Spare a thought... As you climb down from the podium with medal in hand... Consider, just for a moment: Who went before me and made all this possible? Go back in time, beyond the present, to 1961. Yes, to 1961 – back 50 years...

What is so special about 1961? It was a landmark year for women’s judo. In 1961, the British Judo Association, realising women’s growing interest in judo, authorised the formation of a ‘Ladies Committee’ comprising of 12 women area representatives, a representative from the British Universities Judo Association and a member of the Executive Committee. Their terms of reference were ‘ To advise and recommend to the Executive Committee and Technical Board any matters appertaining to or related with judo for women ’. As a result of the Committee’s work there were many developments in both the administration of the sport for women and in the methods of training. It would seem appropriate in this, the 50 th anniversary year of the official ‘birth’ of women’s judo, to celebrate one of these pioneers. Ivy Armitage was the first Chairman of the Ladies Committee from 1961 until 1963. She was one of a dedicated group who worked tirelessly to help lay the foundations of the sport that BJA women members enjoy today. This is her story.

EARLY DAYS

Ivy was born in Shoreditch, East London, in May 1927 - a true Cockney. She was the youngest of 5 children, her father dying when she was 5. She did well at school, getting 2 scholarships and passing the entrance exam for the local girls high school in 1938. In 1939 the school was evacuated but Ivy returned to London in 1943 taking GCE’s at an emergency grammar school. Further education was out of the question owing to the ill health of her mother and a sister. The other siblings no longer being at home she had to get a job. In 1945 she was engaged to an air force pilot who was tragically shot down a few months later.

Two years later Ivy got engaged to Len Armitage and they were married at the end of 1947, living in 2 rooms. Post war life was hard and it wasn’t until 1955 they were able to move to a council flat and in September 1956 Ivy’s judo career began.

Len was a train driver and because of his long shifts she spent many evenings at home alone. He was worried about this and suggested she attend an evening class. She did not really want to and to keep him quiet said it would have to be something active. She had heard something about judo and mentioned it knowing there were no classes locally. This did not deter her husband and one evening he took her to Kennington Lane to the London Judo Society. He had booked her a year’s membership, ordered her a kit and she started that night. She was 29.

Ivy took to judo like a duck to water. In 3 weeks she was hooked and it gave her so much confidence that after a few months she walked out of a job she had been in for 13 years but hated. It took her 4 years to get her Dan grade. She progressed quickly up the kyu grades, taking gradings every 3 months to start with. In 1959 she got her 1 st Kyu and started training for her black belt. An unexpected hernia early in 1960 set her back but after a short layoff she took her 1st Dan on 30 th November. This must surely have been the toughest grading for a woman in the BJA at that time, unless anyone knows different. It took place at the LJS and the judges were George Chew, 4 th Dan, and Senta Yamada, 5 th Dan, with Ernie Wilkin refereeing. It turned out to be an unforgettable evening. At that time the requirements for the men’s dan gradings were a line up, no lost points and only one draw, demonstration of various techniques and one of the 5 sets of Nage-no-kata. Not so for Ivy.

TOUGHEST GRADING

First she had a line up of 7 (browns and blues). She got through with 6 wins and a draw. Next she was asked to demonstrate a variety of throws. Following this she had to demonstrate ne-waza knowledge and all 5 sets of the kata.

She then had to referee a contest with George Chew one side and Senta Yamada the other throwing questions at her while she was refereeing.

Finally, when she thought that must surely be the end Yamada said he would like to see another contest and a brown belt was picked. Ivy was furious and told later by one of the spectators that the look on her face was enough to frighten anybody. The contest was over very quickly as she threw the poor girl from one end of the mat to the other. She had been on the mat for 2 hours.

It took several months for the grade to be ratified by the Technical Board who had mislaid the papers, but was finally put on the Dan Grade register on 26 July 1961. Her black belt was presented to her a few months later at the LJS. George Chew walked in with one hand behind his back. The class lined up and Ernie Wilkin knelt in front of her and took off her brown belt. George Chew handed him a black belt which he put on her. It was an LJS tradition to give their new dan grades a special belt with “Presented by the LJS” in red Japanese lettering on it. Afterwards George Chew said to her “You can now go anywhere and wear your belt with pride. We did it that way so no-one could say it was made easy because you were a woman”.

So another door opened to an even wider judo life for Ivy. Invitations came from all over the country for her to take gradings and courses and her first weekend course was at Exeter later that year. She was also asked to give demonstrations by various organisations. With some of the ladies class at the LJS she went to many different places, frequently doing demonstrations under Heath Robinson conditions. One was particularly memorable. On Whit Saturday Ivy took Valerie Stubington (4 th Kyu) and Pam Hogg (5 th Kyu) to do a demonstration to the Land Rangers at a Girl Guide camp near East Grinstead. The demonstration was done in a field and for tatami they had a few old straw mattresses roughly joined together. Everything went well until Ivy was demonstrating Nage-no-kata on Pam. She took her over in the stomach throw but due to lack of space deposited her in a large cow pat at the edge of the mat. Amid great hilarity from the audience Pam was wiped down with some grass and they finished the kata – very carefully! From these humble beginnings Pam later went on to become General Secretary of the BJA until her untimely death in 1970.

DEVELOPING WOMEN’S JUDO

It was during 1961 that things began happening for the women. For one or two years prior to this there had been much talk among women players about how their judo should develop. George Chew, a member of the Technical Board, had been commissioned by the Executive Committee to report on the activities of ladies connected with, or participating in judo in this country. On 5 th February 1961 some 35 ladies met at the Budokwai to discuss women’s judo. This was the first organised meeting ever to be held by BJA ladies. Iris Dehnel (2 nd Dan) of the Budokwai was elected Chairman, with George Chew and the BJA General Secretary John Capes in attendance. The main items discussed were the grading syllabus, contest rules and coaching award and the meeting was asked to submit a comprehensive report to the BJA for their consideration. A second meeting was arranged for 30 th April at New Scotland Yard by George Chew.

One of the decisions coming from this second meeting was that a ladies kata course should be arranged which Ivy was asked to organise. It was also agreed that it would be useful to have a ladies column in the BJA Judo magazine to help spread news of courses, inter-club activities and help ladies sections get in touch with each other. This column was started by Eileen Callaghan (1 st Dan) from Birmingham. There was no official form of communication dedicated to women’s judo prior to this.

The first kata course was held in Brighton in July 1961 under Senta Yamada and was a great success. Eighteen ladies attended and for the first time in judo history in the UK five dan grades were present – one 2 nd dan and four 1st dans.

 Roy Inman presenting Ivy with a certificate & gifts (crystal brandy decanter and glasses) on behalf of NHC at her home on 27th April

JUDO ON THE TV

During 1962 BBC2 TV did a programme on Gunji Koizumi – founder of the Budokwai. To include some ladies judo this part of the programme was filmed at the LJS as the ladies dojo at the Budokwai was too small to accommodate the cameras, and Ivy was asked to do a randori. She prided herself on having immaculate kit but it was so white it wouldn’t film properly so she had to borrow an off white kit. Twenty minutes randori became 2 minutes on television!

In March 1963 Ivy took her 2nd Dan. Taking the grading was BJA Chairman, Charles Palmer (6 th Dan) and George Chew (5 th Dan). The line up was 6 brown belts. The 5th girl came in for tai-otoshi and Ivy turned to counter with osoto-gari. Both were moving fast and her opponent hooked her leg round Ivy’s knee – technically a foul – and she fell face down, badly injuring her knee. The contest had to be abandoned but she got her upgrade as they had seen enough in contest and her technical knowledge was known. However, she had put both cartilages out and badly pulled the muscles and ligaments.

Although her knees continued to give her problems throughout her judo career, over the next few years Ivy was very busy. She regularly took weekend courses all over the country and many one day courses and gradings. She was asked to take some women players to Pentonville Prison to do a demonstration for the warders.

Prior to Ivy’s work with the Ladies Committee she served on the BJA Executive Committee (its only woman member at that time) as representative for Northern Home Counties, and was asked to be the Liaison Officer between the BJA and the CCPR (Central Council of Physical Recreation). This vital role enabled Ivy to carry out ground-breaking work, and meant that the Association was able to offer its members judo courses, conferences and other major events – using the CCPR’s National Sports Centres, and to take advantage of the CCPR’s excellent support programmes.

At end of 1963 Ivy resigned as Chairman of the Ladies Committee owing to her increasing commitments. The Committee decided this was an appropriate time to reconsider the future development of women’s judo, and to elect a sub-committee of 3 to study the present administration and organisation of the Ladies Committee, and make whatever recommendations they considered necessary for its growth and development on a national basis for the future. As a result of their recommendations the Executive Committee replaced the Ladies Committee in March 1964 with the National Women’s Council, which comprised of key women in the sport – Area reps, Dan grades and coach award holders. At the Council’s first AGM in January 1965 Ivy took the job of Council PRO to the BJA. She also became a member of the Women’s Promotion Exam Panel.

ONWARD AND UPWARD

In January 1964 she obtained her County Coach award. On 19 th June 1966 she was appointed Joint Technical Adviser (with Elizabeth Viney) to the Women’s Inter-University Athletic Board, and on 31 st July she was appointed Women’s Area Coach to the BJA Northern Home Counties.

The LJS closed their ladies class in 1966, and Ernie Wilkin found practice facilities at the nearby Chaucer Institute in the autumn. This became the Chaucer Ladies Judo club with Ivy as its Chairman. The following year, in 1967, she passed the BJA Referees Examination.

The National Women’s Council were now given authority to arrange women’s National Area Team and Kata Championships ( not open to the public as this was the current BJA policy). Spectators were by invitation only. The first Championship event was held at Liverpool University in 1966, followed by the second at Keele University in 1968.

In 1969 Ivy was awarded her 3 rd Dan for teaching, and to add to this, at the Women’s Zadankai held at the Crystal Palace that year, Charles Palmer announced her appointment as a Senior Examiner. Another class was added to her already considerable teaching load when she was asked to take one at the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall. Her biggest problem was getting clearance, and she had to be escorted in and out of the building.

During 1969, the BJA Executive Committee sanctioned the formation of a Women’s Sub-Committee which replaced the National Women’s Council.

THE FIRST WOMEN’S OPEN INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIPS

It was now, by chance, that the women’s competition situation changed. Ivy had an excellent working relationship with the CCPR, and whilst liaising with them about arrangements for the 1970 men’s nationals to be held at Crystal Palace with a men’s course the following week, she asked that if the women’s area team nationals were held during the week of the men’s course - could they have Crystal Palace cheaper? The CCPR agreed and having told the Women’s Sub-Committee, she presented the deal to the next meeting of the Executive Committee, who were pleased to get a price reduction. However, it had not occurred to them that the walk-through from the main doors went past the Main Hall, and despite the use of heavy curtains – which looked like ‘chain-mail’ - the public could see what was going on and would therefore have to be allowed in. One wonders how long it would have taken for the women’s events in the BJA to be completely open to the public had Ivy not seen an opportunity to get the women’s nationals on an equal footing with the men’s.

In 1971 the women finally held their first British Open Individual Championships at the splendid new Bracknell Sports Centre.

Ivy’s judo career involved her not only in contest, teaching, grading and committee work but on the artistic side too. Following the death in 1970 of Pam Hogg, General Secretary of the BJA, the Women’s Sub-Committee donated a trophy in her name to be given at the Nationals. Ivy designed a modern interpretation of ‘ryote-dori’ - the third technique of Ju-no-kata. The design was approved in 1971 and the trophy was made in silver for annual presentation.

1972 was also a truly memorable year for women’s judo with the British Women’s Squad being formed, followed by ongoing International success. In May 1972 Ivy was awarded the grade of 4 th Dan. For her husband’s sake she had reduced her weekend teaching and thereafter continued taking courses and gradings, mostly for her area Northern Home Counties.

In 1976 Ivy was appointed to the BJA Medical Sub-Committee and to mark her contribution to women’s judo, she was presented with BJA Life Membership at the British Women’s Open Championships.

Ivy now lives quietly at home in Essex. In 2004 her husband died of cancer and in 2009 she was afflicted by a rare disorder which left her unable to walk more than a short distance with 2 sticks. For someone who had been so fit this was a bitter blow but with her typical determination she has made the best of what life has dealt her.

Ivy Armitage, and all the women Area Representatives, Dan grades and Coaches of the ‘60’s, paved the way for the recognition and advancement of British Women’s Judo. In this the 50 th Anniversary celebrating the formation of the BJA ‘Ladies Committee’, it is my pleasure to record our warmest thanks and gratitude to Ivy for all her pioneering work on behalf of Women’s Judo.

Gill Freeman (nee Shelton)
Chairman of National Women’s Sub-Committee 1969-77
email: gllfreeman3@gmail.com
Tel: 01722 742085