrestzer has delivered 258 amazing photos.
We'll be uploading our top picks, but the 258 are not be missed...check them out at this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohr/sets/72157615086287756/

You can also purchase the photos from Tiago directly at: contact@tiagorohrsetzer.com

By Nicole Jomantas - USA Judo March 10, 2009
Seven months after the Olympic Games in Beijing, Travis Stevens (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) found himself facing 2008 Olympic Champion Ole Bischof (GER) for the second time when he advanced to the 81kg finals of the New York Open on Sunday in New York City.

Stevens and Bischof fought a close match in Beijing with Stevens losing by a pair of penalties in the third-round match. Bischof, a former European Champion, would go on to win the gold while Stevens showed the world he was a player to watch with a ninth-place finish in his Olympic debut.
Bischof and Stevens met again in front of a home crowd for Stevens at the New York Open. This time both players kept up a fast pace for the five-minute regulation period before sending the match to Golden Score (sudden death overtime) where Stevens went in for a fireman\\\'s carry and was countered by Bischof for a yuko (quarter-point score) that ended the match and gave Stevens a silver medal in his first New York Open final. In its twenty-sixth year, the Open is a USA Judo Senior C-Level point tournament for U.S. players and a B-Level tournament for international players.

Twenty-year-old Nick Delpopolo (Wakefield, Mass. / NYAC / USA Judo National Team FORCE) won his first major senior medal at the New York Open when he placed third at the 2006 event. Now an experienced senior player, Delpopolo was poised to win his first major international gold medal in the 73kg division when he led his final match against former World medalist Krzysztof Wilkomirski (POL). Up by a throw for a waza-ari (half-point) score, Delpopolo was given his third penalty of the match with seven seconds on the clock that tied the score at a waza-ari each. In Golden Score, Delpopolo went in for a drop seoi nage (dropping shoulder throw) but Wilkomirski took him to the ground where he choked Delpopolo out for the win.

Garry St. Leger (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Legrosports Starrett) won a bronze medal in the 90kg division where he controlled his match against Wiktor Tworzydio (POL) who he threw first for a waza-ari and then for ippon.

Most Valuable Player of the Tournament honors were awarded at the end of the day to Bjorn Bachmann (GER) who won gold in the 100kg division.

For the first time, a womens team match was held between the United States and Japan which was won by the Japanese team.

Special awards were given to James Bregman who received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Team Japan who received the Appreciation Award.

This year's New York Open, some say, was the most exciting with some of the best judo ever seen in the hemisphere. Attended by 2008 Beijing Gold Medallist Ole Bishof from Germany, along with many other Olympians and world medallists, Mr. Bishoff won his division, taking home US$1,000 prize money. Other competitors include 17 from Japan, a full team from Canada, 5 from Poland, 9 from France, 9 from Germany, 6 from Great Britain, with Mongolia, Brazil, Russia, China, Columbia, Solvania, Czech, the Ukraine, the Netherlands, Equador, Guatmala, Kazakhstan also represnted.

The tournament directors are please to announce that the 26th annual New York Open will take place on Sunday, March 8, 2009. Make your plans now to attend!

Congratulations to Rusty Kanokogi, past recipient of the NYO Lifetime Achievement Award, on her latest honor, the "Emperor's Award of the Rising Sun", Japan's highest award given to a foreigner.

USA Judo is pleased to announce that the New York Open New York City, has been named as an International B Level Tournament.

The New York Open will hold an Invitational Team Tournament at the New York Athletic Club on March 6, 2011. FRANCE, GERMANY, ITALY AND THE USA - FOUR JUDO POWERHOUSES. TOP WORLD ATHLETES. ONE NIGHT ONLY. Place: The New York Athletic Club, 180 Central Park South, 58th St. & 7th Avenue, NYC. Price: $25 at the door, free for kids below 15. Two free beers with each paid entry. Must be 21. Competition starts at 1 pm Semi-finals at 3:30 pm Finals start at 6 pm Plan to attend this exciting Team Event.