A Brief update from the Chair of some key events and recent news from July.
Hi Judo Community,
Hope you’re all enjoying the summer and getting the opportunity to enjoy a well-earned break! Just a short update from me this month.
First of all, congratulations to all the judoka who represented Scotland so well at the National Teams early in July. They achieved some great results and came away with 6 medals. It certainly got the month off to a great start.
Later in the month, our President, Dr. George Kerr, and Vice Presidents Colin McIver, Rick Kenney, and Jim Feenan, along with Judith and myself, met up to celebrate the appointment of Lisa Allan as Secretary General of the International Judo Federation. As I mentioned previously, this is a wonderful accolade for Lisa and a great boost for JudoScotland, keeping our profile high on the international stage.
I had the pleasure of being on the mat at Ratho for the Masters Session on 16 July. It was a great day with no fewer than 45 seasoned judoka on the mat! After an intensive technique period, I was amazed at the highly competitive randori session that brought the event to a close. Well done guys – keep up the good work.
July also saw two Scottish judoka Eva Ewing and Ross McWatt compete at the European Youth Olympic Festival which provided a fantastic opportunity for the young Judoka to compete in a multisport environment.
You may have noticed several changes to the JudoScotland staff team in July. At the beginning of the month, we welcomed Alister Bean to the role of Digital Communications Officer, he is already making strides in this area and I look forward to seeing his part in the digital transformation of the organisation. At the end of the month Colin Aitken stepped down as our Safeguarding & Wellbeing Executive a role he has held on a part time basis since 2018, but has being doing as a volunteer for many years before then. Colin has been pivotal in the expansion of safeguarding and wellbeing within the organisation and has assisted in the development of our new strategic plan, ‘Judo For All’. I would like to extend my deep gratitude to Colin for all his support. Colin will be succeeded by Luke Struthers as Lead Wellbeing & Protection Officer at JudoScotland on a full-time basis, after a rigorous recruitment cycle. We also saw the appointment of Stephen Somerville to the newly created role of Disability Development Officer. More on Stephen’s role and what it means for Judo in Scotland to come. We have been overwhelmed by the quality of applications for all three roles and we look forward to seeing how they can each play a part in the delivery of our new strategy ‘Judo For All’.
And finally, a quick reminder to please get your nominations in for the 2023 JudoScotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards to recognise people who are excelling and going the extra mile for our sport. We as an organisation absolutely value these superstars! Nominations close on 1st September.
Marc Preston
6th Dan