Team Combat Judo Wins Big

Team Combat Judo, which recently returned home from the 2009 USA Judo National Championships and World Team Trials with four medalists. The event, held April 16th-19th at the Town and Country Convention Center in San Diego, CA, hosted some of the best Judo competitors in America. Garden City resident and Team Combat's Mark Staniszewski finished with a bronze medal in the senior heavyweight division dropping only one match to Beijing Olympian Daniel McCormick. Vanessa Molina won a bronze medal in the woman's open division, earning her along with Staniszewski a spot on the elite athlete point list. Maria DiDio and Tamara Hemingway also medaled in their respective divisions for the second consecutive year.

The team's accomplishment comes on the heels of a title win at the 2009 NAGA World Championships. The international grappling tournament featured martial arts styles including Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, and Wrestling; and visiting teams from as far away as Poland and Brazil. Maria DiDio earned a gold medal for the second straight year, boosting her current ranking to number four in the nation. Stephanie Nutzul won a hard fought bronze in her first ever competition. Newcomer Kevin Cheisa gave it his all losing only to the eventual division champion from Brazil. Team Captain Mark Staniszewski won the championship belt in the heavyweight expert division for the third consecutive year, "Ranking" him number one in the country.