What Judo Did for My Son
by Aric’s Dad (a.k.a. Coach Dean Tateyama)
August 23rd is a day I will never forget... the day of the 2008 Golden State Open Invitational Judo tournament. It was a rough start for Aric, losing his first two matches. That was the first for him. At the end of his matches, Aric was winless and scoreless, not even a single koka point.
One of the worst Judo performances I’ve seen from Aric, but I was proud to be his father and his coach… because how he handled himself not during the matches, but after the matches, as we rushed him to the nearby hospital. A freak accident on Mat #6 has left Aric with a dislocated and fractured left elbow.
Wearing the makeshift orange belt sling around his left arm, Aric was extremely composed for an injured nine-year old. He waited patiently in the ER room without letting out a single complaint or whine. Whenever the injury became excruciatingly unbearable, he would let out a loud grunt and bite down so hard that his whole body would shake. My wife, June, and I could only stand helplessly by our son and comfort him with words and frequent hugs and kisses. The only words I could give Aric were the words that will outline our next Judo America T-shirt. I told Aric to hang tough and to remember our new motto, “Whatever doesn’t kill you will make you stronger.” Aric returned these words with a smile and let out his Judo America kiai, “SAAAA!”
So “What did Judo do for my son?” you ask? Some of you may say, “Judo caused the injury to my son.” No, Judo didn’t do that. That’s just life… sh*t happens. What Judo did for my son was much more than that. Much more valuable than any money can buy. Judo made him into a stronger person. Not only physically through all the exercises and drills we do on the mat, but also the emotional and mental preparedness one must go through with every match during a tournament and with every single partner during randori at practice. The competitiveness in Judo has made Aric into a stronger person that exceeded my wildest imagination.
Judo has also taught Aric true sportsmanship. While waiting patiently in the ER, Aric did not express any ill-feelings towards his last opponent. Instead, Aric was worried about him because how the match had ended. Aric said, “I wonder if he’s ok. He’s a pretty nice kid.” A true definition of sportsmanship in my book.
Finally, you will only hear the following from a Judo America kid. When I was trying to help Aric out of bed the following morning, he refused my assistance and told me, “No worry, Dad. I still have the other arm!” Now, I wonder where we heard that from??? OSU!!
A Postscript…
I sent this letter to my sempai Keith Nakasone, who then relayed it to his teammate at San Jose State University, 1987 World Champion Mike Swain. Mike was kind enough to send Aric an autographed picture as well as his book Championship Judo. He also sent me the following email:
Dean,
Your article about your experience made me realize what Judo has done for me as well as my children 14 and 11.
I am running for board of directors for USA Judo, as they are asking me to. If you do not mind I will bring your article to the US Open meeting to inspire everyone, especially the people who constantly complain and ask what has USA Judo done for them. Ha! …
Take Care
Mike
