March 30, 2025
City-wide Judo tournament was held this weekend and lucky for us at a stadium that is about a 10 minute walk from our apartment. Mason weighed in the day before, so on Sunday morning we set off (Mason via kickboard) to the stadium at 8:30 am. Weather is still chilly in Seoul, but it was nice to walk through the budding cherry blossom trees on the way to the stadium.
When we arrived, there were so many judo players on the mats warming up and in the stands that we could not find Mason’s team. After about 15 minutes, we finally spotted them. Mason warmed up and was the first player from his team to compete. (Spoiler Alert) Unfortunately, he lost the match and was out of the tournament. In defeat, Mason walked over to me and sat on my lap. I could see tears welling up in his eyes, so I waited a few minutes before talking him through the loss.
Of course, he bounced back and we stayed at the stadium until 4pm so Mason could play with his friends and watch other Jamsil Judo players compete. His friend Jaeha also lost his first match, but Song June ended up winning a silver medal.
Win or lose, it was a great experience. I hope this little big guy keeps doing Judo for years to come.
