❖    Manami Takeuchi!  Anyone who knows Manami knows she has the biggest heart and is a great supporter of judo and at South Bay Judo we are very lucky. She brought her son Romeo to South Bay Judon in 2014 and has supported him in every way.  After watching Romeo compete in judo for many years, Manami decided it was time to get on the mat, and she has been practicing judo without missing a single class in 2 years.  She is now a green belt and looking to continue her judo journey. She is always working or taking care of her family, but always seems to find time to help out at the dojo.  She takes off of work to help run the score table at Nanka tournaments and sometimes goes back to work after.  She never looks for recognition or the spotlight but just continues to support a sport she loves.  She is one of the hardest working judokas at our club and this is why we want to recognize her as one of our Outstanding Judokas of the year!

Zachary started judo in 2022 as a quiet 10-year-old. He is still quiet, but he has grown so much to be one of the club’s leaders, never complains, works hard very practice and is very humble in all his accomplishments. Besides judo, Zackary loves to play the guitar and piano.  He also likes to play basketball, table tennis, billiards and swim.  He is a straight A student has been consistently receiving awards and recognitions as well.  He is a member and competes for his school’s robotics and MESA (Math Engineering Science Achievement) club.  He has been accepted at CAMS for high school next year.  He’s also an avid baseball and Pokémon card collector.  Zackary is an outstanding person on and off the mat and this is why we have chosen Zackary as one of our Outstanding Judokas of the Year. 

2024 - sbj aWARD wINNERS

• SBJ OUTSTANDING JUDOKA - JULIEN DO

  Julien demonstrates the qualities that exemplifies what we at South Bay Judo try to instill in our students.  Julien has been at South Bay Judo since 2022.  Although only practicing judo for 3 years, he has shown a lot of growth in his judo technique as well as his ability to learn and compete. He also helps the Sensei's in the first class and is always willing to help during classes. His competition skills have improved after each tournament and shows that he can listen to instructions and can apply during tournaments.  Many of you will never know when Julien wins or loses as he is humble in victory and gracious in defeat.  He is a role model for all judokas of South Bay Judo.

• Most Improved – Yuma Sakamoto & Chris Kachline

• Fighting Spirit – Zachary Ordinario & Robbie Midgette

• Inspirational – Landen Rubio & Manami Takechi

• Senseis – Enzo Sakaguchi & William Tsujimura

Past SBJ annual award winners