By Derek Cornet

Making a Mark

Doctor sharing respect, mutual welfare and benefit through sport

Feb 6, 2019 | 2:00 PM

Wanting to share his passion for martial arts and what it stands for, Sensei Jeff Irvine relaunched the La Ronge Judo Club in 2014 when he returned to the community as a doctor.

“Judo, for me, is a very special sport and a very good sport for life,” he said. “The martial arts code of respect, mutual welfare and benefit is very important in life, not just in sport. I wanted to coach and share that passion and that knowledge. I find sport in general, and Judo specifically, is a very good way of sharing that.”

Members of the Irvine family have been teaching Judo to residents of the tri-communities as far back as the 1990s. Jeff Irvine, along with his father Dr. James Irvine and brother Dr. Daniel Irvine, coached the club back when he was still in high school and it came to an end in 2002 when both of the sons moved away to university. When Irvine returned to La Ronge, he took it upon himself to restart what gave him so much motivation in his teens.

There are currently about 40 athletes involved in the club, which is split into beginner and more advanced groups. Athletes need to be at least nine years old to join, Irvine stated, and around 13 before they can train with the stronger members. There are seven levels of belt rankings from white to black and Irvine said it took him eight years to work his way to the top.

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“Judo is most similar to wrestling,” he said. “There’s more grappling and throwing your partner from a standing position to the ground. Once on the ground, it’s about holding your partner on their back with you on top of them.”

Irvine noted many mixed martial artists are skilled Judo fighters because of the offensive and defensive skills in the sport. Learning to effectively knock a competitor on the ground and keep them there, Irvine added, is very helpful when dealing with submission techniques.

Fourteen-year-old Josiah Hallett has been involved in the club for four years and he recently travelled with Judo Saskatchewan Feb. 2 to a tournament in Winnipeg. He ended up placing second during the gold medal round after the match ended due to an injury he sustained. Hallett attributes his skills in Judo to the effective teachings of his sensei.

“He’s been able to help me out, show me good moves and make sure I practice a lot,” Hallett said. “He’s a really nice guy.”

Parent Grace Bergsveinson is also happy with the work Irvine has done with her daughter, Kristjana, who has been in the club for two years. Bergsveinson said Kristjana was already involved with voice and piano lessons before joining, and she wanted her daughter to be more active.

“Jeff is great with the group,” she said. “He does a lot of one-on-one interaction with the kids and they’re well partnered.”

derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno