The front cover of the soon to be released Judo only book, “The Essence of Judo.”

I am working on publishing a book dedicated to Judo. So what do I know about Judo? Absolutely nothing! This is a stunning case of life happening while we’re busy making other plans.

BWL Publishers arranged for me to write a second book called “The Passion and Purpose of Ordinary People.” I was looking for candidates and hoping to get a variety of interests. I had authors, broadcasters, hockey players and even a mermaid all lined up to tell their stories.

I reached out to Greg Butrey, who was very involved in Judo, to get three or four judokas to volunteer for my book. He had previously given me permission to photograph a couple of tournaments, just for the fun of sports photography.

What followed felt like a magic carpet ride. All of a sudden, everything fell into place. One by one, we were inundated with people willing to tell their stories. Our list kept expanding, and before I knew it, enough people had come through to justify spinning off a second book. We did, and it is called “The Essence of Judo.” Greg and I have been travelling back and forth in Southern Ontario. We spent three days in Ottawa, and I travelled to Montreal for a meeting with Priscilla Gagne. We have another couple of weeks, and the project is so satisfying because suddenly, it sank in. This thing called Judo is not just a sport; it is a way of life.

Tora

We have truly met the who’s who of Judo in Ontario. The big families of judo have all been willing participants. Greg has become more than an equal partner; his mandate is to line up people to interview and tell their stories.

Two such families are highlighted in this teaser piece for the book. Heather West and Tony Kelly, who have been running the Tora Club and Tournament for 45 years, were gracious hosts on March 12th. Then again, on March 13th, they hosted a fundraiser event in honour of long-time super volunteer Fran (Judo Mom) McCrodden. Fran passed away earlier this year, and to memorialize Fran, all the funds raised are to be donated to her local hospital. This isn’t the format to tell their story, just an excuse to put some teaser images of their club and share this big activity - the Friday night fight for Fran.

Firday Night for Fran

Fran’s daughter, Diane, cutting the memorial cake infront of all the attendees

The second family I want to highlight is scheduled for an interview in the coming week. Greg and I will be doing the Cambridge-Waterloo swing and meeting six more people. We will be meeting another super volunteer family, the McDowells.

The heart of the Judo family was on display in many ways over the last week. I was fortunate enough to make two visits to Tora Brampton. Heather West and Tony Kelly were wonderful hosts and allowed me to photograph their club session.

The next night, Friday night was dubbed “Fight Night for Fran.” This was a fundraiser to commemorate Fran McCrodden. She passed away earlier this year and had been a super volunteer who ran tournaments and was dubbed “Judo Mom.”

It was incredible how many people had been touched by Fran and in such meaningful ways. On the Friday night of Fran's event, many judokas regaled us with stories about how influential Fran was in their lives. All the funds raised were to be gifted to the Hospital in the Kawartha district in honour of Fran.

As an Extra bonus, I was able to jump the gun and connected with Briana, Marie and Maurice McDowell. I will be interviewing them for the Essence of Judo Book.