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When I was six years old I started Judo at the Denton Optimist Judo Club. At the time
there was no way to know where Judo would take me. I regularly competed in
tournaments all over Texas and Oklahoma. When I started I only competed in Shiai, a
point based fighting system, but when I was twelve years old I started to practice and
compete in Kata. Kata is a demonstration of technique and a practice of form and the
principles of Judo. When I was fifteen I stepped away from Judo for a short time. When I
returned to Judo I slowly made my way back to competition and discovered a love for
competing and practice. With diligent practice I was able to achieve an incredible goal.
In 2019 I was able to compete in the National Championship for Kata. With my Coach
and Partner Doug Newcomer we won 1st place. At the time it was my greatest
accomplishment in Judo. Now two years later I’m practicing hard to go higher. We have
been given the opportunity to go to Portugal to compete in the World Kata
Championships

Doug Newcomer Judo Bio and GOD

I started Judo when I was 7 years old. Why?  I don’t know, my dad said so.  Judo is a very competitive sport and so was my dad.  My brother (age 5) and I started together.  

My first tournament did not go well, the referee gave the “begin signal” and suddenly I was looking up and the match was over.  My second match went a little longer, but with the same result.  My dad was not happy (way understatement).  My second tournament was a month later and was the State Championship.  Same result for me as the last one, but my brother won 3rd (his first tournament).  Not off to a good start.  My dad was determined to make me win, by going to as many tournaments as possible.  For over a year (16 tournaments), I lost every single match except one.  I used to cry every Friday night before a tournament. I cannot express with words what that felt like.  I begged to quit Judo.   During this time my brother and I would sometimes play tournament in the house, I would win, and he would be nice enough to award me one of his trophies (my brother was very successful at judo from the start).

Finally when I was 9 ½ years old I won first place at the AAU Jr. Olympic district meet.  I also cannot tell you the great feeling I had there, but I can still feel it as I write this.  I still have the patch and medal from that event.  After this I started doing better.  I often (not always) came home with a second or third place trophy.  I had stopped begging to quit at this point, but would have if given the opportunity I think.

As time went on, Judo did become part of my identity.  By the time I was 12 or 13, my/our goal was to place at the nationals, pretty big goal.  I competed in the Nationals at age 15 and tied for 4th place, but that’s not placing. Again at 16, did not even do that well, and a few times as a youth player, I just could not do it.  I did win several state championships over those years up through college (10 golds and some silver and bronze), but could not win at the  nationals.  (Not winning was not due to lack of prayer, I prayed very hard for this, but the answer was “NO” or what I did not know was “NOT NOW”

I wanted to place at the nationals championships so much I changed sports.  I learned and loved the sport of Powerlifting.  I got pretty strong and finally had another opportunity to win at the national level.  I should have placed 2nd in the national Powerlifting championship that year, but got a bad night’s sleep the night before, and finished 6th.  Interesting side note, this excuse lead to my Thesis for my Master’s degree.  Again, my failure at national placement was not because of lack of prayer, I prayed a lot for this event.  

My next thought was someday the National Judo championships will come back to this part of the country and I can try again in the masters (over 30) category.  Finally, after 7 years off of judo waiting for this opportunity, the National Championships were in Houston.  By this time my life had changed a lot from the old days of being a kid and youth and wanting and praying to win the nationals.  I now had a family, a wife and small son.  I started back into the sport in the early fall before the national tournament.  I trained hard (adult style) and prayed harder than ever before.  It was a hard tournament season, with very hard emotions to deal with and hard losses to deal with.  I was also dieting very hard to make my fighting weight, which was 40 lbs less than my powerlifting weight.   

Just like when I finally placed in my first tournament (first place) I won first place in the Nationals.   Wow, again I cannot tell you that feeling, but I can feel it as I write this.  As a side note, my father won 3rd place at this championship also, but it was not his first time to place at nationals.

Contentment: temporary.  As I said, I had a small boy, time to have fun.  At 1 ½ years old we used to play on the mat after judo practice every week.

My Sensei put me up for promotion later that year, which required me to learn a new kata.  (Kata is a presentation of the forms/techniques of Judo) most people only do kata when required to do so for promotion, and up to this point so did I.  I learned Katame no kata, and since I needed a partner, my dad and I did it.  I entered a kata tournament the next year, and won 2nd place.  A mentor of mine said “you won, and you don’t hurt, how do you like kata now?”  I said “I like it.”  I did get back to fighting however, it stays in your blood after a certain point.

I spent the next 7 years fighting, and competing in kata with my father.  My father and I competed in the Nationals in kata twice. Again, the goal was to place, but God has his own calendar.  Those 7 years (Plus 4 more of doing Demo katas at tournaments, since at this point my father was 84 years old) were the most fun and most wonderful years of judo for me.  It included 5 state Championships together.  During this time I had learned another kata, and began to compete with my Wife.  This too, was a wonderful experience for me. Very few people get to be State Champions with their spouse, and we won 6 state championships in a row.  Maybe some more someday, but she is retired for the moment.

When my father retired from active Kata Competition my brother took his place.  I also had another partner by then.  I have worked very hard with both of these people, and in the 2012 National Championships I won second place medals with both of my partners in kata (we competed in two different kata’s)  I also placed second in my Shiai (fighting div.)  A few months later we got invitations to compete at the World championships.  Wow! What a compliment. But we were not able to go, as the time was short and that is very expensive.

We missed the 2013 Nationals, but had friends go to the World championships.

In 2014 we again won the USA Judo National Championships and again were invited to represent the USA in the World Kata Judo Championships in Malaga, Spain.  This time we (my brother and I) were able to compete. Wow! What a trip down memory road.  But it doesn’t end there.

In 2015, we again competed in the National Championships.  Again, winning with my partners was a thrill, but remember the 1 ½ year old son?  He was now 16, and we had learned a new kata.  He and I competed at the Nationals together.  Next Generation.  My son, Douglas, and I won 3rd in the Nationals together.  Again, that choked up feeling I keep getting writing this Bio.  My son and I had done what my father and I were not able to do.  Proudest moment ever. 

To top that off, another partner and I were invited (and accepted the invitation) to represent the USA at the 2015 World Judo Kata Championships.  In 2015 we placed higher than the previous year, (I guess we learned a lot).  I was also able to fight in shiai at the World Championships and place 9th.   How cool is that?  I have gone from not being able to win a match in 16 tournaments to winning the nationals, to representing the USA at the World Judo Championships.

In 2016 my brother and I won first place at the National Championships and my son and I won a 2nd  and a 3rd in our katas. My son and I were invited to represent the USA in the Pan American games in Havana, Cuba.  (Wow it keeps getting better!)  What a wonderful experience just to go.  My son and I placed 2nd there, in both of our Katas)  This is the only time I have placed at an International tournament, and I did it with my son.  Again, Wow!

And in 2017 my son and I placed 2nd in 2 kata divisions at the Nationals.

In 2018, I got to start a new story.  I started training with another new, young, hard working partner.  We worked very hard all year, and competed in two katas at Nationals.  We placed 2nd in one kata and barely missed 3rd in the other one.  This gave both of us a desire to work harder, learn more and come back stronger the next year.

My brother and I won 1st in 2018 and were again invited to represent the USA in the World Championship in Cancun, Mexico.  We missed finals by 3 points and ended up 7th place in the World Championship.

In 2019,  my brother was not able to go to the National Championship.  However,Ray Cox, one of my son’s best friends, (who had been doing judo and kata with my son for the last several years)  stepped up as my newest partner and worked really hard, along with my new partner from 2018.  Both partners worked so hard. We worked so well as a 3 person group. It was great to go to and compete at the National Championship with them.  The hard work paid off.   We were so excited (not even close to a strong enough word).Ray and  I won 1st place (by a large margin) in Katame no kata. It was his first national event to compete in.

The moral to my story is, that if GOD had said “YES” when I prayed so hard earlier in life, I would have missed this great adventure, and the great adventure for my family, and friends.

I often say I have had two different Judo Carriers,  the second one very successful. If GOD had allowed my first career to be more successful, I and my family and friends would not have had a second one.

Thank GOD for the “No’s”. They might just be  “Not now’s” because he has a bigger plan for you.

I was not a great student in school.  Many students with my grades don’t make it.  I had learned the hard way early in my judo carrier to grit your teeth, cry if you need to, and never quit.  I learned to keep going and finish.  Not just from the story above, but from inside the story, the seconds inside many judo fights.  The time when you just want to drop, quit, give up, but you have to keep trying to win, no matter how much it hurts, or you feel you just can’t make it.  If God had not taken me through these trials and hard lessons, I would not have made it through College, or other life obstacles.  I can tell you that when God was teaching me these lessons I did not appreciate it.  Now, much later, I understand.  There have been (and will be more) things that come up in life that I can deal with better because of the hard lessons I learned in judo,  including just getting through those teenage years.  

The immediate effect Judo has had on my life, and through the course of my Judo carrier, is obvious. And, how God has used judo to develop my character outside of judo also becomes more obvious as I get older.

I was asked what judo means to me, this only touches the edge.

I was asked what going to the World Championships means to me.  It shows me that if I wait and keep going with the right attitude, that God Can/Will bless you, more than you can imagine, however it Will be on His terms.

I have made it a tradition to put a little wooden cross on each medal I win, my partners win, or anyone else on my team.  It comes with the explanation and reminder that God wins and this time he let us have the glory.  I must always remember It’s not me, I’m not that good. God gave it to me.  (I still must do my part though.)

A good friend of mine has two words that sum it up: “Perseverance and Tenacity”, and I will add one more, “Patience”.

Doug Newcomer

6th degree black belt

12 time National Champion

3 time World Judo Team

7th place World finish 2018

Proud Judo DAD

Denton Optimist Judo Club

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Doug Newcomer
My brother Wil Newcomer and I, were recently selected by USA Judo to compete representing the United States at the World Judo Kata Championships held at the end of September 2014 in Spain. It is a great honor and responsibility to represent and compete for our country. We have been working very hard for many years to get here, and have lots of people to thank.
Wil and I are both graduate of Denton High School and the University of North Texas.
I started my Judo career at Denton Jr. Optimist Judo Club in 1973 under the instruction of Mose Woodson and Tom Coyle, with their sons Mike Woodson (now head instructor) and Doug Coyle. I was 7 years old. After 41 years I still workout at the same club.
My Motto is Perseverance and Tenacity. (Fin Jones)
I had a really hard start to judo, losing all my matches for the first year and a half. I finally won my first (anything) tournament with a gold medal in the 1975 Amateur Athlete Union (AAU) Junior Olympic District Championships in Denton. Things got better after that, and I placed in several tournaments. I won 2nd place in the 1975 Dallas Invitational for my first trophy win. In the spring of 1976, I placed 2nd in the State Championship in Odessa – that was the best day of my life (at least up to that point, I was only 10).
I stayed with Judo and eventually started winning some tournaments, including several State Championships. I won my first State Championship in 1977 in Houston. That was a great day when both my brother and I won 1st place. I competed in a couple of National Championships as a junior and as a youth Judo player (17-20 yr olds), but never could quite place. I set a goal to place at a National tournament. Finally, in 2000 as a masters competitor, I won 1st place at the National Masters in Houston. I have since won 7 AAU National Gold medals and placed in the Masters division at the USA Judo Nationals 4 times.
After my winning the Gold medal in 2000, I became interest in Kata competition. In 2001 I entered my first kata tournament, placing second in Nage no kata. One of my coaches made the statement: “you won and nothing hurts.” That statement stayed with me, although I continue to compete in the Masters division. When I was up for promotion I had to learn Katame no kata and started competing in Katame no kata.
Kata has become an important activity for my family. It is an activity that we all share and brings us closer together. I enjoyed competing in Katame no kata with my dad as partner. We won 6 State Championships and one Texas All-Star award together. When he retired, my brother Wil became my partner. Together, we have won 6 State Championships and two second place National titles to date. My wife and I won 7 Texas State Championships together at Goshin Jitsu no kata. My son and I have won several State titles and 5 Texas All-Star awards as kata competitors together. Kata truly has been a great blessing.
I never would have believed when I started, that I would be representing the United States at the Kata World Championships. The course of my Judo career leading up to this World Championships truly shows how God works in his own way to make bigger dreams come true than you yourself could imagine.
Accomplishments Include:
Texas State Champion: 1977, 78, 80, 82, 85, 87, 88, 2002, 03,04,05, 07, 08,09.
Texas State Kata Champion: 2001-2014
2000 National Masters Champion
2003 3rd place National Masters
2003 National Kata Competitor
2006 3rd place National Masters
2006 National Kata Competitor 5th place
2007-2013 AAU National Judo Gold Medal Champion (Masters)
2009-2013 – Texas All-Star Kata Competitor
2012 2nd place National Masters Champion
2012 2nd place and 3rd Place National Kata Championship
2014 Two 2nd place finishes in National Kata Championship
2014 World Championship Kata Team.

I have had the privilege of training under great Senseis: Mose Woodson, Doug Coyle, Mike Woodson, Vince Tamura, Ace Sukigara, and many others. My brother and I strive to make our dad and all our Senseis proud by delivering our best performance at the Kata World Championship.
Doug newcomer