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Subject: Pan Am Team arrives in Dominican Republic 

COLORADO SPRINGS (August 6, 2003) -The USA Judo delegation arrived in the Dominican Republic today in preparation for the Pan American Games Judo competition which will take place Saturday through Tuesday, August 9-12.  The team roster is given at the end of this release.

The Pan Am Games are critical to Olympic qualifying for the USA in Judo.  These Games are the second to last qualifying event in the Pan American Judo Union (PJU) and are given double the weight of the other qualifying events.  The qualifying events are:

2002 Pan American Judo Union Championships - Nov, 2002 - COMPLETED
2003 North American Zone Qualifying event - May, 2003 - COMPLETED
2003 Pan American Judo Union Championships - June, 2003 - COMPLETED
2003 Pan American Games - August, 2003
2004 Pan American Judo Union Championships - April, 2004 (Tentative)

For each weight class, the top 6 countries for men and top 3 countries for women, among all Pan American countries will qualify for the Olympics.  Countries can also qualify a weight class directly by placing in the top 5 in the World Championship in Osaka, Japan in September, but most will need to qualify through Pan American qualifying system.

In the USA, once a weight class is qualified, the individual athlete to represent the USA in Athens will be chosen in an Olympic Trials that will take place in May or June of 2004.  Thus, different athletes can earn qualifying points in the same weight class in different events.  For example, at men's 73 Kg, the USA is ranked #1 in Pan America.  Chuck Jefferson (San Jose, Calif.) won the 2002 Pan American Judo Union Championships, but was injured last spring.  Jimmy Pedro (Lawrence, Mass.) stepped in and replaced him in the North American Zone Championship in May and won that event.  Chuck has since recovered and won the 2003 PJU Judo Championships in June and will represent the USA in the Pan Am Games. Similarly, Rick Hawn (Colo. Springs) and Aaron Cohen (Buffalo Grove, Illinois) have both earned Olympic qualifying points for 81 kg and John Serbin (San Jose, Calif.) and Martin Boonzaayer (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) have done the same for +100 kg.

Schedule of Competition

Saturday, August 9:
W48 kg, W52 kg, M60 kg, M66 kg
Sunday, August 10
W57 kg, W63 kg, M73 kg, M81 kg
Monday, August 11
W70 kg, W78 kg, M90 kg, M1006 kg
Tuesday, August 12
W+78 kg, M+100 kg

ATHLETES:

Women:
-48 kg    MATSUMOTO, Sayaka, Richmond, Calif.; Pan Am Games debut; 2000 Jr. World silver medallist
-52 kg    MINKIN, Charlee, Colo. Springs, Colo.;  Pan Am Games debut.
-57 kg    WILSON, Ellen, Colo. Springs, Colo.; 2000 Olympian
-63 kg    JIVIDEN, Grace, Littleton, Colo.; 1992 Olympian (7th place)
-70 kg    YANNETSOS, Christina, Colo. Springs, Colo.;  Pan Am Games debut.
-78 Kg   EDWARDS, Loretta, New Albany, Ohio. Pan Am Games debut.
+78 kg   ST. PRE, Nanoushka, Colo. Springs, Colo. ; Pan Am Games debut.

Men:
-60 kg    TAKATA, Taylor, Colo. Springs, Colo. ; Pan Am Games debut.
-66 kg.   OTTIANO, Alex, Lawrence, Mass., 2000 Olympian, bronze 1999 Pan Am Games
-73 kg    JEFFERSON, Chuck, San Jose, Calif., ; Pan Am Games debut.
-81 kg    COHEN, Aaron, Buffalo Grove, Illinois; Pan Am Games debut. 
-90 kg    OLSON, Brian, Boulder, Colo.; 1996 and 2000 Olympian (7th).  1999 Pan Am Games Champion.
-100 kg  BARNES, Michael, San Jose, Calif.; Pan Am Games debut.
+100 kg BOONZAAYER, Martin, Hoffman Estates, Illinois; 2000 Olympian.

STAFF:

Ed Liddie - Head Coach
Marisa Pedulla - Assistant Coach
Robert Berland - Assistant Coach
Brett Barron - Assistant Coach
Francisco Ramirez - Manager

-end-

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DR. DAVID MATSUMOTO