Kalistan

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Matthew López, Bronze medalist in Judo, hopes to Popularize Sport in Kalistan
"Judo was just something I started doing" says young Medalist
Szary, Valruzia
November 6, 5672


Matthew López, Bronze Medalist of Yoshimi, Suldanor at the Seleyan Judo Championship in Valruzia last summer

Matthew López, who took Bronze in the 5672 Seleyan Judo Championships in Szary, Valruzia last June says he wants to make judo popular in Kalistan. "The Martial Art of Judo comes from Northern Dovani," said López, who finished fourth overall, but earned the medal from winning his consolation bracket after being beaten in the semifinals by the Valruzian Chancellor, Iwan Nowick. "It's easy to get into, to learn, and you become super fit doing it. It's great exercise, both for the body and the mind, and requires a large amount of discipline."

López says the philosophy of judo should appeal to Kalistanis, naturally. "It is really the martial arts of throwing, and throttling to force a submission or a pin. It's like wrestling in a lot of ways, but there is almost no striking, or kicking. It doesn't require massive physical strength or overwhelming physical domination to win." López said that the idea is to use an opponent's strengths against them, to turn those things into weaknesses which are then exploited to the advantage of the practitioner. "I'd say that aligns with Kalistan's national thought: We are the small nation that routinely fights well above our weight class, and turns those things others do well into their weaknesses. It would seem that more Kalistanis should be completely into this martial art."

López said he only recently began doing judo. "I went through all the ranks at a fairly normal speed. I'm not some sort of prodigy or anything." The 24 year old said he began judo club in highschool, and continued learning and training during his time in the National Service Program. "During our off times, we would go into Dana and study with Sensei Daniel Matsui from Seko at the Dana Judo club. "He oversaw my belt exams, and I earned my black belt just before I got out of the NSP. Working bridge repair in the Dana brigade kept me close to Dana and allowed me and a few friends to practice in the evenings." López said he wasn't the largest guy at the contest, but that didn't prevent him from doing well.

"Now I would like to be kind of an ambassador of Judo in Kalistan," he said when he asked how he intends to turn to his success into something larger. "I live back in Yoshimi and would like to work with senseis in Kalistan to form a National Judo Association, very similar to our International Go Association." The championships he competed in were sanctioned by the Valruzian based Judo federation, and López said he would like to affiliate to make a formal Northern Seleyan Judo Association once Kalistan's federation gets up and running.

"Our judo clubs are all locally based, and are pretty widely scattered in the nation," said López. "There's no real coordination, and the few people who participate in Judo in Kalistan see it more of as a hobby than anything competitive. But I think if we formalized it all here, developed our own competitions and our own practitioners here in Kalistan, basing our rules largely upon the rules that are acceptable internationally, I think the martial art would gain a lot more credibility in Kalistan, and would become more popular. I mean, for me, Judo was just something I started doing when I was looking for a way to keep fit in High School. If I can do it, anyone can, and I think lots of people should."

López says he is encouraged. "We've already had some success: the Yoshimi Schools have already agreed to include Judo as a PE option from 7th Grade forward. They have even hired Valruzian Master Stanisław Kowalski to pilot the program at Central High School. That is a step forward. We have a lot to do before Judo hits anything like critical mass in Kalistan. But for now, even if we get some more people interested and build its popularity, I'll call that a success." López said he wants to continue studying Judo in his off time while he continues working as a longshoreman at the port in Yoshimi. "I envision, once I complete my own studies, I would like to open my own Dojo in Yoshimi. I'll need a sensei to help me though, so, there's also that."

Congratulations to Mr. López and we wish him all the luck and good fortune as he continues his work to popularize Judo in Kalistan.

@LaModa