Cooper Ernst, age 7, and Alex Gibeau, age 6, of the Derry Judo Club fought recently at the New England Judo Championships in Canton, Mass.
Alex showed great spirit in winning two of his three fights by throwing his opponents with great hip throws within the first 30 seconds of both matches. Alex captured the silver medal in his division with those spectacular throws.
Cooper Ernst won all of his matches decisively to take the gold medal in his division. He defeated his first opponent in the first 10 seconds with a strong throw. In his second match, Cooper followed up by winning within 20 seconds with a powerful hip throw. Cooper's last match was the most difficult. Cooper managed to avoid being turned over for a pin twice, and on the restart threw his opponent and followed into a pin.
The Derry Judo Club practices at the Veteran's Memorial Hall in Derry, N.H., and welcomes people of all ages who are interested in participating to contact the Derry Parks and Recreation at (603) 432-6136 for more information.
