Congratulations to Brenda Chagolla from Okubo Judo Club who was a recipient of United States Judo Federation’s Athlete Scholar of the Year Award!
“I grew up in a low-income area, to be specific the south of Sacramento. The reason my brother and I came across Okubo Judo was the fact that we would attend the Boys and Girl Club (Where Okubo Judo Club Dojo was located), we would attend because our parents needed us to stay in programs since they were working to make ends meet.
Brenda (known to everyone as Tamale) wrote about how judo has affected her life:
I had the chance to have Sensei Haruo Makimoto, one of the most important individuals in my life. He always emphasized in a gentle way, I learned that as he taught us everything in the most calmest way or as he coached us he would always have this cool, calm, and collected way of coaching by simply using effortless hand gestures or head nodding.
I learned how to be calm but determined to achieve my goals. I saw my life like how I saw my judo matches, always prepared for them with discipline and determination, and competed in my match with calmness and assertiveness.
Now that I am in school, I make sure I prepare for them well enough while balancing out my two jobs, as Sensei always taught me it’s okay to fail just as long as we don’t repeat the same mistake again.
When I came to fail things in my life as being rejected in certain things, I always got back up with assertiveness the same way I got up after I got thrown during a match.”
