KentCombat: Spitfire Open Air

Spitfire Open Air Judo Championships

Saturday July 18^th 2015

Capel-Le-Ferne

Coach Colin Carrott organises this event every year and each year it gets better then ever this year it was run in conjunction with Capel-Le-Ferne Village Fete. Many of us forget hundreds of years ago village fetes would included Wrestling, Boxing, feats of strengths and Sporting events, some parts of the UK still do this I.e Cornwall and the Scottish Highlands. Sadly this is not the case in Kent that is until Colin and Spitfire started it again, Colin tells me next year he will have two mats and will include Judo, Combat Wrestling, Sport Sambo and Kent Belt Wrestling

Coin Carrot referees Oleg

The Fete had the usual stalls plus a Farmers Market and re-enactment of British Soldiers from the Napoleonic wars which made the Judo interesting especially when they had a Musket Volley

This year there was 80 entries which were spread from over the Country it was pleasing see that 19 year old Adam Dodds had taken over from his father Russell in supporting the event he and the Bedford Grappling Academy were very supportive of this event. We also saw Darren Richardson travelling up from the West Country, Oleg Siblov who runs the Mixed Style Sambo Club brought many fighters from his club in London to try for the first time Judo in which they done extremely well. His club proved that you can do several styles of Grappling and still succeed. Oleg came to the UK 15 years ago and has now become a British Citizen and will be competing in the World Masters Sambo for GB in October, he also won the Judo Masters in style. Oleg Club is like the United Nations he had players from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia and Canada. Although I am against immigration into this Country these lads proved that by interrogating into local events you become accepted by the local population which these guys done. Oleg has even got the British Sense of humour stating he arrived in a Container, he certainly fits in with the IBF/BCSA family

The throw famous by Van De Walle Olympic medallist is banned from new Judo

I would like to thank all the officials especially the referees who chose to use the old rules of Judo and rather then hand out loads of penalties they would stop the Contest and explain the infringement. The referees just wore their normal summer clothes which made the event less pompous and more informal which went down well with the audience and judoka