Judo Club

Case Study 3 (CS3) – Captain

Description: The Penn Judo Club is a competitive intramural sports organization that promotes fitness and trains students in the Japanese martial art known as the “gentle way”.

History: My GA (the grad student equivalent of a RA) introduced me to judo the first semester of my freshman year. During that time, she worked to secure a practice space, an instructor, and a practice cadence. When she graduated, the student who took over the team was apathetic and unmotivated. He lost our practice space and our instructor. At this point, I stepped in as captain in order to right a sinking ship. 

Members: The Judo Club attracts members who are interested in general fitness, personal defense, and the martial arts. Due to the low level time commitment and the fact that Judo provides little professional training for work requiring an academic degree, almost all members participated in other organizations.

Challenges: When I was selected to lead the organization, it had just been evicted from its previous practice space, a budget of a couple hundred dollars, and sporadic attendance by its members.

Accomplishments: 

Awards – Competitors won state level championships in their weight and rank divisions.

Expansion – Official practice space was secured. An internationally renowned coach was hired. Membership was expanded threefold and fundraising two fold.