| (781) 245-0644 |
 Pedro’s Judo Center 19 New Salem St. Wakefield, MA 01880 |
jimmypedro@zebramats.com | |||||||
 L-R: Carlos Rodriguez, Zorich Palimo’o, AJ Pedro and Bradley Lane For Immediate Release: Ft. Lauderdale, FL: Nine year old AJ Pedro finished out the 2007 year strong by winning a Bronze medal at the 2007 Jr. US Open this past weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. AJ received a first round bye and then defeated Bradley Lane (El Mambi Judo) by Ippon catching him with sode for a waza-ari and pinning him for another. AJ’s semi-final match was against Hawaiian rival Zorich Palimo’o (Shobukan Dojo) who beat AJ in the USJA National’s finals and again in the first round at the USJF Nationals. In this very close battle, the only difference was a koka scored by Zorich with a te-guruma crotch pick technique. For the Bronze medal match, AJ defeated Alejandro Menendez (Falcon Judo) by Ippon in the first 30 seconds countering Menendez’s harai gosh attack with tani otoshi. Casey Pedro started off the day with a heartbreaking first round loss to eventual champion Lauren Baez (Ki Itsu Sai) by a golden score split decision. In the repecharge, Casey then defeated Jaclyn Camal (Camal Judo) by ippon catching her with marote gare (double leg). For the Bronze medal, Casey once again lost to Amanda Gomez (Tohoku). Casey was down by a shido with 30 seconds left when her ouchi gare attempt was countered by Gomez for a waza-ari and ended up landing in a pin. Casey finished 5th. Younger brother Ricky Pedro came down with a 103 degree fever and did not compete in the event. Official Results:Boys Intermediate 1 34kg 1. Zorich Palimo’o ( Honolulu , Hawaii / Shobukan) 2. Carlos Rodriguez-Silva (PUR) 3. Bradley Lane (Wesley Chapel, Fla. / El Mambi Judo) 3. AJ Pedro ( Methuen , Mass. / Pedro's Judo) 5. Alejandro Menedez ( Miami , Fla. / Falcon Judo) 5. Sage Heller ( Riverwoods , Ill. / Cohen's Judo) Girls Intermediate 2 48kg 1. Lauren Baez ( Coral Gables , Fla. / Ki-Itsu-Sai) 2. Bree Rapoza ( Honolulu , Hawaii / Hawaii Tenri Judo) 3. Jesenia Chaparro (PUR) 3. Amanda Gomez ( Brockton , Mass. / Tohoku Judo Club) 5. Denise Garcia ( West Covina , Calif. / Guerreros Judo) 5. Casey Pedro ( Methuen , Mass. / Pedro's Judo) About Pedro’s Judo Center: Pedro's Dojo was founded in 1996 and is owned by 1999 World Champion, 4-time Olympian and Olympic medalist, Jimmy Pedro. The mission of Pedro's Judo Center is to produce leaders and champions on and off the mat while providing the highest quality physical and mental martial arts training to every man, woman, and child who has the desire to improve themselves. In its tenth year of operation, Pedro's Judo Club has already become one of the most successful judo clubs in the nation by producing many national and international champions. For more information, please visit www.pedrosmartialarts.com or call 781-245-0644 |