Letters from USA Judo President Lance Nading

January 30, 2009 

An Open Letter to USA Judo Coaches from President Lance Nading

Greetings and Happy New Year to all of our USA Judo coaches. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to wish you and your family the best of success and blessings for this New Year.

Last year was a very productive and exciting one for USA Judo. We were involved in a lot of activities leading up to our Team's successful results in the Beijing Olympic Games. We had many great moments in our sport and we had some challenges as well that have led to this Open Letter to our coaching community.

As we begin a new Olympic quadrennium, it is our hope to continue to move the sport forward while learning from past mistakes and challenges. I am reaching out to each of you as coaches and leaders in our sport in order to broach a sensitive, yet important issue. I would like to address the issue of the responsibility that each of you have to the athletes who have been entrusted to your guidance and care.

It is no secret that these past few years, maybe due to the changes in our society or whatever you want to put the blame to, we have had challenges in controlling and guiding the youth of our sport. Today, I am putting the entire organization on notice that these next four years will be different; we will be expecting greater leadership, guidance and responsibility from each of you coaches. We will expect that as you travel with your junior athletes to any one of our events - be it our National Championships or a USA Judo sanctioned event - that you take full charge and responsibility for the action of these athletes. It is up to you - as the "parent inplace" - to ensure that these athletes respect all of the laws and behave in a respectful and professional fashion on and off the mat.

Further, I respectfully point out to all coaches, referees and officials that it is within your duty and responsibility to report any unsafe or questionable behavior by junior athletes to their respective coach and/or to tournament officials. You and - all of us really - can no longer afford to say "They are not one of my athletes, so it is not my problem as it is your problem.... Our problem."

We will begin to be more aggressive in questioning coaches whose athletes are reported to continue to show disrespect for the rules and the laws of USA Judo and our nation. Our tolerance level to this behavior is now zero!

At the same time, I want to address the issue of coaches' professional behavior on and off the practice and competition mat. As it relates to the on the mat behavior during competitions, you have seen the new rule by the International Judo Federation regarding coaches no longer being allowed matside at IJF events. We are pleased to have been able to secure a waiver of this rule for national events within the United States as we know that the behavior of our coaches matside is one of which we are proud. We want to continue to have coaches coaching matside here in the States as we believe this to be good for the athletes and the sport; however, in order for this to continue in the United States, we need to continue to have the cooperation of you the coaches. Please remember that the misbehavior of a few may possibly impact the future of all.  As a bit of peer pressure sometimes goes a long way, don't be afraid to apply it when necessary if it is for the good of the sport and us all.

Finally, there is the issue of the professional relationship that a coach and an athlete must have in order for a coach to be able to properly guide an athlete in the sport. Obviously, any relationship between a minor athlete and his or her coach that is not of a professional nature is not only unacceptable, but criminal and illegal. I am addressing here more of the personal relationship between an adult athlete and his or her coach. USA Judo frowns and discourages any such relationships as it has proven to be time and again not to be the best for all concerned, including the sport. Furthermore, this sort of relationships places the coach, the dojo and the organization under potential liability that no one wants or needs. This is one area where we can not make a demand or control personal lives, but we will demand it from any coach who receives any sort of remunerations from USA Judo.

In closing, I want to thank you - all of you - out there coaching in our great sport of judo. What you do is not easy and none of you get paid enough for the time, care and energy that you spend day to day, week to week and year to year. We, as an organization, would not be here if it was not for the work you do in your clubs and at the grassroots level, be it with junior athletes, senior athletes, or masters. Yes, the challenges have been great, but the rewards have been just as great or greater. Your work and dedication has brought us where we are at, please continue your efforts so that this organization continues to grow and be respected throughout our nation and the world.

Lance Nading
President
USA Judo