The Lloydminster Judo Club put its best foot forward this month at the prestigious Edmonton international tournament.
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Nine athletes from the Lloyd club participated in various divisions during the three-day event in early March.
When the younger group fought on opening day, a couple of 10-year-olds from the Border City — Mika Ferguson and Rylan Pick — emerged with bronze medals.
And the very youngest competitors — Mila Beausoleil, 7, and Jacqueline Pick, 8 — were equally proud of their participation medals.
On the second day of the Edmonton event, two up-and-coming Lloydminster athletes — 12-year-olds Levi Schwartz and Brolin Willetts — competed in the U14 division.
“It’s a much tougher division at this tournament,” said Lloyd coach and instructor Sean Morrison. “Brolin got his first win in a tournament, which was really special for him. Levi had a couple of tough matches, but it was a great learning experience. Everyone is developing in that age group.”
On the final day of the Edmonton competition, 14-year-old Gemma McAllister competed in the U16 advanced division, posting a 3-1 record to take home a bronze medal.
“That is very difficult to do in that division, so she had a very good day,” Morrison said.
“Gemma was asked by our high-performance coach for Saskatchewan to join the Sask team at an inter-provincial training camp, Alberta provincial championships, and then on to national championships for this year. So, that’s a really good opportunity for her.
“The conversations started before the tournament, but her having a really good performance definitely cemented that (Sask) opportunity.”
Morrison reported that McAllister has been with the Lloyd club since she was five years old.
“She’s pretty passionate about judo,” he said. “The competitive side has started to come out the last few seasons, but her arc in competing over the last few seasons has seen constant improvement. She’s getting to more training camps and doing more judo.”
At the adult level, Logan Lofstrom, 23, of Lloyd competed in the senior novice division and took home a gold medal.
“He won all his matches against some tough guys,” said Morrison, who coaches the Lloyd club along with Marc Beausoleil.
Morrison believes the positive results signal somewhat of a shift in the direction of the team.
“Our club has been more recreational since 2020, so we’re starting to gain some momentum as a competitive group again,” he said.
“Leading into next season, Marc and I both feel like we’re going to try to do our best to create more tournament opportunities for our members. Instead of just getting one tournament in a season, and that’s it.”
Earlier this season, Lloyd was well-represented at a Saskatoon tournament. Three club members also participated in the Sask Winter Games.
“If athletes are willing to travel, there are tournaments all through Alberta and Saskatchewan,” Morrison said. “Most of them take place in Regina, Swift Current and Moose Jaw area, so a little further to go, but the opportunity is there.”
It’s a gradual process for the Border City contingent, which practises on Monday and Thursday nights in downtown Lloydminster.
“Our club is improving, but we’re definitely just trying to get our competitive foot in the door, if you will, and grow it from there,” Morrison said in an interview between training sessions.
“A lot of these kids, it was their first or second tournament, and they’re already doing well. And they enjoy it. That’s the key.”
About 45 members make up the Lloyd club, ranging from kinder judo (ages 5 to 7) to junior and senior divisions.
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