Among the judo highlights of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was USA’s Ronda Rousey winning an unexpected Bronze medal! She thrust herself into the elite international players in her weight class by winning the surprise medal. That Rousey did this as a 21-year-old and in a US program that is hardcore grassroots, absent any hype and corporate dollars, speaks volumes about her commitment to being the best for the simple sake of being the best at the sport she loves. Judo at the international level is a highly-competitive sport played by athletes who often are national heroes in their home countries, claiming the sort of notoriety that Kobe Bryant, Tiger Woods, or Alex Rodriguez enjoy in the U.S.

As judo rates somewhere near 100th in popularity gauged among all sports in America the fact that the U.S. won a medal at all is noteworthy. Even though wrestling in America is considered dramatically under-funded, the annual wrestling budget for any single Big Ten university surpasses that of the entire yearly USA judo budget. USA judo is a sport that is supported entirely by those that truly love it. It speaks volumes as to the level of commitment our athletes and coaches have to judo. It is a testament to our judo community that we can compete at all internationally. In light of this reality all Americans should be proud of the accomplishments of a fighter like Ronda Rousey.

Pan Am Games gold medal winner Travis Stevens, who has trained for the past two years at USA Judo's National Training facility at the Jason Morris Judo Center in Glenville, NY was the USA’s 22-year-old Olympic representative at 81kg. As he measures his chances for a medal at the 2012 Olympics he knows that he has a good shot. Stevens went to Beijing and had a tough draw. From the get-go he fought matches against presumed medalists, went 2-2, and no one threw him, which is a major accomplishment. He gave up a yuko and a koka and was caught in minor penalties but no one outclassed him. Stevens’ matches always seem to go the distance unless he slams someone early. This is an athlete whose dedication to the sport and his art and craft rivals any US Olympian’s in any sport. Sadly, if Ronda Rousey or Travis Stevens had won the Gold it wouldn’t have caused a media ripple outside of the judo world. Except, perhaps, when they had an obligatory 30-second mention on the Today Show. Judo athletes compete because they have to rumble! They live for it. There is not much other motivation.

After Beijing 2008 the USA continues its Olympic judo journey still seeking our first Olympic Gold medal. On the other hand, Mongolia’s Tuvshinbayar Naidan upset the entire men’s 100kg field as he steamrolled his way through world class competitors from Japan, Germany, Korea, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan bringing home Mongolia’s first ever Olympic gold. Afterwards Naidan spoke emotionally about how lng his country’s judo program has been working for this goal. Certainly Naidan has earned the world’s respect and he is humbled by his accomplishment because he had the entire population of 3,000,000 Mongolians behind him.

Speaking of national support, perhaps no judo athlete from any country has ever had the support from his or her countrymen that Ryoko Tani has enjoyed from the Japanese public. Tani did not disappoint in Beijing 2008. Appearing in her record-setting fifth Olympic Games Tani won her record-setting fifth Olympic medal. Tani now has a 2008 bronze to add to her two silvers and two golds from previous Olympics. Lost in Tani’s run to the podium was as fine a performance in an 0-2 tournament as you could want.

Veteran USA player Sayaka Matsumoto had the unlucky honor of drawing Tani in the first round. Matsumoto and coach Jason Morris developed a strategy using all their combined experience and Matsumoto tested the favorite Tani from the first grip. With Tani advancing to the medal rounds Matsumoto got a chance in the repechage and drew the host country’s Shupan Wu. Sayaka again fought very well. Matsumoto’s attacks were smart, confident and constant and Wu barely survived. But Sayaka had knocked the starch out of Wu and the Chinese girl fell fatigued in the next round to eventual bonze medalist Paretto of Argentina. Romania’s Alina Dumitru proved to be the class of this competitive division using classic judo to overcome the physical strength and experience of Cuba’s Yanet Bermoy in the final.

Taraje Williams-Murray, representing the USA at his second Olympics, has toiled in anonymity for the better part of his 23 years while evolving into a fine judo player with a variety of skills. He fought admirably in Beijing going 1-1 at 60kg. Korean Min Ho Choi (who is a product of a Korean program that rivals Japan in its consistent ability to train champions) eventually won the bracket. There is no measure of the dollar equivalent that that Korean program is worth to the athlete. The beneficiaries of the program are the athletes themselves who, so supported, are compelled to continue to train. Two Koreans Ki Chun Wang at 73kg and Jae-Bum Kim 81kg each took home a silver medal. On the female side, among many strong Korean competitors, Gyeong Mi Jeong survived to take a bronze. A total of 56 medals were distributed and four went to Koreans.

The American judo player is as committed, has as much desire, and in many ways sacrifices much more than the international athletes from more successful programs. Americans do not succeed because there is a dedicated but thin program behind them and the few developmental dollars are available only for the handful of athletes who compete in only a few international tournaments, literally for want of airfare.

In European countries like Holland and France, for example, judo is strong because at the club level competitions happen every weekend. Local dojos line up competitors from every weight class and travel to whatever city is on the agenda to compete. Like the minor leagues and semi-pros in American baseball, league play permits a vehicle for the entire sport to foster growth, not only of the individual player but also for the sport generally in the training of officials, referees and coaches. The dizzying amount of available competition in Europe breeds a depth of available players and grows the skills they possess across all ranks. If a similar culture could take root in America then the next generation of American judoists could easily take six to eight medals out of 56 in the 2024 or 2028 Olympiad.

It is important to always remember that judo’s founder, Jigoro Kano, primarily an educator himself, always wanted, envisioned and presented judo as an educational vehicle ideally suited for public schools. There is no sport better equipped for developing the coping skills required for the new millennium.

The results of the 2008 Beijing Olympics proves again that American judoists could vault to the top of the international competitive judo world if they had the support. The difference between Ronda Rousey winning gold instead of bronze or of Stevens ascending the Olympic podium is not a wide gap. These American athletes are as committed as any country’s and have the heart and the self-sacrifice necessary to win. Our judokas simply lack the opportunities to train and compete internationally on a regular basis. Corporate, educational and media exposure are the measure of those dollars. Take Brooklyn, NY’s Taraje Williams-Murray. Taraje’s got a college degree, wins Olympic judo matches, but has to pick and choose where to fight for want of adequate sponsorship. We need to support thoroughly these athletes who, like Taraje, have already made the commitment.

Perhaps the top topic of conversation among U.S. judo enthusiasts is “What’s wrong with USA judo?” Followed closely by “What can be done to build USA judo?” Too much time is spent discussing the former and not enough of the latter. Certainly USA Judo would be much stronger if over the last 50 years it had been included in the athletic curriculum of colleges and universities and cultivated a varied and geographically diverse fan base. But there’s no time for regrets and “should haves” and “could haves.” So what do we do now?

Rather than attempt universal, competitive entries into the NCAA or comprehensive intercollegiate intramural programs, we propose that a few regional colleges and universities band to together to form a judo league that would compete seasonally on a week-to-week basis. These would be best directed on a regional and independent basis. We need to support the work done on an annual basis by USA Judo and find corporate dollars to get our premier players to international tournaments on a routine basis. Then we’ll be regularly counting Olympic and World medals. In the meantime, if you love to rumble support your local dojo!