International
Budo Federation
Multi
Nation Judo Championships
Ostroda
Poland
Saturday
May
This was the first time IBF Poland had run this annual event, it was also the first time IBF UK had sent a team to Poland. 8 members from the UK took part in the event 5 competitors and 3 officials. The Team consisted of Colin Carrott 2nd Dan, Paul Hoggett 1st Dan; Miles Brown 1st Dan (Miles had to withdraw through injury) Dave Hatch 1st Kyu, Richard Casella 2nd Dan. Officials Martin Clarke 8th Dan UK President, Dave Boulding 6th Dan UK Director General, Trevor Davies 6th Dan UK National Coach.
The hospitality of the people of Ostroda and IBF Poland was fantastic. IBF UK stopped at the Promenade Hotel who was the main sponsors of the event, the hotel looked over a huge lake in one of the most picturese part of the town. The service and the food was of the highest quality and where in the UK could you pay £18 per night B&B in a 5 star hotel, lager was a £1 per night not that any Judoka would indulge in the drinking of alcohol!!!!. At most of these events the sponsor puts up a few medals, the mayor pops along for 5 minutes and that’s it. Not in Ostroda Poland, the Friday night Martin, Trevor and Dave B were invited to attend a reception at a 15 century Castle amongst the guests were the local Mayor, the MP for the area, the Japanese ambassador and IBF International President G.Neiring 9th Dan.. The reception consisted of a 9-course meal, a local silver band, each President and dignitary being presented with a memento, plus various speeches supplied music, this was just the start of the weekend.
On the Saturday the whole team (with the exception of Richard who preferred his bed) turned up at the Venue, for 10 am for the opening ceremony which, was a very large School Sports Hall as of yet the town does not have a Sports Centre but one hopes to be built in the next 18 months, the Mayor made a point of inviting Martin to the opening. The country needs a lot of rebuilding and refurbishing to get over its period of Communism. I did deliberately avoid the word modernisation, as the old world feel to Poland is part of its charm. Poland is being pushed to become full members of the European Union, when this happens prices will rise, taxes will rise and they will become a clone of the rest of the EU. When you travel to Poland it reminded me of the first Judo trips to Germany and Holland in the 1960’s when you felt you was on an adventure and you experienced many new things and saw lots of different ideas on how to live unlike today where each Town Centre in the EU looks the same. I hope the people of Poland do not make the same mistake that the UK made in joining the EU. Countries participating were Holland, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, UK with a total of 350 youngsters, the mayor and the Japanese ambassador opened the event, also present was 3 times World Judo Champion Rafel Kubacki. Rafel was particularly good with the children who climbed all over him to get an autograph and have there pictured taken with him. Rafel talked a lot with our own World Masters Champion Martin Clarke 8th Dan, he told Martin he hopes to attend the World Masters Judo Championships to be held in Northern Ireland in July, lets hope he can pop over to the main land to se e his new found friends in the IBF.
At mid morning the IBF UK officials were once again whisked away to another Champaign/Coffee reception, then at 3pm the Sponsors Promenade Hotel sent a Police Car (yes a Police car) to pick up Dave B and Trevor to attend a special Lunch with various local dignitaries, Martin stopped behind to coach his players.
As per usual with these events it over ran and our Senior did not fight till gone 5pm, Colin Carrott and Paul Hogget reached the finals of the men’s under 90 kilo class both men were very evenly matched and it was a mistake by Colin mid way through the fight that earned him a penalty of a Shido this cost him the match. Paul who has just qualified as a PE teacher is going to be a very useful player on the International IBF scene. Martin is also trying to talk him in to doing some Sombo Wrestling. Richard Cassella at just over 100 kilo had to fight in the Super Heavy weight category with only 3 player it should have been Richard as the most experienced player and the highest grade day but it was not to be His first fight with the Polish No 1 saw Richard being thrown with Haria Goshi for Ippon in under a minute, his next fight went the distance where he won on a split decision to win Silver. Dave Hatch did not win a medal but he was presented with one later in the evening for “Judo Spirit”
In the evening all the British Team was invited on to a boat trip on the lake where wild boar, vodka and Champaign was served, this was followed with all the Polish dignitaries coming back to the British Team’s Hotel where the party went on to the early hours. The following day was spent sight seeing around Poland.
As was said early this was our first time to Poland and what a great trip, to fly would be too expensive for children but the Dutch and Germans travelled by coach. A trip like this would be about 20 hours by coach from England a long trip but what an adventure for the children and how many would have the chance to visit Poland? Maybe in 4 years time when it is the turn of the IBF Poland to run the competition again there could be chance of a large UK contingent.
UK President Martin Clarke has been at loggerheads with the IBF International Council (Martin seem to upset most bureaucrats in his time) but this competition healed the wounds and he is back on friendly terms.
On our webb Site www.Budo-IBF.co.uk you will find photo’s of the trip plus some photo’s of Ostroda.
IBF UK would like to thank the following for all the help they received while in OSTRODA
IBF International President F G Niering 9th Dan
Mayor of Ostroda Phd Jan Wasilewski
Wlodzimierz Narewski
Staff and Management of the Promenade Hotel