PRESS RELEASE

USJA Jr.Nationals & Jr. Pan Am Judo Results
Burns, Delpopolo & Whitaker win Gold Boca Raton, FL & Brasilia, Brazil - Liz Burns (17) and Nick Delpopolo (13) of the Glenville, NY based Jason Morris Judo Club won Gold medals at the United States Judo Association (USJA) Jr. Nationals, July 13, 2002 in Boca Raton, FL. On the same day, Peggy Whitaker (16) also of the Jason Morris Judo club won her second straight Jr. Pan Am championship in Brazil. Whitaker went 2-0 to win the 15-16 yrs. 44kg division which was the same division she won last year in Mexico City, Mexico. Burns, a Burnt Hills High school senior, went 3-0 to claim the 17-19 yrs. 52kg USJA title. Delpopolo won his second straight USJA crown winning the 13-14 yrs. 53kg weight class. Kyle Bokariza (16) went 2-1 and added a silver medal to the club count at the USJA nationals and AJ Silverman (14) was 2-2 and did not place, but is steadily improving. Nate Torra (19) had a bad day at the Jr. Pan Ams this time around losing both his matches to players from the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. Next up for the these kids along with Shayna Bigec, Jeremy Galib and Jeremy Liggett will be the Jr. Olympics, July 27-28, 2002 in Indianapolis, IN.