Dare to Dream

Dare to Dream Small aiming to leave big mark

TERRY BILLARD

The Labradorian

She is one of the province’s top female judoka and hopes to gain a spot on the 2007 Canada Games team that will compete in Whitehorse, Yukon.

Chantelle Small competed at the Newfoundland and Labrador Winter Games as a wrestler and won a silver medal in her weight class. Chantelle is the daughter of Keith and Melissa Small. She has a younger sister, Danielle. Chantelle shared her thoughts with me recently and revealed some of her goals.

DD: Where were you born? Where have you lived?

CS: I was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. I have lived in Clyde River, Northwest Territories, Iqualuit, (at the time NWT), Moosonee, Ontario and now Goose Bay, Labrador.

DD: When did you become involved in judo?

CS: I started judo November 2004. My dad had been in it the year before and had been telling me how he had learned this throw or this choke in judo that night, and I’d always be the one he’d demonstrate on. After being wrestled around for a year, I decided to join as well. Maybe it was just to get back at him.

DD: What school did you attend?

CS: I was in Nakasuk, in Iqualuit, for grades kindergarten and grades 1-2 (I did grades 1 and 2 in one year). I then went to Moosonee Primary School for grades 3 and part of grade 4, and I moved to Goose Bay went to Peacock for grade 4, Our Lady Queen of Peace for grades 5-9, and am now graduating from Mealy Mountain Collegiate this year.

DD: What are your favourite subjects?

CS: Art, geography, certain parts of biology and Gym.

DD: What do you want to do once you graduate?

CS: I want to become an interior designer or something along those lines. Pretty well anything in the arts. I also want to be able to travel. I’d like to see the world.

DD: How old were you when you started judo?

CS: I think I was 14?

DD: Are there any other sports you play or excel at?

CS: I’ve been in sports all of my life. I’ve been in soccer, gymnastics, swimming, badminton, basketball, volleyball, wrestling and judo. But recently I’ve been doing soccer, wrestling and judo.

DD: Describe your judo style.

CS: I don’t really think I have a style.

DD: What goals have you set for yourself in judo?

CS: One of the main goals I’ve been set on, practically since I’ve started judo, is to get to the Canada Winter Games. My other goals would be to get in better shape, stay healthy, to become a better competitor and to understand the techniques as best as I can.

DD: Tell me about judo competitions you have competed in this year.

CS: This year I have been to three competitions: St. John’s in November, where I received two silver medals (one for the Canada Winter Games category, another for the general competition category), Stephenville in March, where I received two gold medals and a trophy for most spirited judoka (again, one medal for each category). And I just got back from another competition in Moncton on the weekend of April 8, where I received a bronze medal in the senior category. And there are still more competitions scheduled for us this year.

DD: Favourite movie? Food? Music?

My favourite movies would have to be Saw 1 and 2, as well as Van Helsing.
I have no favourite food. Ask anyone I know, I eat too much to be picky!
I’ll listen to just about any music, although there are certain things I don’t like about songs. I won’t listen to most really old music, country and most rap (although there have been exceptions.)

DD: Any favourite female judo person you’ve modeled yourself after?

CS: I don’t think I’ve been in judo long enough to really find or develop a mentor. But being one of only two females in the evening classes (the other being Rebecca Whey), I think I just strive to be better than the boys.

DD: What’s your fondest judo memory?

CS: I think I’ll remember the Stephenville competition for quite a while. I was pretty proud, but I don’t think I was as proud as my dad. He was telling everyone and emailing pictures of it for a week!

DD: Your most embarrassing judo memory?

CS: That would probably be the Moncton competition. When we were getting ready to go through security to get onto our flight from Halifax to St. John’s, I realized I didn’t have my ticket or boarding pass. I had left it on the flight from Moncton to Halifax! So Maurice and I rushed to the counter to get a new boarding pass.

Luckily we were able to get it without any complications and we ran to security to catch our flight. I overnighted in St. John’s and the next morning I had to try to get a new ticket to get back home. I ended up having to get Terry to buy a new ticket afterwards. The judo club is getting reimbursed for the lost ticket, minus a fee, which I now owe to the club. It was my first time traveling alone, but I’m sure I won’t make that mistake ever again!

DD: You have the last word, anything you like to say? Anyone you like to thank?

I think judo is quite different than any other sports I’ve played. It takes a little bit of a lot to be good at judo. You’ve got to have patience to learn it, the drive to want to excel at it, the knowledge of the techniques and the ability to make them work to your advantage. You have to have confidence in yourself when you do judo as well. It’s just you and the other person, and if you mess up, it’s not like soccer; you can’t blame the goalie because they didn’t catch the ball.
It’s all you!

But there is a real sense of being with a team. When we all practice, we help coach each other on how we can improve, and when you’re competing you have the team on the side of the mat yelling and screaming at you to get up or push harder. We all push each other to do better, because we all know we can do better. And so I thank my dad for getting me into judo, and everyone in the club for all the support.

Fonte: http://www.thelabradorian.ca/