Bring on Beijing: Olympic judo hopefuls make Harlingen home

Bring on Beijing: Olympic judo hopefuls make Harlingen home

Eladio Jaimez, Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas // August 31, 2006
Copyright 2006 Valley Morning Star

Aug. 31--HARLINGEN -- Valerie Gotay just couldn't stay away.
The Temecula, Calif., native was 18 years old when she made her first and only U.S. Olympic judo team.
But it wasn't a pleasant experience.
Gotay was ready to represent the United States at the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain, but she suffered heat stroke and was forced out of the competition.
Her absence was too much and depression struck the teenager. So she walked away from the sport all together.
That was 14 years ago.
But just two years ago Gotay got the itch.
"Judo has a way of calling you back," said Gotay, who is nationally ranked No. 1 in her weight class. "It's really hard to give up. I missed the competition and I missed the training. It was just the right time to come back. There's still more for me to fulfill in judo. There's more achievements."
Right now, Gotay is one of 10 athletes training under former Olympic bronze medallist Israel Hernandez from Cuba.
Gotay and the other nine train with Hernandez at the Harlingen Foundation for Valley Sports in downtown Harlingen.
Gotay is joined by her sister Natalie LaFon, Hawaiian Taylor Takata and Cuban Danieska Carrion as Olympic hopefuls for 2008 in Beijing, China.
Takata is also top-ranked in the country in his weight class. Carrion has been on the Olympic team in Cuba but is now trying for the American team.
"That's why you compete," Takata said. "I feel I have a pretty good chance of making the team. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."
The other six athletes are training at the junior level hoping for a spot in the 2012 games.
But Gotay has high hopes of making the 2008 team.
Gotay, 32, moved here with her two daughters from the San Diego suburb at the beginning of the year. Her husband was still in California selling their home before joining her in Harlingen.
It was a drastic change for the former Olympian but it goes to show her dedication to the sport and her coach, Hernandez.
"I wouldn't have moved for anyone else," Gotay said of Hernandez. "Others tried to get me to move but I never even gave it a second thought. But I talked to Israel and I knew I wanted to be here. This was a big move. That's how strong I felt about it."
She's just hoping it pays off.
And this weekend might be a good indicator of where she and the rest of the Olympic hopefuls stand.
The city of Harlingen and USA Judo will host the 2006 Fall Classic National Championship and Ladder Judo Tournament on Saturday and Sunday.
The competition -- which takes place at the Harlingen South gym -- will draw some of the best talent from across the country.
"This is important and a great opportunity for Harlingen and the entire Valley," Hernandez said. "It's gonna help increase the popularity of judo in the Valley."
For Gotay, it's just a measuring stick of sorts to see where she stands with other competition.
"I'm not gonna peak for this tournament," she said. "I'm not training for this tournament. It's not as big as nationals, but it is one of our bigger national tournaments."
Her training regiment is different now from 14 years ago. Her work ethic is the same, but she's made adjustments.
"Because of my age, the workout is different," Gotay said. "I don't have the same body when I was a teenager. It takes longer to recover."
But her age and experience is what Hernandez likes about Gotay.
"They really help out the junior athletes," Hernandez said of Gotay, Takata and Carrion. "They help them adopt to their form of training, mentally and technically."
Notes: Representatives from USA Judo will be in Harlingen on Friday for a press conference at the Harlingen Chamber of Commerce. The representatives will announce their nomination for the head coaching position of the 2008 U.S. Olympic judo team at 3 p.m.
Copyright (c) 2006, Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News. For reprints, email , call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

Fonte: USOlympicTeam.com - USA - http://www.usolympicteam.com/