Pitt Judo Club: Journey to Nationals

Although their campaign has concluded, if you would still like to make a donation to Pitt Judo Club, you may always do so here.

What is judo?

Judo, or gentle way, was founded in 1892 by Dr. Jigoro Kano in Tokyo, Japan. As the national sport of Japan and an Olympic event since 1964, judo has gained global popularity and recognition throughout world cultures. Based on the principle of mutual benefit, judo offers a unique perspective on athletic activity and competition. Regardless of strength or size, anyone can learn judo and be a successful competitor.

Who are we?

Founded in 1971, the Pitt Judo Club has a long history of and commitment to promoting health, wellness, and athletics among students. Not only do students have a retreat from the strenuous academic culture of the University of Pittsburgh but they are able to participate in a constructively competitive environment. Over the past few years, we have grown our membership by almost 500% to just less than 50 members - including about 20 experienced competitors - and we continue to expand.

As a club sport, we are unable to offer the same financial support to our competing athletes as varsity athletic programs can. As such, our members pay dues and are required to cover the costs of their uniforms in addition to other judo-related expenses.

How can you help?

As previously stated, we do not enjoy the same level of funding that the university's varsity athletic programs do. Therefore, we have decided to use the University-sponsored crowdfunding platform to raise funds in an effective manner.

We are planning to attend the NCJA Collegiate National Judo Championships at Texas A&M; University on March 11, 2017. In preparation for nationals, we are training 7-days-per-week and attending several tournaments in the near future. If we are able to raise our goal amount of $5,000, we will be able to send a full team of experienced competitors to compete for a national title for the first time since the 1980s.

What is our goal?

To send a team, we are looking for $5,000 to mitigate travel and other competition-related expenses for this tournament. Trip expenses for our team members are approximately the following:

Plane tickets: $450 per-person

Rental Van: $300-500 per-van

Hotel: $100 per-room

Competition Entree Fee: $65 per-person

Should we not meet our goal, we will try to send a partial team to nationals. If we cannot send a partial team to the tournament, we will use the funds for future tournament-related expenses.