AUBURN - It was a busy and competitive afternoon at Cayuga Community College's Spartan Hall Sunday as the school hosted the 31st consecutive Empire State Games Central region judo qualifiers..
Jill Connor / The Citizen
Matt McConnell, of Auburn, taps his opponent, Brad Meaker, who applies a choke hold at the judo qualifiers for the Empire State Games at Cayuga Community College, Sunday. Meeker won the match.
Matt McConnell, of Auburn, taps his opponent, Brad Meaker, who applies a choke hold at the judo qualifiers for the Empire State Games at Cayuga Community College, Sunday. Meeker won the match.
Peter Petrosino, a professor and judo instructor at CCC, has been instrumental in keeping the qualifiers going and in encouraging members of the CCC Judo Club in trying out for the games.
John Bome, of Syracuse, has known and worked with Petrosino for over 30 years and also helps coach the Central Region judo team.
“It is going really well this year,” Bome said. “They do a great job here. Peter and all the people that work behind the scenes do an excellent job of putting this all together.”
Petrosino said that over the years due to other judo competitions across the state and Olympic matches, it has been difficult to plan the Empire Games qualifiers.
But with 36 participants this year, things seem to be looking up.
“It looks like we have a really good turnout this year,” Bome said. “I know in the last few years it has been a little tough, but it looks like this year we have a really good turnout.”
The Central Region comprises not only Cayuga County, but also stretches as far as Oswego, Tompkins and Tioga counties.
Competitors, like Bome's own son, Kyle, 22, were willing to travel as far as it was necessary to have the opportunity to take part in the games.
“I live on Otisco Lake,” Kyle said. “This is my second tournament. There is a really high level of sportsmanship here and I really just wanted to have the opportunity to represent our region in the Empire State Games. That would be a real honor.”
Several representatives of the CCC Judo Club were on hand to represent the area.
Among them were Casey Purcell, of Weedsport, and Brad Meaker, of Auburn, both of whom expressed a lifelong interest in the martial art.
“It is always something I have been interested in,” Purcell said. “A friend of mine told me about how much fun the club was so I decided to try it out and I joined up.”
This was Purcell's second appearance in the qualifiers.
“I lost last year,” Purcell said. “I'm just hoping things go a little better this year.”
This year marked Meaker's fifth appearance in the qualifiers.
With competitors coming from such a diverse area, the quality of competition is quite high and competitors like Meaker said there is really only one way to approach things.
“You just have to keep working and keep practicing,” Meaker said. “That is really all it is about - just keep working for a chance to go to the games.”
This year's Empire State Games will begin July 23 at Binghamton University.
For more information, visit www.empirestategames.org
John Bome, of Syracuse, has known and worked with Petrosino for over 30 years and also helps coach the Central Region judo team.
“It is going really well this year,” Bome said. “They do a great job here. Peter and all the people that work behind the scenes do an excellent job of putting this all together.”
Petrosino said that over the years due to other judo competitions across the state and Olympic matches, it has been difficult to plan the Empire Games qualifiers.
But with 36 participants this year, things seem to be looking up.
“It looks like we have a really good turnout this year,” Bome said. “I know in the last few years it has been a little tough, but it looks like this year we have a really good turnout.”
The Central Region comprises not only Cayuga County, but also stretches as far as Oswego, Tompkins and Tioga counties.
Competitors, like Bome's own son, Kyle, 22, were willing to travel as far as it was necessary to have the opportunity to take part in the games.
“I live on Otisco Lake,” Kyle said. “This is my second tournament. There is a really high level of sportsmanship here and I really just wanted to have the opportunity to represent our region in the Empire State Games. That would be a real honor.”
Several representatives of the CCC Judo Club were on hand to represent the area.
Among them were Casey Purcell, of Weedsport, and Brad Meaker, of Auburn, both of whom expressed a lifelong interest in the martial art.
“It is always something I have been interested in,” Purcell said. “A friend of mine told me about how much fun the club was so I decided to try it out and I joined up.”
This was Purcell's second appearance in the qualifiers.
“I lost last year,” Purcell said. “I'm just hoping things go a little better this year.”
This year marked Meaker's fifth appearance in the qualifiers.
With competitors coming from such a diverse area, the quality of competition is quite high and competitors like Meaker said there is really only one way to approach things.
“You just have to keep working and keep practicing,” Meaker said. “That is really all it is about - just keep working for a chance to go to the games.”
This year's Empire State Games will begin July 23 at Binghamton University.
For more information, visit www.empirestategames.org
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