Quarterly Newsletter October 2024.
3rd Devizes Mini Mon
The third mini mon was contested by 68 Judoka on Sunday 13th October with thirteen different clubs from all over the south of England contesting for the gold medals and the two player of the day trophies. Representing Devizes Budo Club, we had Katie, Sophie, Lewis, Ollie, Noah, Rose & Stanley. It was a first ever competition experience for the last three on that list, so well done to them. Not only did we have a great display of judo from the red to orange belt Judoka, but it was also a really good atmosphere in the hall on the day. It was also like a blast from the past as lots of parents and children from the club got stuck into helping out with the supply and serving of food and drink or for selling raffle tickets, taking entrance money and even spending several hours out in the cold acting as parking attendants. No competition can run without the help of the club members. Steve and Tilly were also excellent as our qualified first aiders. The competition officials and referees definitely deserve a mention for the extremely smooth manner in which they ran this event – starting at 9.30am with the red belt weigh-in and being completely finished and totally cleared away by 3.30pm which is incredibly efficient. Awarding the medals at this event was our own Paralympian, Evan Molloy. It was nice seeing the young judoka from other clubs requesting photos being taken with Evan and also getting him to sign t-shirts for them.
Our proud sponsors for this event are:
Main Sponsors
The Woodland Pizza Kitchen
MGS Groundworks Ltd
We also thank:
R Hopkins Accountancy and Taxation Services Ltd
Andy Vines Plumbing & Heating Ltd
R & GS Hickman Ltd – Building Contractors
News from the Mat
Membership is steadily growing with more and more people getting onto the mat at the various sessions ran at the club. The early session (5yrs to 10yrs) on a Friday night at the end of September saw five new Judoka getting onto the mat for the very first time and we now regularly have 18 to 20 on the first session alone. The Monday night session, which is now two hours long, is also very popular. That session is for judoka 10 years to senior and it’s great seeing some parents getting on the mat with their children. It’s also an absolute bargain for just £5.00 for the whole session!
Further afield, Katie, Logan and Ollie have been winning gold medals at various competitions across the south of England since the last quarterly newsletter and representing the club well. Jason is all over the world as head coach of England Judo visiting places like Portugal and Tajikistan, which apparently has a massive following for Judo. Harvey has also been competing out in Holland.
We now formally have a second Child Welfare Officer at the Club with Amanda Molloy completing all her BJA certification around a month ago. Amanda’s first official duty was at the mini mon event where she looked after the interests of the female competitors. Amanda is a very welcome addition to the team. Amanda’s details can be found on the management committee tab if you need to contact her. We will soon also have a third Child Welfare Officer at the Club once all the certification has been completed.
Paralympics.
It was sadly not to be for our own Evan Molloy at the Paris Paralympics on 7th September 2024. Despite dominating both his opponents and giving a very good account of himself he unfortunately didn’t return with a Paralympic medal. We, as a club, are immensely proud of what Evan has achieved in Judo so far and we will 100% be behind him as he targets the Los Angeles Paralympic games in 2028. They say that only 1 in 10,000 people go on to get their (national grade) black belt but how many of those then go on to represent their country in an event like this? That’s why Evan is one-in-a-million to us.
It’s official! Congratulations to Evan Molloy who has just become Devizes Budo Club’s first ever Paralympian. Starting at the club aged 13, Evan soon progressed onto the Devizes competition Squad and entered competitions all over Britain picking up a lot of medals on his way. He soon progressed to the Great Britain Visually Impaired squad by the time he was 18.
This Gazette & Herald news article from April 2014 (with the cheesy headline!) details the start of Evan’s career as a budding judoka at the club on the cusp of joining up with the national team aged just 14!
JUDO: Great Britain call is Evan sent | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
This article from July 2017 charts his progression:
All of that hard work, countless training sessions, competing all over the planet has now paid off! Next stop, Paris…………..
All the best, Evan. The whole club is totally behind you and you’ve also got 40+ people shouting from matside to cheer you on when hajime is called.
Quarterly Newsletter – June 2024
Steady Improvement
Since the last quarterly newsletter in March, we have continued to show progress with mat numbers and more judoka training at the club. Our average mat numbers have almost doubled on a Monday since March with an average attendance of 19 being recorded in the month of May. Our mean average from both the Monday and Friday night sessions is now 27 judoka which is up from 10 at the same time last year. This is the result of a lot of hard work put in by the coaches and backroom committee members and long may it continue.
Club Matters
In other Club news, Ed Hickman is now a bona fide UKCC level 2 coach after all the paperwork came through from the BJA. Mrs Amanda Molloy is in line to join us soon as our second Child Welfare Officer. At a recent management committee meeting it was decided that all the main committee members should be DBS certificated as standard and this has now been achieved. We felt that this shows a professional commitment towards the safeguarding of children and young adults. Things are also moving in the right direction with regards to the new Dojo although, at the moment, we cannot say too much about it. Watch this space!
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on 21st May. The elected management committee remains much the same apart from the new addition of Mr Jonathan Stockton to the committee (see Management Committee tab above for more details). Jonathan has four children on the mat so has been doing his bit to bolster the membership for a few years now. We welcome him to the committee. Other notable points from the AGM is that Will Hickman has been elected as “Senior Coach” at the club. In the annual prize giving, the Harry “Tubby” King Cup, which has been awarded for 53 years at the Club was this year given to Mr Harvey Creasey-Cottle for “Outstanding Achievement in Judo (male)” and the Roy Chandler trophy for “Outstanding Achievement in Judo (female)” went to Miss Katie Underwood. The “Highest Medal” shield was again awarded to Mr Evan Molloy after winning several European bronze medals. Leading us nicely onto our current Devizes Judo superstar, Mr Evan Molloy. An official announcement will be made in the next few weeks regarding Evan’s Paralympic qualification.
Twinning
On the 8th of July, 9 young Judoka and 2 Leaders will be taking the Ferry from Portsmouth to Caen and onwards to Mayenne, the twin town of Devizes for a week’s stay in this beautiful part of Brittany. Apart from the daily Judo session, participants will be taking part in a variety of recreational activities, visits to St. Malo and Mont St. Michel and finding out about a different culture alongside other Judoka from France, Italy and Ireland. The visit will also include Bastille Day celebrations in the twin town on the 14th of July the day before we all return home.
School Judo Program
The school judo program ran by Will Hickman’s “Wiltshire Judo” is continuing to do very well teaching judo in eight different schools with more on the horizon. Will is holding a two-day summer training camp at the club in July (date to be finalised) for the 5-to-13-years old age group. The training camp starts at 9am and runs until 3pm on both days with a competition on the last day. The children attending will not only be from Devizes Judo but also from the multiple schools that Will teaches at so there will be plenty of training partners and new friends. Fundamentals of Judo, newaza and tachiwaza techniques and an introduction into competitive Judo will be some of the curriculum that will be covered. If you have a child that wishes to join the summer camp please contact willhickman5@gmail.com for further details.
Fundraising
The recent fundraiser held on 18th May where a sponsored 20 mile walk was held has raised in excess of £800 for the club. Many thanks to all who sponsored this walk and to Donna & Will Hickman who walked from the Barge at Honey Street, Pewsey Vale to the Barge at Bradford on Avon – just under 21 miles in 6hrs 35 minutes. They were joined on the walk by a dozen or so other people who kindly walked sections of the canal with them. We are always looking for new and unique ways to raise money for the club so if you have any ideas please let us know.
Competition
We have now got our tournament Licence from the BJA with regards to our third Devizes Mini-Mon event which is going to take place on Sunday 13th October at Silverwood School. Last year’s event was very well attended by multiple clubs around the area. This year, however, we will be having up to the maximum 75 competitors. It’s a perfect competition for young judoka to start their competitive judo career on.
The listing for the event can be found here:
https://www.britishjudo.org.uk/event/l1-devizes-budo-club-mini-mon/
Monday Night Judo
Our Monday night Judo session is, as mentioned above, getting quite popular. We are now having several parents of children on the mat putting on a judogi and joining in with training sessions. We take children from 10 years old to senior on the Monday night session (6.30pm to 8pm). The sessions normally entail a bit of a warm-up, usually a game, a few circuits to raise a sweat and then some technical work followed by some randori (free practice). It’s a very friendly environment so if any senior, male or female, wants to have a go they would be most welcome – the first session is always free and we can sort you out with kit. It’s great for self-defence and will get you fit!
Mats!
Having larger numbers on the mat means we are now putting out a much larger mat area to enable this sort of training so if anyone is free on a Monday evening (around 6.00pm) or a Friday evening (around 5.30pm) the coaches on the mat would be very grateful if someone were to help lay out the mats with them (normally takes 30 minutes or less depending on how many turn up).
That’s it until the next newsletter but keep an eye on the Facebook page for up-to-date news at the club.
G
Here’s some interesting old links from the BJA and the local Gazette & Herald newspaper regarding the Budo Club
From 2019: Devizes schoolgirl wins first young citizen award | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2018: Plans to knock down Budo Club | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2017: Devizes Budo Club Holds Annual Club Exchange – British Judo
From 2017: Devizes Budo Club enjoying life at new temporary home | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2017: Budo club floored by generosity of runner and cyclists | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2017: Devizes Budo Club celebrates its 60th anniversary | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2016: Jasmine joy at England Cadet call | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2016: Ben and Max lead the Devizes medal surge | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2016: JUDO: England call for Benjamin | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2016: Richard Hopkins gains national recognition | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2016: Devizes Budo club’s Max Major shines at national championships | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2015: JUDO: Devizes coaches take top gong | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2015: Fundraiser collects thousands for Devizes Budo Club’s new home | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2015: Devizes Budo club to host 24 hour endurance fundraiser | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2015: Parents of Devizes Olympic judo ace go on run to fund road to Rio | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: JUDO: Jemima’s golden comeback | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Tom’s games boost | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: JUDO: Funds are Florida key for Jemima | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: Club rose from ashes of blaze | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Reed to battle for gold in Glasgow | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: COMMONWEALTH GAMES: Tom’s chance arrives | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: Devizes Budo Club could be on the move | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: JUDO: Great Britain call is Evan sent | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: JUDO: Adam thrilled to go on national service | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2014: JUDO: Devizes club toasting a vintage year | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2013: Hi-tech aid for Devizes martial arts fans | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2013: JUDO: Belgian bronze is a boost for Ellen | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2013: Cash landed for new crash pads in Devizes | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2012: Wiltshire heroes honoured at Sport Awards | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2012: WILTSHIRE SPORTS AWARDS: Easton promise is a winner for Lavis | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2012: JUDO: Elliot’s classy performance | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2012: JUDO: Tom’s medal aim | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2011: JUDO: Jemima lands national squad place and funding boost | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2011: JUDO: Age no barrier as Jemima bags a silver | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2011: JUDO: Cup is the next Port of call for Jemima | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2011: JUDO: Gold standard at Devizes club event | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2011: JUDO: Jemima lands Sheffield prize | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2010: JUDO: That’s my girl, Jemima | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2010: JUDO: Reed plays down world pressure | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2010: JUDO: Jemima’s Euro Dream | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2009: JUDO: Amy leads medal charge | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2009: Jemima fights her way into GB plans | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2009: Devizes town’s stalwarts to receive civic awards | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2009: Reed’s 2012 hopes boosted by award | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2008: Aikido champions at Devizes | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2008: Exchange weekend proves a hit | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2008: Reed bags judo silver | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2008: Devizes judo medal haul | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2007: 50 years on the mat | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2006: The youth of today | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2002: Best ever year for club | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
From 2000: Tucker returns home with medal | The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald
Quarterly Newsletter – March 2024
We’ve had a busy time so far on the mat with numbers steadily climbing each month. Both the Monday and Friday night sessions are almost double the numbers in attendance to what it was this time last year. We have had 48 different judoka on the mat so far this year, only 22 behind last year’s total and we still have nine months to go yet! We have also had our biggest session of the year since 2019 with 35 judoka attending the Friday night session. Long may this trend last!
The Schools judo program ran by Will Hickman’s “Wiltshire Judo” is doing very well. Will is now teaching Judo in five different schools during eight sessions with 120 children, and the numbers are increasing weekly. Will is holding an easter training camp at the club on 10th April for the 5-to-13-years old age group. The training camp starts at 9am and runs until 3pm. Fundamentals of Judo, newaza and tachiwaza techniques and an introduction into competitive Judo will be some of the curriculum that will be covered. If you have a child that wishes to join the easter camp please contact willhickman5@gmail.com for further details.
The annual general meeting is on Tuesday 21st May at Devizes Town hall at 8pm. Every single member/parent/guardian is invited to attend this important meeting. You will get to meet the team behind the scenes at Devizes Budo Club and have an update on the latest plans for our new dojo.
Flying the International flag for Devizes Judo is Evan Molloy. So far this year Evan has had judo training camps in multiple countries and competed in the German Grand Prix where he picked up an admirable 5th place finish which all helps towards selection of the 2024 Paralympics in Paris. I’m sure I speak for everyone at Devizes Budo Club when I say that we are all 100% behind him for a chance to compete in the most prestigious competition of them all. He is a success story from the time he first set foot in the old club to where he is today and an inspiration to all our young aspiring judoka.
On the coaching front at the club:
Edward Hickman has completed his UKCC level 2 coaching course which was over three weekends in St. Albans, Hertfordshire. Ed is now just waiting on the all-important certificate! Harvey Creasey-Cottle, one of our UKCC level 1 coaches, started his judo journey when he was 4 years old with School judo then was invited to join Devizes Judo club when he was 6 after School summer camp. He worked his way through the mons/belts until he gained his 1st Dan (black belt) when he was just 17. He has now gone on to become a full-time judo athlete with Team Bath, at the same time as studying for his degree in sports management and coaching. He has represented Devizes, Western area and Team Bath all over the country, including abroad. His next up and coming competition is the Northern Ireland open this April. Another of our coaches, Jason Parsons, a UKCC level 5 coach, has been England head coach since November 2022, working predominantly with Cadets (-18) and Juniors (-21). Regularly travelling round Europe on the EJU Cadet and Junior tours. Highlights of the last 12 months are: European Youth Olympic Festival in Maribor, Slovenia. Cadet European Championships in Lisbon, Portugal. Junior European Championships in The Hague, Netherlands and Junior World Championships in Lisbon, Portugal. It’s good to know that Devizes Judoka are in good hands with an absolute wealth of coaching experience and knowledge.
Fundraising has been a continual process for the club since it’s creation in 1957 with the need to constantly improve itself. Since March 2017 we have not had a dojo which we can call “ours”. There are plans afoot where a new dojo is concerned, and the forthcoming AGM is the best place to hear about that but in the next quarterly newsletter there will no doubt be an update. There is a fundraising sub-committee at the club and if you think you have some new and interesting ideas we would very much welcome them, along with any new members to this sub-committee. One such fundraiser is taking place in May (date to be agreed) where a sponsored walk from the Barge Inn at Honey Street (Pewsey Vale) to the Barge Inn at Bradford on Avon via the canal towpath. This walk is around 20 miles long and would take approx. 7 hours to complete. A fundraising page would be set up for this event and any sponsorship would be very much welcomed. You could also either join in and do the whole walk with us or do sections of the walk with as much, or as little, mileage as you could manage. More details of this would be posted in the next few weeks.
That’s it until the next newsletter but keep an eye on the Facebook page for up-to-date news at the club.
G
News hot off the press!!
The Club’s AGM will be held at Devizes Town Hall on 21st May 2024 and will start at 8pm. Please put the date in your diary and attend this very important meeting.
Competition Events:
A full list of suitable competitions that are available up to Orange belt has been compiled and will be at the club for collection on 12th January 2024. If you wish to be emailed a copy then please email devizesbudo@gmail.com
End of year newsletter (and almost as long as War & Peace!)
Please save the date!
The Devizes Judo Christmas party and Awards night will take place on 21st December……watch this space, details to follow.
Please visit us on Facebook for up to date information news. https://www.facebook.com/Devizes-Judo-Club-122207401145493/
Upcoming Events
11th Western Area & England Judo Summer International Camp – 2nd August 2020 – 6th August 2020
at Kingsley School, Bideford
