Junior teams Participate in a Training Camp Focused on the Upcoming Pan and South-American Junior and Cadets Championship
Continental competitions begin next Friday
Sixty-three athletes who will represent Brazil in Pan and South-American Junior and Cadets Championship have been participating in a training camp since last Sunday. They are in Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo, to prepare better for the continental championships. The selected judokas for taking part in the contest were chosen according to the national junior ranking which is based on judokas’ performance in several competitions since the last quarter of 2012: the National Junior Selection, the Brazilian Regional Championship, the Brazilian Cadet and Junior Championship and International Internships.
\"With the national junior ranking, we are sure to have established a pretty fair criterion to select athletes who will represent Brazil in this year’s major international championships. We did not analyze athletes’ performance in just a competition but throughout a cycle, \"Kenji Saito said.
In order to meet the demands of the young national judo talents, the Technical Committee is composed of 17 professionals, including four coaches, a doctor, four physiotherapists, a nutritionist and a psychologist. During the three-day-concentration, judokas will undergo functional evaluations, specific training and will have lectures on various topics.
\"I think it is good that we have this training camp because we can exchange our ideas with the coaches, talk about what we are doing at the club and interact with other members of the Technical Committee. The structure that BJC gives us today is out-of-range. There\'s no excuse to say that something was missing in terms of structure. You do not have to worry about anything, except the competition, \"said Henrique Silva, the current continental champion in the up-to-90kg category.
\"I hope to repeat my last year’s result. The competition will be harder, but I am well prepared. This training camp helps us a lot to increase the focus because we are living with other people who are also competition-focused. By training, we take the chance of improving our skills, as we do in International Internships, \"said the current Pan-American champion in the 70kg- category, Aine Schmidt.
The Pan American champions have the right of being head-key in the World Championship. The Cadet tournament is going to take place next month, from August 8th to 11th, in Miami, the United States. The junior competition will be held from October 24th to 27th in Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia.
\"This training camp is important in two aspects: first for the documents organization and second for creating a team of 63-athlete-group. It is the first time that many of them see each other. So, especially for the Cadets, it is nice to have this opportunity to socialize, to train with the athletes they admire and make new friends, \"said the coach of the Junior female team, Andrea Berti.
The training camp of São Paulo lasts until next Wednesday, July 10th, when the whole delegation flies to Buenos Aires. The Cadet Pan-American Championship starts next Friday, July 12th. On Saturday, July 13th, the Junior Pan-American Championship takes place and on Sunday, July 14th, both Cadet and Junior South American Championship start.
