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EBJI Brings Home 9 Medals From SJ Buddhist Tournament

Sayaka Matsumoto — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:18:49 +0000

10 members of EBJI competed at the 2012 San Jose Buddhist Tournament on January 29, 2012.

Held at the San Jose Event Center on the San Jose State University Campus, this regional tournament attracts over 700 competitors from around the state.

EBJI brought home 9 medals: 2 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze from the tournament.

Cole Filson and Curtis Booth led the way for EBJI winning all their matches en route to their gold medals.

Masa Matsumoto, Mike Myers, Robby Jones, Nico Gonzalez and Ashley Booth all brought home silver medals.

Sato Matsumoto and Estefany Gonzalez rounded out the medal count by bringing home the bronze.

Marley Filson also represented EBJI well and gained valuable competition experience.

Congratulations to all EBJI Competitors!

2011 Winter Promotional

Sayaka Matsumoto — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 19:56:29 +0000

As 2011 comes to a close, EBJI held their last promotional before the new year. Over 30 children and adults participated in the event that was held on December 10, 2011.

All the students that participated did an excellent job of showcasing what they have been learning the past four months in their respective classes. The promotional is not about winning or losing, but about having fun and getting to work with students from other classes.

We had numerous students from all the classes ready to be promoted. Promotions are based mainly on attendance, behavior and work ethic. All promotions are pre-determined a week before the promotional by the instructors of the various classes.

Here is a complete list of students who were promoted:

Beginning Kids Class

To White/Yellow Belt:

Nicholas Yu

To Yellow Belt:

Marley Filson, Mike Myers, Connor Martin, Shakar Kubota, Albert Xing

Intermediate Kids Class

To Yellow/Orange Belt:

Nathan Ho, Maxime St. Jean, Cole Filson, Cole Irie

Advanced Class:

To Blue Belt:
Estefany Gonzalez, Dillon Izzo

Congratulations to all the students who were promoted; keep up the hard work!!

EBJI in Action at CCSF

Sayaka Matsumoto — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:04:54 +0000

Congratulations to all the EBJI members who competed at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Tournament this past weekend on December 4, 2011.

Nico Gonzalez, Estefany Gonzalez, Nick Wood and Cole Filson led the way for EBJI taking Gold Medals in their respective divisions, winning most of their matches by ippon (full point)

Also representing EBJI were Nathan Canadas (2-2, Silver), Dominic Ho (1-2), Marley Filson (0-3), Mike Myers (1-2) and Jason Wood (2-2).

New EBJI Sweatshirts!

Sayaka Matsumoto — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:24:02 +0000

Get yours today!

Students Shine at Capital Open

Sayaka Matsumoto — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 17:25:42 +0000

Several EBJI Members attended the 2011 Capital Open, held October 9, 2011 in Sacramento, CA.

Representing the dojo were Cole Filson, Josh Laba, Takashi Matsumoto, Jason Wood, Nick Wood, Masashi Matsumoto, Satoshi Matsumoto, Nico Gonzalez and Estefany Gonzalez.

Leading the way for EBJI was Cole Filson and Nico Gonzalez who both won gold in their respective divisions.

Cole, who is a 7 year old yellow belt, had a fantastic day winning all 4 of his matches by ippon (full point). He had a particularly impressive second match with a tough opponent whom he threw with osotogari to win the match.

Nico (13) also had an impressive day winning all of his three matches. In his first match, he threw his opponent with osotogari for ippon. In his second, he scored a yuko (half point) and was able to hang on for the lead. For his third and final match he faced a challenging opponent. The match went into golden score (overtime) and Nico threw his opponent with sasae-tsurikomi-ashi for yuko to win the match.

Estefany Gonzalez (15) and Masashi Matsumoto (12) each won silver medals in their divisions.

Estefany showed vast improvement from her previous competitions as she aggressively gripped, threw and pinned her first opponent for ippon. In her second match she faced a familiar opponent and made several adjustments. However, she was caught for some minor scores and was unable to come back from behind. In her last match, she continued her aggressive gripping strategy. The girl made a weak attack and Estefany choked her opponent for ippon to win a silver medal.

Masa also had a great day going 3-1 in his division. He threw his first opponent with uchimata for yuko and pinned him for ippon. In his second match, he lost a close battle against a formidable opponent. Masa threw his third opponent with kouchi-makikomi for ippon and in his last match threw his opponent for ippon again to win gold.

Sato Matsumoto (12) and Nick Wood (12) evened out the medal count by each taking bronze medals in their respective divisions. They each won 2 matches and lost 2 matches.

Josh Laba (8), Taka Matsumoto (9) and Jason Wood (10) all fought with great spirit and won some matches, but were not able to bring home any hardware.

All the competitors were accompanied by Ken Sensei and Sayaka Sensei who coached them throughout the day.

All EBJI members now turn their attention to the Albany Judo Tournament which will take place October 23, 2011 at Albany High School.

Congratulations for a job well done!

Fall 2011 Promotional

Sayaka Matsumoto — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:30:35 +0000

Congratulations to all our members who got promoted at our recent fall promotional, held October 1 here at the dojo!

Here is a complete list of students who were promoted:

Beginning Kids Class

To White/Yellow Belt:
Louie Feigenbutz, Nicholas Gellerman, Kabir Malik, Luke Russell, Nate Russell, Henry Warmerdam, Alex Yan, Matt Nihei

To Yellow Belt:

Josh Laba, Jack Egawa, AJ Nihei, Cole Irie

Intermediate Kids Class

To Orange Belt:

Jason Wood, Yuval Wolf, Damien Torres

To Orange/Green Belt:
Nick Wood, Nathaniel Pollard Martinez

Beginning Adult Class:

To Blue Belt:
George Tang, Robby Jones, Ben Phelps

To Sankyu:
Jimmy McErlain

Congratulations to all the students who were promoted, keep up the hard work!!

2011 EBJI Tournament Results

Sayaka Matsumoto — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 18:23:57 +0000

Thank you to everyone who came to our 25th annual EBJI Tournament held on September 11, 2011! We had 250 competitors from around the Bay Area and state.

2011 EBJI Tournament Results

Junior Division: Male

White to Yellow Belt ages 5-7

1. Tom Trinh – San Jose Judo

2. Timmy Consuini – Cahill Judo

3. Sidy Guisse – Sac Judo

White Belt ages 5-6

1. Dominic Ho– EBJI

2. Manuel Portillo – San Jose Judo

3. Antoni Stuart – CYC Judo

White to Yellow Belt ages 6-7

1. Duncan Poston – Sac. Judo

2. Ethan Lee – Okubo

3. Ilan Eliashberg – Santa Clara PAL

White to Yellow Belt ages 8-9

1. Michael Bigler– Cahill’s Judo

2. Cale Filson – EBJI

3. Brandon Bigler – Cahill’s Judo

White to Yellow Belt ages 6-9

1. Trevor Bawkins – Hanahi

2. Eroz Valenzuela – Boyuka Ryu

3. Alexander Makimoto – Makimoto

White to Yellow Belt ages 9-10

1. Oliver Gomez – Sac Judo

2. Anthony (AJ) Nihei – EBJI

3. Jared Cruz – Sac Judo

White to Orange Belt ages 6-8

1. Miguel Royale Jr. – Mits Kimura

2. Andrew Cortez – Sac. Judo

3. Jose Gabriel Cervantes – Pacific Judo

Yellow to Orange Belt ages 7-8

1. Anthony Urrea– Pacific Judo

2. Vincent Vang – Tri-Valley Judo

3. Vamen “Spencer” Khang – Okubu

Yellow to Orange Belt ages 8-10

1. Kyle Mui – Tri-Valley Judo

2. Bryan Au Yeung – San Jose Buddhist

3. Jason Wood – EBJI

Orange to Green Belt ages 10-11

1. Bogdan Reznik – Mits Kimura

2. Jacob Low – San Jose Buddhist

3. Joseph Krampe – Palo Alto Judo

White to Orange Belt ages 8-9

1. Takashi Matsumoto – EBJI

2. Carter Bieber – Okubo

3. Richard Khishig Bayer – SF Judo

White to Yellow Belt age 11

1. Gregery Viloria– Pacific Judo

2. Hunter Garthwaite – Seika Ryu

3. Cole Irie – EBJI

White to Yellow Belt ages 11-13

1. Benjamin Vo – San Jose Judo

2. Arron Schubert – Stockton Judo

3. Kaito Henry – SF Judo

Yellow to Green Belt ages 10-12

1. Satoshi Matsumoto – EBJI

2. Xavier Rosales – Cahill’s Judo

3. Toki Nakae – San Jose Buddhist

Orange to Blue Belt age 11-12

1. DJ Galicha – Cahill’s Judo

2. Corbin Balitactac – Palo Alto Judo

3. Malcolm Dawkins – Hanabi

Green to Blue Belt ages 10-12

1. Kai Guingona – Cahill’s Judo

2. Basil Franklin – Cahill’s Judo

3. Evan Chung – Cahill’s Judo

Green to Blue Belt ages 11-12

1. Danny Woo – San Jose Buddhist

2. Masashi Matsumoto – EBJI

3. Dallas Worthington – Cahill’s Judo

White to Blue Belt ages 11-12

1. Nicholas Wood – EBJI

2. Anthony Armendariz – Tri-Valley Judo

3. David Chong – San Jose Buddhist

Green to Blue Belt ages 11-12

1. Gregory West – Cahill’s Judo

2. Nicholas Nishikawa – Okubo Judo

3. Christian Cruz – Mits Kimura

Junior Division: Female

White Belt age 5-6

1. Regan Williams – Sac Judo

2. Abigail Shioga – Bojuka

3. Marissa Macias – Tri-Valley Judo

White Belt ages 6-8

1. Carli Orozco– Salinas

2. Stella Krampe – Palo Alto Judo

3. Adriana Popesceu– Tri-Valley Judo

Yellow to Orange Belt ages 7-8

1. Calin Chong – Cahill’s Judo

2. Bailey Shioya – Bojuka

3. Amaya Yoshizumi – Sac. Judo

White to Orange Belt ages 9-11

1. Makena Barkus – Lycee/SFJI

2. Elysia Urrea – Pacific Judo

3. Sarah Stamler – Palo Alto Judo

White to Yellow Belt ages 6-8

1. Nancy Nguyen – San Jose Judo

2. Mahogany Morris – Hanabi

Yellow to Orange Belt ages 9-10

1. Ashly Booth – Team Sac. Judo

2. Elise Yoshizumi – Sacramento Judo

3. Ananya Goyal – Tri-Valley Judo

Yellow to Green Belt age 11

1. Nina Dym – Sacramento Judo

2. Brigitte Mihalga – Deleon Judo

3. Isabella Popesceu – Tri-Valley Judo

White to Orange Belt ages 7-10

1. Montserrat Valenzuela – Bojuka Ryu

2. Amit Elar – CYC Judo

3. Analisa Cervantes – Pacific Judo

White to Yellow Belt ages 9-11

1. Ebony Marris – Hanabi

2. Nathalie Mendoza – Vallejo Judo

3. Christina Chong – San Jose Buddhist

White to Yellow Belt ages 10-12

1. Burgandy Acosta – Pacific Judo

2. Tiffany Dutra – Pacific Judo

3. Laura Augustinsky – Tri-Valley Judo

Yellow to Purple Belt ages 10-12

1. Marlina Luz – Team Sac. Judo

2. Carmaryn Butler – Tri-Valley Judo

3. Serena Gutridge – CYC Judo

Orange to Green Belt ages 9-12

1. Abigail Sigurdson – WIJI

2. Hunter Costello – Makimoto Judo

3. Akiko Balitactac – Palo Alto Judo

Intermediate Division: Male

White Belt ages 13-14

1. Westlee Simon – Tri-Valley Judo

2. Drake Palmer – Hanabi

3. Mark Rojas – Santa Clara PAL

White to Orange Belt age 13-16
1. Daniel Nguyen – Alameda HS

2. Gabriel Deuz – Sacramento Judo

3. Grant Palmer – Hanabi

Yellow to Orange Belt ages 13-16

1. Chris Destefano – Makimoto Judo

2. Jim Sarenas – Seika Ryu

3. Austin Baker – Seika Ryu

White to Yellow Belt ages 15-16

1. Michael Hasegawa – Concord Judo

2. John Harvee Villamea – Vallejo Judo

3. Sharif Mounzih – Alameda HS

Blue Belt ages 13-15

1. Javon McDonald – Pacific Judo

2. Zachary Chow – Cahill’s Judo

3. Leonard Cruz – Mits Kimura

Green to Purple Belt age 13-14

1. Austin Wilson – Palo Alto Judo

2. Taro Castillo – Cahill’s Judo

3. Vincent Ramsey – Cahill’s Judo

Blue to Purple Belt ages 13-14

1. Carnellius Martin – Stockton Judo

2. Seth Suzuki – Cupertino Judo

3. Eric Oshima – Palo Alto Judo

Blue to Purple Belt ages 14-16

1. Benjamin Franklin – Cahill’s Judo

2. Rikiya Yamamoto – San Jose Buddhist

3. Dulguun Baasan – Berkeley Judo

White to Orange Belt ages 15-16

1. Andre Leite – San Jose Buddhist

2. Manuel Alvarez – Makimoto Judo

3. Monte Falley – Vallejo Judo

Intermediate Division: Female

Green to Blue Belt age 13-15

1. Frankie Hyatt – SFJI

2. Allie Hyatt – SFJI

3. Amanda Eugenio – Tri-Valley Judo

Green to Purple Belt age 15-14

1. Erika Mihalca – Deleon Judo

2. Rachel Butler – Tri-Valley Judo

3. Jay Sigurdson – WIJI

Yellow to Green Belt age 11-15

1. Acazah Goodman – Vallejo Judo

2. Simran Raj – Stockton Judo

Senior Division: Male

White Belt

1. Michael Baker – Chico Judo

2. Jamal Alnagem – Chabot College
3. Jesus Diaz – CEM Judo

White to Green Belt

1. Charles Jones II – S. Siroy Judo

2. Anthony Garza – Pacific Judo

3. Robert Jones – EBJI

White to Green Belt

1. Aleksey Chebotanev – UC Davis Judo

2. Nhat Nguyen – San Jose Acad.

3. Antonio Vazquez – Seika Ryu

White to Brown Belt

1. Ryan Hisaka – Concord Judo

2. Brenton Hsu – Tri-Valley Judo

3. Edgar Espinosa – CEM Judo

White to Brown Belt

1. Roger Parks – UC Davis Judo

2. Cody Costello – Makimoto Judo

3. Matthew Favetti – UC Davis Judo

Green Belt

1. Gregory Markman – UC Davis Judo

2. Samuel Espanola – Pacific Judo

3. Ryan Collins – Pacific Judo

Blue to Brown Belt

1. Sean Christensen – Pacific Judo

2. Martin Coppa – City College SF

3. Azat Hojadov – Mits Kimura

Brown Belt

1. Derek Tenchhoff – Chico Judo

2. Mark Sugui – Pacific Judo

3. Nalter Lam – UC Davis Judo

Brown to Black Belt

1. Mathew Dong – SJSU

2. Marco Cruz – SJSU

3. Kevin Desmole – SFJI

Black Belt

1. Anthony Kwon – SJSU

2. Jared Beane – EBJI

3. Robert Fehr – SJSU

Black Belt

1. Peter Fortune – Sac. Judo Club

2. Justen Otaka – SJSU

3. Brandan Bickham – Mits Kimura

Senior Division: Female

Green to Brown Belt

1. Elaine Tandjung – Vallejo Judo

2. Rachel Butler – Tri-Valley Judo

3. Tiffany Wu – Bay Isle Judo

Brown to Black Belt

1. Buyandelgev Battsogt

2. Melissa Templeman – Sac State Judo

3. Kelli Jocoy – UC Davis Judo

Themis Takes 5th Place at World Police and Fire Games

Sayaka Matsumoto — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:16:59 +0000

Themis Lonis, kid’s class instructor and member of EBJI’s advanced class, took 5th place at the 2011 World Police and Fire Games on August 27.

The event, which was held in New York City, garnered 15,000 athletes across 65 sports, including judo.

After nearly canceling the judo competition after Hurricane Irene, the organizers decided at the last minute to have the tournament as scheduled. Competition began on the 27th at 8am and didn’t end until 2am.

Themis made it to the semi-finals where he lost a tough battle in golden score (overtime). The loss sent him into the bronze medal match where he was unable to overcome a yuko deficit.

His fifth place finish is quite impressive, however, considering that Themis broke his ankle a few short months ago and was on the mat only for about a month before going to the competition.

Congratulations Themis!

EBJI Members at the World Championships

Sayaka Matsumoto — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:43:38 +0000

Several EBJI Members had the opportunity to represent the dojo and the country at World events this month.

Jeff Fujimoto traveled to China to compete in the World University Games where he took ninth. Jeff beat Iran and Romania but lost to Japan and China and was eliminated in the loser’s bracket.

Annie Shiraishi and honorary EBJI member Mike Eldred traveled to Paris, France for the World Championships. Annie competed on the first day and lost a tough match to a Cuban opponent. Mike went 3-1 for the day and was eliminated one round before the quarter finals. He defeated opponents from Australia, Saudi Arabia and Korea (the 2009 World Silver Medalist) before losing to the eventual bronze medalist from Uzbekistan.

Take a look at some of their photos in action below:

Sayaka Matsumoto Highlight Video

Sayaka Matsumoto — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 22:16:57 +0000

Take a look at Sayaka Sensei’s highlight video, which was put together by Steven Khoung of The Ice Chamber.

Sayaka Sensei began judo at EBJI when she was 5 years old and currently teaches the advanced class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings, as well as Saturday mornings.