Judo in Alberta

The first judo club in Alberta was established in Raymond in 1943 with Yosh Katsuta as instructor and Yosh Senda as assistant instructor. That same year, a club was established in Picture Butte under the direction of E. Hashizume and H. Kuramoto. In the 1950s other clubs became established in Calgary by Hiro Kanashiro, in Lethbridge by Yosh Senda and in the northern part of the province at the University of Alberta by Ray Kelly and at the Edmonton Y.M.C.A. by Victor Hunt.

The Alberta Kodokan Black Belt Association (Judo Alberta) was formed in 1952 and met for the first time on March 16 at the Lethbridge Y.M.C.A. The Association elected Mr. Yosh Katsuta as its first president. In 1957, E. Hashizume was elected as the second president. In 1959, the Association became incorporated under the provincial Societies Act and Yosh Senda became the third president that same year. Succeeding presidents are Allan Sattin, Ron Senda, William Cox, Frank Perich and Gary Yamashita. The current Judo Alberta president is Paul Hachy.

The sport of Judo has come a long way in Alberta since 1943. There are now many clubs operating in the province. Alberta judokas have been members of Canadian Olympic and World Championship teams. Judo Alberta will continue to flourish due to the efforts and ability of its leaders.