The Boise State Kodokan Judo Club began in 1998. Back in the day, the club competed in competitions representing the university. Now, Sensei Michael Daglen’s goal is to get back to the glory days.
Daglen attended Boise State and competed as a part of the judo club where they had a bigger squad. In 1999, he was a part of the team that placed second in the Judo National Collegiate Championships.
Daglen, who has been a part of the club for 20 years, has high hopes to get the club back to its full potential.
“[I] plan to get a team to represent BSU to compete at the collegiate nationals and have the chance to interact with students at other universities,” Daglen said.
The club wants to give students the opportunity to meet new people as well as compete in a physical but safe atmosphere.
Sophomore finance major Tim Boggs and junior history major Ty Fitzgerald have tried to lead by example in restarting the club.
“Last semester me and Ty would stay after class a lot to practice more, and it was just us doing that, and now we have a lot more people that do that as well,” Boggs said.
Boggs and Fitzgerald are trying to continue building this community up by bringing back the judo presence on campus. According to Daglen, in the last 20 years, judo presence has decreased in the Treasure Valley.
To get involved with the judo club, students can take BRONCOFIT 142: Learning Judo in room 201 of the Kinesiology Annex building. The class takes place from 6-7 p.m. on Tuesdays and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.
Taking Bronco Fit 142 is not required, but Fitzgerald and Boggs stated that it helps with learning the basics.
Fitzgerald exclaimed how welcoming of an environment the club is.
“It is very physical but we make it as safe a place as possible, meaning we do our best to make sure people are not bullying one another,” Fitzgerald said. “Whether you are a black belt or have never done it before, you will get the same respect if you come into our dojo because that is what judo is.”
The dojo is a place for anyone to join and compete, no matter their skill level and all are welcome to join.
Daglen is excited for the future of the club, which has seen much growth in recent years. Individuals from the dojo competed in Battles By the Lake in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, on April 9.
