It was a busy week for the Judo Yukon competitive team at the Canadian Nationals, which took place May 22-28 in Montreal.
The team began May 22 with coaches Penny Prysnuk and Aaron Jensen taking part in a Kata Clinic with Judo Canada Kata committee members, referees and several kata competitors. The clinic highlighted the new evaluations for the five main katas performed in competition.
The following day, Judo Yukon had one pair, Lia Hinchey and Huxley Briggs, perform their Nage-No-Kata (throwing techniques) in the U23 Kata competition. Although they didn’t place, they both received valuable feedback to guide them for the next competition.
Following the Kata competition on Day One of competition, Judo Yukon was excited to earn two silver medals by Lia Hinchey (-63 kg division) and Kaylee Fortier (+63 division) in the Ne Waza competition (groundwork only).
Both judoka fought hard and used strategic moves in hold downs, strangles and arm bars. Lia Hinchey went on to fight for the Ne Waza Grande Champion title, earning the bronze.
U18 athletes competed on Day 2, with Jaymi Hinchey earning a bronze medal in the -52 kg division.
Reflecting on her achievements, Jaymi stated, “Personally, I felt I was really mentally prepared, and that really helped me at this tournament. I definitely need to focus less on results and not dwell on losses as much, though. I felt strong in my category and felt really prepared and ready to compete.”
Jaymi placed 3rd out of 17 athletes in her category.
Other U18 competitors included Lia Hinchey (-63 kg) placing 7th out of 17, Leah McLean (-63 kg), 9th out of 17, Huxley Briggs (-50 kg), 13th out of 17, and Liam Gishler (-66 kg), 17th out of 49 competitors.
Huxley Briggs (-50 kg) went on to place 9th of 25 competitors on Day 3 in the U16 division. Asked how he competes at his best, Huxley responded, “To be able to compete at my best, I think I need to worry less about results and more about how well I’m fighting and how much I improved.”
In the U21 division, Jaymi Hinchey scratched due to injury and Kaylee Fortier, although winning a few fights, did not place after a tie between three competitors and a rematch.
Day 4 of competition was for the Senior divisions. In the -63 kg division, Leah McLean placed 9th of 17 and Lia Hinchey placed 13th of 17. In the male -66 kg, Gishler placed 25th.
Discussing their achievements this year, Leah McLean stated, “Overall, I am proud of how I did this weekend; I placed better than last year, and I am happy to see small improvements. I definitely could have exceeded more in some areas but these are things I can work on for the coming season.”
The competition was followed by a three-day training camp with Antoine Valois-Fortier, a former bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics and now the Team Canada Judo coach.
Competitive Development coaches Penny Prysnuk and Aaron Jensen are extremely proud of their athletes’ achievements in Montreal. All Judo Yukon athletes won matches and improved their rankings and results from last year, and all achieved their personal goals at the 2024 Canadian Open Championships.
– Submitted by Judo Yukon
