Prince George will be flooded with martial artists this weekend.
The Judo BC Provincial Championships are being hosted by the Prince George Judo Club at the Northern Sports Centre from Friday to Sunday (April 5-7).
“It is completely free to watch,” Penny Cartwright, a PG Judo Club representative, told My PG Now. “You see these things when you watch the UFC – this is where it starts and develops.”
362 competitors are signed up for the event.
“As a parent, where I really like Judo, you don’t hit,” she explained. “You connect, you trip, you learn how to fall, you toss them. [Kids] are not learning how to punch… it is creating a development in their mind where they are maturing in their stance and in life.”
She has two sons who have trained and competed in Judo for most of their lives.
“What Judo has brought our home is a mental state. Judo is not about fighting, it is respect and learning how to follow your body,” Cartwright explained. “My kids have learned a lot of respect and discipline.”
“These boys are staying out of trouble – as much as a teenager can. Judo has developed the part of their brain to really let them focus,” she said.
One of her sons and a dozen more from northern BC plan to travel to Montreal in May for the National Championships.
You can find out more about this weekend’s event and schedule here:
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
