Vernon Judo Club

The VJC is located in the Western Canadian province of British Columbia, in the city of Vernon at the north end of Okanagan Lake.

The club was formed in 1944 by Mr. Y. Mori, in a time when martial arts were banned in many places and Japanese Canadians even required a special police permit to meet in groups. We’ve been practising at the same location ever since, making the VJC the longest continuously running club in Canada.

The club is run entirely by volunteers. Our parents’ group is a non-profit society dedicated to support our judoka.

We practice Monday and Thursday nights at the Vernon Japanese Cultural Centre, 4895 Bella Vista Road.  Class times vary with registration levels (scheduled for 2024/25 season):

• 6:30-7:30 PM Junior/beginners/intermediate (7-12)
• 7:30-9:00 PM Senior (13+)

Our normal season runs from early September to late April (running into may for national competitors).  We make up some holiday Mondays on the Tuesday.

Kata sessions are on typically Wednesdays but can run at different times during the summer.  Some of the advanced kids have been staying an additional half hour for additional instruction/conditioning.

Normally spectators are welcome at any time but, during the covid  pandemic, the stage/viewing area had to be booked/confirmed open.

We offer 2-week free trials if you have not tried judo before in Canada, but you will be required to sign waiver and need to contact us to arrange the timing.

Brendan waiting to fight...

Sydney waiting to fight...

Avery waiting to fight...

 

Congratulations to all the zone 2 competitors at the 2020 BC Winter Games.  Ava, Abby and Kiyoshi were all on the team that took home a bronze in the team competition.

Great work Kiyoshi in the 2019-20 season:  Gold at the 2020 BC Winter Games and in both U16 and U18 divisions at the 2020 BC Youth Provincials—plus a bronze finish at Edmonton International (U16-50).

Congratulations to Avery, Brendan and Sydney on their 2017 national competitions in Calgary, where Brendan took home his third Canadian Nationals silver medal.

The VJC is located in the Western Canadian province of British Columbia, in the city of Vernon at the north end of Okanagan Lake.

The club was formed in 1944 by Mr. Y. Mori, in a time when martial arts were banned in many places and Japanese Canadians even required a special police permit to meet in groups. We’ve been practising at the same location ever since, making the VJC the longest continuously running club in Canada.

The club is run entirely by volunteers. Our parents’ group is a non-profit society dedicated to support our judoka.

We practice Monday and Thursday nights at the Vernon Japanese Cultural Centre, 4895 Bella Vista Road.  Class times vary with registration levels (scheduled for 2024/25 season):

• 6:30-7:30 PM Junior/beginners/intermediate (7-12)
• 7:30-9:00 PM Senior (13+)

Our normal season runs from early September to late April (running into may for national competitors).  We make up some holiday Mondays on the Tuesday.

Kata sessions are on typically Wednesdays but can run at different times during the summer.  Some of the advanced kids have been staying an additional half hour for additional instruction/conditioning.

Normally spectators are welcome at any time but, during the covid  pandemic, the stage/viewing area had to be booked/confirmed open.

We offer 2-week free trials if you have not tried judo before in Canada, but you will be required to sign waiver and need to contact us to arrange the timing.