Arizona Judo Academy

It was a fantastic full day of competition at the AZ State Open this past weekend!
We had quite a few judokas competing in their very first tournament, and we couldn’t be prouder of them. Congratulations to all our athletes!
Gold Medalists:
Rudy ×2 (First competition – outstanding job!)
Oscar
Lily ×3
Lio
Levi
Andrei (Sr. Black Belt Open) x 2
Silver Medalists:
Aaron
Ethan
Johnny
Oscar
Lio
Ajay
Bronze Medalists:
Arvik ×2
Henry
Kabir
4th Place – Strong effort!
Dylan
Wes
A huge congratulations to every judoka who stepped on the mat. First-time competitors, multiple medalists, and everyone who gave it their all — you all represented our dojo with heart and determination. Well done!

It is with profound sorrow that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of a true legend in our community, Sensei Steve Owen, who left us yesterday.
As President of the Arizona State Judo Association, and Founder/Head Sensei of Tucson Dojo, Sensei Steve was an extraordinary man—a dedicated Sensei, inspiring coach, exemplary sportsman, and respected ambassador for Judo across Arizona and far beyond. To all of us at the Arizona Judo Academy Dojo, he was nothing short of a superhero, whose passion, wisdom, and leadership touched countless lives.
His enduring legacy will continue to guide and inspire the growth and development of Judo for generations to come.
Tonight, during practice, we will observe a moment of silence in honor of Sensei Steve Owen.
Our deepest condolences, thoughts, and prayers go out to Sensei Steve’s family, the entire Tucson Dojo community, and all who were fortunate enough to know him. He will be deeply missed, but his spirit and contributions will never be forgotten.
Rest in peace, Sensei.

What a fearsome display of competition this past weekend. We had Judokas that had success and some that fell a little short. There is always take aways from competition like this that can be worked on to get better wether you did great or struggled. Very great effort Judokas.
Silver Medalist : Conor, Lio, Lily
Bronze Medalist: Matt

A huge Thank you to our friends at Sh**un Judo and Heart Judo for joining us for combined practices this weekend and next. 🙏

We appreciate the knowledge, support, and dedication you’re sharing with our Arizona judokas as we all prepare for the 2025 Winter Nationals. The training has been productive, the atmosphere positive, and the progress meaningful.

Thanks for being part of the growth of Judo in Arizona. 🥋

It was a wonderful Saturday of Judo this past weekend @ the Sh**un Showdown in Mesa. Thank you to the Sh**un Dojo for putting on a wonderful and efficiently run tournament, as we truly need more tournaments like this in AZ. Great effort to each and everyone of our warriors who competed this past weekend, we as a Dojo took 3rd in team tournament points. For some it was their very first tournament experience. Congratulations to the following Judokas;
Gold: Aaron, Ethan, Kabir, Johnny, Lily, Wes, Will, Ajay
Silver: Arvik, Elijah, Levi, Conor, Mike.
Bronze: Oscar, Leo, Matt.

A special congratulations to Jaylene our Golden State Open Champion. We are super proud of this young lady. Very hard competition at the Golden State in Los Angeles this past weekend. Great effort from all of our Judokas who competed.

It was great to get some Matches in @ the AZ State Open this past weekend. Congratulations to the Following Judookas.
Gold:
Jaylene
Lily
Wes
Max

Silver:
Johnny
Ajay
Max

Bronze:
Ben

There was a great amount of competition at the Nanka tournament this past weekend. Super great job to our Judokas who competed, for some of them it was their first tournament ever.
Congratulations to the following Judokas
Silver Medalists:
Jaylene
Wes
Will

A big thanks to Nanka for such a well run and efficient tournament.

State Tournament Dates set:
More information to follow:
Thank you

Congratulations to our Judokas who competed this past weekend @ the Winter Nationals in California. For some of our Judokas it was their 1st tournament ever and they far exceeded their expectations. They put in a lot of hard work and were able to get a good experience as well as great results.

Congratulations to the following Judokas.
Mac - Bronze Medalist.
Ben - Silver Medalist.
A Special Congratulations to Jaylene Gold and Silver Medalist, Placing in 2 Open divisions as a true Novice and competing in her very first tournament.

Keep increasing your skill Judokas, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished with some hard work!