Athlone judo expert aiming to promote the sport

By Kevin O’Neill

Having already made an indelible mark on the world of Irish judo for almost 25 years, Athlone resident Lydia Ritchie is embarking on a new project to resurrect the sport in the local area.

Lydia recently became the first ever female to be honoured by the Irish Judo Association with the awarding of the coveted Sixth Dan grade, having represented Ireland with great distinction on both the European and world stages.

The Sixth Dan is not solely a measure of one’s technical level and effectiveness in combat, but also it symbolises a merging of the moral values of judo into a way of life which is to be passed on to future generations. The award of the red and white Sixth Dan belt also brings with it an obligation of respect and responsibility to lower ranks.

Shortly after receiving her new grading, Lydia agreed to a new collaborative project with Westmeath Sports Partnership that hopes to inject new life into the sport in the Lake County.

“It is an interesting project that I’m looking forward to,” said Lydia, a six-time World Masters and three-time European Masters Championships winner.

“At the moment the project is in its early stages but what we want to do is promote interest in judo in Westmeath through a series of courses that introduce the sport through other aspects of life, such as self-defence. Courses will be open to any schools, groups or individuals interested and we already have one Transition Year class booked in for our first course,” added Lydia, who encouraged interested parties to contact Westmeath Sports Partnership for further details.

The project, she hopes, can bring about new enthusiasm for the sport in the area, and perhaps even inspire the formation of a new club in judo club in Athlone or nearby. As a former member of the defunct Athlone Judo Club, Lydia now travels to Dublin for training but would love to see another club formed in the region.

“There is very good potential for a new club in Athlone, especially when you consider the popularity of judo in so many eastern European countries, and the number of people who have come from there to the area," she said.

"I’ve had a few enquiries about the possibility but as always, a lot would depend on finding a suitable and affordable premises. But it’s something, particularly having gained the Sixth Dan grade, that I would be very interested in doing, to give back to the next generation by promoting and coaching the sport,” added Lydia, who first began judo during a period living in South Africa as a child.

“My father introduced my brother and I to it. I think he imagined my brother would love it, but probably sent me along not to leave me out! But it turned out the other way. What attracted me initially was the great energy of the judo, its competitiveness and the discipline and effort it takes to succeed at an individual level. Then it’s like everything really, the more adept and skilful you get, the more confident you become,” she said.

Because of the apartheid in South Africa, opportunities for domestic athletes to compete internationally were thin on the ground. On a couple of occasions it looked like Lydia would represent South Africa at the Olympic Games, but the country’s organising committee pulled the plug late on. Instead, Lydia would travel, infrequently, to her native England or Australia to take part in competitive tournaments, where her skill level could be tested at a higher level.

In 2001, Lydia and her family moved to Athlone as she began working at locally-based I.O. Systems, who specialise in design, delivery, consultancy and maintenance for automated materials handling systems. The company, who kindly sponsor Lydia at national and international levels, is run by Managing Director Fergal Lynam, who also received international recognition in the past with the Irish swimming team.

Fergal told the Westmeath Independent that everyone at IO Systems is “extremely proud” of Lydia’s sporting achievements.

Her latest outing at the end of October resulted in double Gold at the Irish Masters Championships, which came on the back of two European titles in Latvia last May. Now the national team manager for the Irish Veteran squad, as well as Honorary Secretary of the Irish Veteran Commission, Lydia hopes to compete at the next European Championships in France in the summer. After that, Lydia also plans to compete at the World Championships in Bosnia & Herzegovina in September.

Lydia has served on the Leinster Judo Council for four years, and currently co-organises the annual Irish Masters Championships - the tenth anniversary of which was celebrated in Dublin last October.

As a qualified Level 2 coach and competition official, Lydia is hopeful the future of judo in the midlands, and throughout Ireland, can be very bright.

“Judo is a very family friendly sport. We often see generations of the same family coming to events, and I’ve no doubt that will continue.

“There are so many benefits, both physical and mental, to be gained from practising judo, and hopefully we will see the Westmeath Sports Partnership project thriving very soon.

“I look forward to trying to promote judo in the region and it’s an exciting time in that respect,” added Lydia.