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Posted June 15, 2002 Judo moms ready to take on the world By Jack Millikin You often hear people joke that they are not getting older, they're getting better. In the case of Tri-Cities residents Mikey Sjerven and Delynn Scott, this punchline has morphed into reality. Sjerven and Scott have represented Columbia Judo Dojo in Kennewick for the past 14 years, learning and perfecting seven different competition Katas, or forms. Competing as a team for the past nine years, they have accumulated an array of medals and awards from national and international competitions - including a third-place finish at the U.S. Nationals recently in Cleveland. The pair of third-degree black belts will represent the United States at the World Masters Competition in Londonderry, Northern Ireland on Thursday and hope to repeat their success at last year's World Masters in Phoenix, where they walked away with two gold medals, two silver and two bronze - one for each event they entered. "For me it was kind of late in life to start earning medals. I never won a medal when I was a kid," said Scott, who graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Washington State University and owns an associate degree in criminal justice from CBC. "The philosophy (of Judo) teaches a lot of respect, and that's what our club is all about. I know one thing - it's given me a lot more confidence." Sjerven, 50, and Scott, 48, are both working mothers. Sjerven runs her husband's doctor's office in Kennewick. Scott works as a software quality engineer for Lockheed Martin. Both women joined the Dojo after their children signed up and eventually lost interest. Both have watched members come and go, but they practice an average of 10 hours a week, including weekends. Their stories are similar, but each marches to their own beat. "From an instructor's perspective, they are a great team, but boy are they different," said Mike Purcell, a sixth-degree black belt who has served as Sensei at Columbia Judo Dojo for 20 years. "Mikey is much more results oriented, like 'Show me how to do it,' while Delynn needs to understand the whys and the hows." Despite their success, Sjerven and Scott have footed the bill for every plane ticket, hotel and entry fee since they began competing. On average, the pair has entered two sanctioned competitions per year, and their annual costs run $2,500 to $3,000. "My credit card hates me," said Scott, who owns 23 medals (six gold, 10 silver and seven bronze). "But when we do well, it's worth it." Sjerven, a member at the 40-member Dojo club for 18 years, talked about the balance of family and judo. "When my kids were little, judo was a good release for me," Sjerven said. "Some nights I would go in (to practice) and say, 'Just throw me'. It sounds weird, but (being thrown) is relaxing. It's like tenderizing a steak." Despite thousands of repetitions of throwing each other to the mat, Sjerven and Scott consider themselves close friends. And yet, with all their success, Sjerven said it's too difficult to predict how they will do in Ireland. "I feel real good about our Kata, but it's just up in the air," Sjerven said. "In the U.S. the difference between East Coast and West Coast standards is huge. I can't even imagine what the (international) standards are like." | ||||||||||
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