November marked the 20th anniversary of the YWCA Princeton Judo club. Since its inception 1994, the club has grown from just three to over 70 students, ranging from four to 62 years in age.
Many of the club’s members practice Judo at competition level; the club has produced over 100 New Jersey State Championship gold medalists. Junior National Champion Michelle Arias and Unites States National Team member Michael Tusay are members, as well as instructors at the club.
The club’s lead sensei is Cory Cuomo, a certified national level coach with 37 years of judo experience. He has medaled in nine New Jersey State Judo Championships and five East Coast Judo Championships. He is supported by Michael Tusay, who has 16 years of judo experience under his belt and is a member of the United States Judo National Team. Mr. Cuomo and Mr. Tusay hold the rank of Nidan as a member of the United States Judo Federation, USA Judo, and Kodokan in Japan.
Other members of the staff include Edwin Calvache, a Sandan black belt world class athlete and the National Champion of his native country, Colombia; Joshua Suh, who has participated with the Korean Judo Olympic Team; and Bradley Joyce, a Shodan Black Belt, member of the British Judo Association and former captain of the Oxford University Judo team. Instructors Jim Carty and Mike Myong-Hwan Lee have been with the Princeton Judo club for over a decade and hold the rank of Shodan Black Belt with the United States Judo Federation.
Judo is an Olympic sport, an art, a means of self-defense and a fitness program. Steeped in tradition and respect, it does not involve kicking or punching. It teaches the use of maximum efficiency with minimum effort by using the opponent’s weight, balance, and momentum against them. To learn more about the YWCA Princeton Judo club, visit ywcaprinceton.org/martialarts.
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