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Jonathan Cooke of Kookateki
Judo Club has been recognised for his outstanding contribution
to judo by receiving Junior Coach of the Year at the Belfast City
Council Sports Awards on Thursday 31 March 2011.
The Awards took place in the Belfast City Hall and were attended
by some of the City’s most dedicated sports people.
In receiving his award, Jonathan thanked the Belfast City Council
and added that his personal reward comes from seeing each individual
who seeks his coaching advice grow and reach their potential.
Jonathan, the pre-cadet coach for the Northern Ireland squad,
is regarded as one of Belfast’s most dedicated and finest coaches
working with large groups of judo players across both club and
community.
Jonathan and Wendy Cooke (NIJF Hon
Secretary)
The club operates a
schools link programme where children from Holy Family Primary,
Currie Primary and Ben Madigan Prep train independently during
the week in school, then all meet up to train together in the
Grove Wellbeing Centre on Saturday mornings. Jonathan said “it
is fantastic to watch children of different religious denominations
and racial groups all playing judo happily together every week”.
Jonathan makes judo
a fun sport, helping the children to develop self-confidence,
self-discipline and respect for themselves and others improving
concentration, and leadership skills, as well as physical coordination,
power and flexibility.
Kookateki Judo Club
has recently been accredited with the Belfast Clubmark and is
the first judo club in Northern Ireland to receive the award.
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