Mike Woodson was 10 years old when he competed in the inaugural spring judo tournament held by the Noon Optimist Club in Denton in 1957.
More than a half century later, the Mose Woodson Judo Classic is still going strong.
The 54th annual tournament is slated for today at the Ken Bahnsen Gym on the University of North Texas campus, with more than 300 competitors expected to challenge for titles in dozens of divisions.
The tournament, which is sponsored by the Denton Jr. Optimist Judo Club, is one of the oldest and largest in Texas. It was started during the mid-1950s, when judo had just been introduced in Texas.
Although the total number of competitors won't be finalized until after walk-up registration is finished today, Woodson said the number of pre-registered grapplers this year is almost four times larger than average.
"We usually have a pretty big tournament," said Woodson, the tournament director. "This year, I think it will be a whopper."
The tournament is named after Woodson's late father, who was a sponsor of the club when it started and helped operate the tournament until his death in 1992.
Woodson, 63, has been involved in the tournament as a competitor or volunteer worker since its inception. He said that several athletes return each year because of the event's reputation among the judo community.
"They like the way it's run," Woodson said. "It's real smooth. It's so professional."
Tournament officials hand out trophies instead of medals to the top three finishers in each division.
Competitors are divided by age, weight, skill level and gender. Woodson expects grapplers ranging in age from 5 to 80. Matches will be either three or five minutes, with a modified double-elimination scoring.
The tournament is expected to draw athletes from throughout Texas and surrounding states. Four-time U.S. Olympian Brian Olson, who is now a judo instructor in Longview, will be among the coaches.
The nonprofit Denton-based dojo is the largest judo club in the United States in terms of membership, Woodson said.
In addition to being the club's primary fundraiser each year, the tournament helps to give the sport greater exposure to the general public.
Judo is a combination of grappling techniques from various other martial arts, most notably jiu-jitsu, that originated in Japan during the 19 th century.
"It's really not aggressive. It's more defensive," Woodson said. "It's just a good sport and it's a great family sport."
The tournament will feature finals in various divisions throughout the day. Spectator admission is $2 for adults and $1 for children.
TODD JORGENSON can be reached at 940-566-6871. His e-mail address is tjorgenson@dentonrc.com.
