Fighting for the future

When Diss Judo Club looked like it might have to close 16 years ago, Howard Oates came to the rescue. Merging the club with his own Kumo Judo Club it soon became one of the major powerhouses of the eastern region. The club has since raised a double Olympian and a Paralympian and currently has three members training with the England Development Squads. Howard shares some of his story here.

Like a snowball down a mountain “I’m often asked why I got involved in the sport of judo. Frankly I can’t be entirely sure. I certainly liked the idea of a fighting sport that didn’t involve inflicting physical damage on an opponent. “My sons Colin and David became involved in judo through friends who were attending a local club at Hornchurch Leisure Centre back in 1989. At this time, I was travelling a lot through work, so had all but given up myself. Like a snowball rolling down the mountain, my daughters Charlotte and Vicky started doing judo. So did my wife Denise who went on to be the chairman of the Eastern Area region. I suppose Reece, my grandson, had little option in taking up the sport as his mum, Vicky, also represented Great Britain as a cadet player. “Our judo journey really picked up speed in 1991 when we moved to the beautiful village of North Lopham and joined Diss Judo Club run by wonderful coach, Chris Clancy. We set up Kumo Judo Club in 1994 and years later amalgamated it with Diss Judo Club when the existing Diss coach retired. Diss Judo Club has a long history. And when we absorbed it some 16 years ago, we decided we wouldn’t rename it as it deserved its own identity.

Like a bobsleigh from Jamaica “Inspired by the film ‘Cool Runnings’ about the Jamaican bobsleigh team that trained in Jamaica for the Winter Olympics, I decided to write a book about our own unusual journey. Norfolk wasn’t known for being a martial arts hub, so we felt very much aligned to the Jamaican story. “The book ‘Accidental Olympian: Colin Oates, a judo journey’ covers everything from my son Colin competing in the 2012 London Olympics Games and being appointed as a Great Britain Coach to the emergence of new talent and future medalwinners, Niamh and Eden Southgate and my grandson, Reece.

“As to the “Accidental” I only ever wanted my orange belt in judo, not having any aspirations to go further. So, every time we hit a target, we moved the goalpost a yard further back until we reached the stage of achieving a double Olympian and a

Paralympian. Even now I ponder whether we really achieved all this. And, what is more, with Niamh and Eden we have two outstanding prospects to continue the dream. Where dreams have been made “At its height, the club has boasted sites in Lopham, Debenham, Thetford, Attleborough and Diss. Now, with the DYCC being used as a vaccination centre, the club currently runs classes just from the Lopham Village Hall. But I hope to open in Diss again as soon as the chance arises. I’m reluctant to ever close Diss because once a club dies, just like a cinema, it rarely returns. Until that time, why not join us in North Lopham and train in a place where dreams have been made and medals won?”

I hope to open in Diss again as soon as the chance arises. In the meantime, why not join us in North Lopham and train in a place ” where dreams have been made and medals won?

The book ‘Accidental Olympian: Colin Oates, a judo journey’ can be ordered from bookstores or through Amazon with all royalties invested back into the club. For more information on Kumo Judo Club please see their Facebook page or call: 01379 688258.