Frustrated students can throw fellow classmates on the floor in a controlled environment as a part of the Mines Judo club. Judo has been around for over a century with its origins in Japan. Judo manipulates the weight of one’s opponent, using it against them to throw the opponent to the ground in competition. As a martial art, Sensei Rich Mignogna considers Judo to be a great athletic endeavor in which size does not matter. Judo club president, Alex Golden, reasons that Judo is a sport where even the “smallest girl can throw the biggest, toughest, bouncer guy with the right technique.” Judo has been around Mines about as long as it has been an Olympic sport, or since the middle of the twentieth century. The club is active on and off throughout the years and has participants of varying levels of experience from beginners to the more advanced. The Judo club is instructed by Sensei Rich Mignogna, a sixth degree black belt and a two-time graduate of the Colorado School of Mines.
A little known fact about the CSM Judo club is that it has a history of doing really well in competition. In the past, the club had students compete successfully at the national level. At the 2013 National Collegiate Judo Championships the men’s team placed third, while in the 2012 championships, a Mines woman won first in her division. The club even had a student who was once a member of the USA Judo Junior World Team. Earlier this year in March the Judo club was featured in an article in the USA Judo newsletter.
Participants in Judo have an excellent opportunity to meet new people while being physically active and studying a well-respected martial art throughout the world. President Alex Golden also believes it gives him “a huge boost in confidence.” For those interested in joining, the Judo club meets Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm in the second floor basketball gym in the Student Recreation Center. Everyone of all skill levels is welcome.
