Menomonee Judo Club / Wolf Judo

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Menomonee Judo Club / Wolf Judo

Menomonee Judo Club/Wolf Judo • www.wolfjudo.com Located in the heart of Chicago, the club consists of over 140 members ranging in age from 3-65. world Cup.

The Menomonee Judo Club is one of the top Jr Judo programs in the country and America's first Paralympic National Training Center. Our Paralympic classes are pioneering the future of Judo at Park District and Public Schools around the city. During the last year students have competed at local, regional, national and international competitions in 11 states. The club has earned 26 national or international medals in 2008. In 2011, 2 of our students competed in the Jr. This group is meant for any fans of the club or Judo in general. Join us and spread the word. Please visit us at: www.BrettWolfJudo.com

11/19/2025

In spite of a couple of nagging injuries and quite a few scheduling conflicts, Wolf Judo will be sending a strong group to the two national tournaments in Irving, TX this weekend - Dallas Open and USA Judo President’s Cup
The club has had many memorable moments at these prestigious events over the years, including Max Schneider winning the most outstanding Sr competitor at the Dallas Open in 2016. The players have trained hard and we know they’ll do a fantastic job!
Best of luck to:
Jude M
Johnny M
Isaac O
Dylan Y
Troy J
Eric M
Gary T

11/18/2025

Congratulations to Mikey R on his promotion to Blue Belt yesterday and on his 14th birthday no less! Blue belt is an extremely high rank at our club and can only be earned with years of dedicated training and commitment. Congrats Mikey and happy birthday! well deserved!

11/11/2025

Wishing all of our Military Veterans a happy Veterans Day and more importantly, thanking them for their service. Working with our Military Veterans is something that we’re extremely passionate about at Menomonee Judo. We’ve partnered with the Chicago Park District since 2010 to offer weekly Judo classes to our local Vets. Those classes take place at McKinley Park every Thursday afternoon. Putting a spotlight on our current members at the club - Howard, Mikki, Chris, Kevin, Jim, Sonia, as well as anyone in your families who have served.

10/29/2025

Happy World Judo Day!!

10/27/2025

Congratulations to everyone who competed at the Cohen Brothers Judo Classic today in Vernon Hills! What a way to start the tournament season. It’s very early on in the Judo year and most of our players have been competing in and focusing on other fall sports, limiting their time on the mat at the club. As always, we’re extremely proud of the effort, sportsmanship and technique that our kids displayed throughout the day. Job well done by the entire team!
4 - Gold Medals (Johnny, Jason, Fox and Zack)
4 - Silver Medals (Jude, John, Jovie and David)
1 - Bronze Medal (Milly)
Thanks to the parents and family members for spending their morning out in Vernon Hills. Also want to thank Cohen Brothers Judo for hosting this fun and worthwhile event. It’s much appreciated!

10/21/2025

While it’s important to live in the moment & also to look towards the future, we must remember our past to understand how we got here. At Menomonee Judo, that history includes the legendary founder of the dojo, Sensei Henry “Hank” Okamura. Sensei Hank, as he was affectionately known to thousands of us, was my first Sensei at Lawson YMCA on Chicago Ave. Lawson was one of a handful of dojos that Sensei Hank ran in & around the city. He literally taught & mentored thousands of students over the decades. Sensei Hank started Judo at the Menomonee Club in the mid 1980’s, partnering with Neal Bader, the club’s new executive director, to bring the Japanese Olympic sport, to neighborhood children. Over the years, under Sensei Hank’s leadership, the club produced Jr National Champions & eventual Senseis, Tony Dangerfield & Danielle Tanimura. A four-time United States National Judo Champion, Sensei earned the rank of 8th dan - at the time, the highest-ranking black belt in the United States, officially awarded by the Kodokan Judo Institute in Tokyo in 1995. Seemed like a good day to introduce you to my Sensei and the reason that Judo at Menomonee exists.

10/16/2025

So good to be back in São Paulo, which feels almost like a second home at this point. The gracious invitation to come work with some of their top Cadets and Juniors came directly from the most decorated Paralympic Judo player of all time and close personal friend, Tenório Silva, four time Paralympic Games Gold medalist (six time medalist). The man is such an inspiration. Although he turns 55 next week, he still trains like the absolute champion that he is. 90 minute sessions of non stop randori, going with people in most cases half or even a third of his age. Tenório is a marvel! Wonderful to see 60 teenage players together on the mat, not for a training camp, clinic or a special event, but because it’s Wednesday. The passion for Judo here is palpable. And just something I noticed, for what it’s worth, not a single player was on their phone once during the entire practice. They were checked in and engaged throughout. As a coach, I loved seeing that. Back on the mat later today.

10/09/2025

Huge congratulations go out to Tommy and Jean Jankowski on their recent promotions to Brown Belt. Tommy and Jean have been training with us, as part of our partnership with the SRALAB, the top ranked rehabilitation facility in the world, since 2010. They’ve shown unbelievable dedication and improvement over the years. We take our promotions extremely serious, so rest assured, these were earned through hard work. Menomonee Judo is the largest Judo club in the United States for people with various disabilities, as we have more than 50 Judoka with visual, physical or intellectual disabilities training with us on a weekly basis. To us, they’re not Judo players with disabilities, they’re just Judo players, as they should be. We’re very proud of you, Tommy and Jean!

10/06/2025

Great and eventful day at the dojo on Saturday! Not only was Gary Trapp promoted to 3rd degree brown belt (everyone can finally stop saying how embarrassingly under promoted he is!), a well deserved honor, but we also had two legendary players from the club back on the mat. 2021 U.S Olympian, Nefeli Papadakis, who got married last month - congratulations, Nefeli! and multiple Junior and Cadet World Team member, Natalija Stanojevic, made a long awaited return to the club! Having the ladies at practice was fantastic! Their presence brought great energy and tons of fond memories. Every practice is important, but this one seemed a bit more special! Welcome back, ladies!

09/30/2025

After many decades of renting space and using folding, multipurpose mats (which we made work like a charm), which had to put down and picked up each and every practice, it’s absolutely glorious to have a permanent, dedicated space with thousands and thousands of square feet and every amenity you need. Last week our new, custom Flexi-Roll mat area was installed and the look and feel is outstanding. This upgraded dojo gives our players an opportunity to take their Judo training to the next level, while taking great pride in being a member of Menomonee Judo. A huge thank you to the Menomonee Club for their continued support, investment and belief in our mission of enriching hundreds of lives each and every week. Come check out our new digs, the Drucker Center Dojo, when you get the chance!

07/06/2025

Members of the Menomonee Judo “Wrecking Crew” (not everyone, but some very important cogs) back in 2018 - 2020. It was fun going into each and every tournament knowing that it was going to be an exciting and ultimately successful endeavor. Easy group to lead, because they took their preparation very seriously and understood the responsibility of representing the club. They authored one of the most successful chapters, honestly, the most successful era, in Menomonee Judo history. Great memories!

07/04/2025

They say it’s rude to point, but there are exceptions, especially when a point is far more than just a point. These moments of adulation and accomplishment from all over the world are as much about the journey, if not more. than the end result. The shared experiences bring us closer and make us all stronger. Pointing since 1997 and hopefully not stopping anytime soon.

Address

1535 N Dayton Street, 60642
Chicago, IL
60614

Website

http://www.wolfjudo.com/

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