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Two-Time Olympic Metalist Jimmy Pedro named 2010 Senior World Team Coach

Nicole Jomantas April 30, 2010

(Colorado Springs, Colo.) – USA Judo is pleased to announce that two-time Olympic medalist Jimmy Pedro (Methuen, Mass.) will be the head coach of the 32-athlete team that will compete at the Senior World Championships, Sept. 9-13 in Tokyo, Japan.

“I am honored to be chosen as the USA Judo World Team Coach again,” said Pedro who led his first Senior World Team in 2009. “Five years ago, the Director of Athlete Performance, Ed Liddie, and I created the U23 Program to help groom the next generation of USA Judo champions. Now, five years later, a majority of those young athletes are preparing to qualify for this year’s World Team, so I have a very good working relationship with all of them.” Pedro most recently served as the head coach of the U.S. team that won 11 medals at the Pan American Championships in El Salvador earlier this month where he was joined by team manager Chris Skelley (Paterson, N.J.) Skelley will return to this role at the Senior World Championships as well. “Jimmy coached at the Pan Ams for the first time a few weeks ago and did an outstanding job working all of the team members,” said USA Judo Director of Athlete Performance Eddie Liddie (Colorado Springs, Colo.) “Jimmy always brings a level of professionalism to every project we’ve worked on together and I’m looking forward to having him back as our World Team coach.” The Senior World Championships will be one of the first major qualifying tournaments for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In a first, the International Judo Federation is allowing each nation to enter a maximum of two athletes per weight division, increasing both the size and difficulty of this prestigious event. “We will have many young, hungry and talented athletes on our World Team who have been competing very well internationally,” Pedro said. “We will need them all to be well prepared for this year's Worlds which I expect to be one of the toughest ever as countries will be able to send two athletes per category. Ed and I have put together a schedule of international events and camps that we believe will challenge our athletes and make them better prepared for the Worlds.” In his new role, Pedro will coach the team not just in Japan, but also in a series of training camps and World Tour events – all of which also allow athletes to earn points towards Olympic qualification. The training schedule for the World Team is as follows:

May 22-23 Brazil Grand Slam (Rio de Janeiro)

May 24-27 Brazil Training Camp (Rio de Janeiro)

May 28-29 Sao Paulo World Cup

June 18-20 Venezuela World Cup (Isla de Margarita)

June 21-23 Venezuela Training Camp (Isla de Margarita)

June 25-27 El Salvador World Cup (San Salvador)

July / August TBD Two to three weeks of European training

August 2-6 World Team Training CampWakefield, Mass.

August 27-28 USA World CupMiami, Fla.

ADCC World Championships Chooses ZEBRA
as Official Mat Sponsor

Partnership Provides High Quality Mats for Submission Fighting Competitions

MAPLE GROVE, MN - August 5, 2009 - Zebra will be the official mat sponsor for the Abu Dhabi Combat Club (ADCC) Submission Fighting World Championships, a no-gi, invitation-only event to be held in Barcelona, Spain later this year. To qualify for this competition, ADCC is having eight different trials on various continents around the world and inviting last year's champions and a few select wildcards. Substantial cash prizes are offered to competitors who place in the top three and weight classes for women and men will be contested.

Marko Leisten, President of the ADCC Federation is excited about the partnership. "Zebra produces the finest quality mats and their support means that our athletes will get to experience the difference that the smooth vinyl MMA mats offer," he commented. "I have been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for more than 10 years and have had the opportunity to practice on a variety of surfaces. Zebra mats are excellent and will make our event better."

Athletes from various disciplines including Judo, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Sambo, Greco-Roman and other forms of wrestling, compete in submission fighting tournaments. The ADCC World Championships, however, is considered the toughest and most prestigious event in its category.

"The ADCC World Championships has historically used canvas covered wrestling mats. I know the athletes will enjoy competing on our MMA mats as this surface is specifically designed for submission wrestling," commented Jimmy Pedro, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Zebra. "Not only will the mats provide a more even and consistent surface to move on, they are safer as well."

Zebra is also sponsoring a series of regional qualifying events in the U.S. called the ADCC Regional Championships. These competitions enable athletes to compete for a spot at the ADCC National Championships where winners will be sent to the ADCC Worlds.

The ADCC Regional Championships are strongly focused on delivering an excellent event and competition experience for its clients--the athletes. "We are really working to raise the level of professionalism in our sport and that's one of the main reasons we turned to Zebra," stated Event Director Brett Boyce.

In addition to high level regional competition, each Regional Championships will provide a free seminar for athletes. At the upcoming competition in West Orange, NJ, champion grappler Marcelo Garcia will be teaching. And to ensure athletes don't have to wait around all day to compete, the events are organized so that participants will know when their matches will be contested. "We want our competitors to experience the best mats, the best facilities, and excellent competition at affordable prices," commented Mr. Boyce.

Mr. Boyce noted that after each Regional Championship, the competition mats will be on sale at significantly discounted prices. At the New Jersey event, Zebra has also donated a 10 ft. x 10 ft. home mat system that will be raffled and all proceeds given to a grappler or charity in the local area.

About ADCC World Championships

The ADCC World Championships is an invitation-only event which takes place every two years to determine the best no-gi grapplers in the world. Sixteen competitors in each of five weight classes for men and two weight classes for women plus the absolutes will be invited. It is considered to be the most difficult submission fighting event on the globe. This year's competition will take place in Barcelona, Spain on September 26-27. For more information, contact Marko Leisten via e-mail at: Marko.Leisten@pp.inet.fi or visit the website: http://adccbarcelona.com/about.

About ADCC Regional Championships

The ADCC Regional Championships are a series of submission grappling events that will be held this year in: Houston, TX; Las Vegas, NV; Grand Rapids, MI; Seattle, WA; Sacramento, CA; Denver, CO; and NJ. For more information, contact Brett Boyce at via e-mail at: Brett.Boyce@adccregionals.com or visit the website: http://www.adccregionals.com.

About Zebra Mats

Founded in 1997, Zebra Mats offers comprehensive training facility solutions and world class flooring systems to the striking arts and grappling martial art industries. Focused on quality craftsmanship and an extensive product line, Zebra is the first company to market premium mat systems for all martial art disciplines. The company is headquartered in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

More information is available by calling: (800) 989-8085 or by visiting: http://www.zebramats.com.

Archive News Articles:

2009 -
August 5: ADCC World Championships Chooses ZEBRA as Official Mat Sponsor
March 23: Zebra Partners with WCF
January 4:Zebra Mats Offers Comprehensive Martial Arts Training Facility Solutions

2008 -
May 22:Zebra Mats Offers New Business Opportunities for Entrepreneurial Martial Artists

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