IU judo club not just about winning

The phrase “winning isn’t everything” is something the IU Judo Club truly believes in.\nThe club, which practices four nights a week in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation building, focuses most of its attention on learning the art of judo, having fun and staying fit.\n“No one really tries to hurt anyone,” said sophomore and third-degree brown belt Carl Elder. “We all really help each other learn and get better at judo. It’s not about winning so much.”\nThe club’s vice president, Faye Stokes, said the club is a good way for IU students to exercise.\n“You’ll find it a great way to work out,” Stokes said. “I got in such great shape when I first started and I didn’t realize it because I was just tumbling around and having a great time with friends.”\nStokes, a sophomore, said that when she came to IU, she was looking for something a little different and that’s how she became attracted to the IU Judo Club.\n“I was absolutely enamored with the people and their drive to learn to better themselves,” she said.\nThe club does compete, however. They attend more than 10 competitions per year, usually in the winter. The tournaments the club attends are typically in the Midwest, but they have also competed at larger-scale tournaments in places such as New York and Florida.\nNot every judo player has to compete, and even those who do compete don’t necessarily participate in every tournament.\n“I tried to compete three or four times a year,” said IU graduate Ryan Tolnay. “It’s different people each time. To compete 10 times a year as one person would be a lot, although people have been known to do it.”\nTolnay, a first-degree black belt, is in his first year as the club’s instructor and has been involved with the IU Judo Club since 2001.\nElder said his proudest moment of competition came when he finished second in America’s Cup and got a chance to face one of the nation’s best judo fighters.\n“My first match was against Aaron Cohen,” Elder said. “He’s like No. 2 in the nation in judo, so just to fight him was good.”\nBeyond the competition and physical fitness aspects of judo, members of the IU Judo Club said it allows them to meet new people.\n“If you start as a freshman, you really get to know people over a four-or five-year period, so we’ve become almost like a family,” Tolnay said. “You know that you can count on someone from the club to help you if you’re in need.”\nStokes said the IU Judo Club isn’t a common form of exercise, but it’s another good option.\n“It’s not a traditional way to work out and it’s not a traditional way to approach a sport, but it’s a great way to do it,” she said. “It’s an alternative that everyone should explore. It may not have the hype that basketball does, but you sure have a lot of fun.”