Another provincial championship, another dominating performance from Huntsville’s Jeff Allen, who came home from the Peel Judo Championships on April 2 with multiple medals as he continues his meteoric rise in the Canadian judo scene.
With six wins in seven fights, Allen won gold in the 30-35 year-old Masters 100+ kg division, in which he is currently the defending Canadian champion and ranked eighth in the world, as well as a silver in the Seniors category, open to all fighters over the age of 18.
“It was a long day but it went well, there were some great fights,” said Allen, who will now set his sights on one final provincial tournament – the Tora Annual Championships in Brampton on April 30 – before turning his attention to bringing home multiple medals from the national championships in Calgary.
Also competing in the event was Huntsville’s Damian Saccary, who went with Allen and won bronze in the -81 kg division.
“It’s good to stay busy, stay training and fighting right before each competition,” said Allen, who places a heavy emphasis on preparation and keeping healthy between tournaments. “At nationals I’ll be fighting on two separate days, so you try to keep the fights as quick as possible and conserve your energy, plus there’s less chance of getting hurt.”
When he heads out West, Allen will also be facing a wider variety of fighters than in recent competitions, including squaring off against some very big men in the Senior category. Despite giving up several inches in height, or even several hundred pounds in weight, it’s not a prospect that frightens the Huntsville judoka.
Allen adds some new hardware to his rapidly-growing collection of judo medals and trophies
“At the 2013 National Championships there was a guy from Nunavut who was 450 pounds, just huge,” recalls Allen. “There was a guy from last year who was six-foot-ten. I don’t feel intimidated by it in any way, I’ve fought big guys before and beat them. It just means you need to prepare for a bigger range of people.”
Being able to compete at such a high level and enter tournaments across the country – even around the world – is an opportunity Allen acknowledges wouldn’t even be possible without the support of the Huntsville community.
“I can’t say enough thanks to all the local sponsors for helping me out,” says the Huntsville dad. “Hidden Valley Resort, Pickett Contracting, Ward Edmunds, they’re all a huge help to me, as well as all my other smaller sponsors, I can’t thank them enough. If you don’t have the sponsorship it would be almost impossible to go out and compete in all of these events, because it’s so expensive. Flights, hotels, food, all adds up.”
“I’m passionate about judo, and I’m serious about doing well, so I can accept that,” adds Allen. “But it’s tough at the same time, and I’m grateful for all the help and support I’ve received.”
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