On Nov. 23, the Heisei International University women’s judo team visited TKU’s Tamsui Campus. The 29-member group trained and sparred with Tamkang judo teams – both men’s and women’s – for a day of competitive fun and excitement.

The day’s interaction began with the exchange of gifts in the martial arts hall at the basement level of the Shao-Mo Memorial Gymnasium. The teams then began warming up; after which, they paired off and started sparring. They used all conceivable methods of grappling to try and take down their opponents, while their coaches stood to one side, observing, and shouting out instructions. Although just a friendly meet, neither side gave an inch, which made for an exciting and competitive atmosphere.

One member of the visiting team was a silver medalist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She said that this was her third time to Taiwan, and that compared with the other university teams she competed against in her previous trips, “TKU’s judo teams are much more skillful and also much more powerful. They’re really good!”

The captain of the TKU men’s judo team said that he originally thought they wouldn’t stand a chance against the Japanese university’s judo team, which practices daily, as Judo is one of Japan’s national sports. He was surprised that his TKU team put up some good resistance. He added “We gave it our best and learned a lot. It was a lot of fun”.