Team USA to Compete at First Ever Kata World Championships This Weekend

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) - Fifteen athletes will have the chance to compete for a World title for the first time when the Kata World Championships are held on Saturday and Sunday in Valletta, Malta.

Kata is a forms-based judo discipline in which two athletes perform a set routine of judo techniques which are then scored by a panel of judges.

Although kata championship events have been held for many years at both the USA Judo Nationals and Pan American Championships, this week marks the first time that a Kata World Championships will be held.

Competition will include both preliminary and finals for each of five traditional katas: Nage No Kata, Ju No Kata, Katame No Kata, Kodokan Goshin Jitsu and Kime No Kata.

A special event - the IJF Judo Show Cup - also will be held in which teams of between two and six athletes will perform a fight simulation containing techniques of judo and self-defense.  The shows will be choreographed individually and may include music and weapons of Japanese origin.

Competition schedule is as follows:

Saturday, October 17
9:30 a.m. Preliminaries
Nage No Kata
Ju No Kata
Katame No Kata

2:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies

3:00 p.m. Finals
All Divisions

Sunday, October 18
10 a.m. Preliminaries
Kodokan Goshin Jitsu
Kime No Kata
Judo Show

2 p.m. Finals
All Divisions  

A roster of team members is as follows with the tori listed first and uke listed second in each pairing: 

Nage No Kata                                                           
Chris Arena (Rochester, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)
Kevin Osz (West Henrietta, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)

Katame No Kata
Jolie Feng (Fort Worth, Texas / Okuri Judo)
Terrie Norman (Burleson, Texas / Okuri Judo)

Jennifer Weill (Maineville, Ohio / Bushido Kai Judo Club)
Kerry Forster (Rochester, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)

Ju No Kata
Karen Whilden (Vienna, Va. / Hui-O Judo)
Diane Jackson (Silver Spring, Md. / Hui-O Judo)

Kime No Kata
Heiko Rommelmann (Webster, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)
Jeff Giunta (Webster, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)

Kodokan Goshin Jitsu
Doug Tono (Chicago, Ill. / Tohkon Judo)
Andrzej Danjowski (Oak Brook, Ill. / Tohkon Judo)

Frances Glaze (Maumee, Ohio / Toledo-Maumee Judo)
Alan Panackia (Livonia, Mich. / Toledo-Maumee Judo)

Judo Show
Heiko Rommelmann (Webster, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)
Mark Chast (Churchville, N.Y. / Bushido Kai Judo Club)

Team Leader, Member IJF Kata Commission
Dr. Kuniko Takeuchi (Sacramento, Calif.)

Tags: Alan Panackia, Andrzej Danjowski, Chris Arena, Diane Jackson, Doug Tono, Frances Glaze, Heiko Rommelmann, Jeff Giunta, Jennifer Weill, Jolie Feng, Karen Whilden, Kerry Forster, Kevin Osz, Kuniko Takeuchi, Mark Chast, Terrie Norman