By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – Shirley Reagan, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been doing Judo for years, and she recently hit a milestone in the sport she loves. She has received certification as a USA Judo National Referee and can officiate any national tournament in the United States.
“Now, I’m certified – one of 35 women in the United States,” said Reagan, who holds a black belt in Judo. “At the National level in the United States, there’s 266 men, so it’s growing with the women. When I started, I could remember two women refereeing at that level.”
Shirley Reagan, an elder of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has received certification as a USA Judo National Referee and can officiate any national tournament in the United States. She is shown prior to a Judo class at the Don “Kool-Aid” Queen Gym in Wayohi (Wolftown) in Cherokee, N.C. on the evening of Wednesday, Feb. 18. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photo)
She started in the sport years ago with the Yellowhill Judo Club.
“I had competed 10 years because I was a little older when I started. Then I started refereeing regional tournaments all around and I really liked it. I never did try for the National referee stuff because I didn’t have enough confidence in myself. So, I was going to turn 70 in December and I thought, ‘well, if I’m ever going to try, I’m going to do it’.”
She added, “I had to take an online exam…and had to score so high on it. It’s 50 questions chosen out of 200 and you have to know Judo to know the stuff. So, I passed that and I had to pick a points tournament to be evaluated. So, I picked the Dallas Open, which the referees I know said, ‘no, don’t do that one. It’s the biggest one’. I thought, ‘well, if I can do the biggest one, I can make it’. There were 1,200 competitors and I had three evaluators and I passed it.”
Reagan has really taken to being a referee. “I really enjoyed it. I was selected to referee the youth Nationals in Wichita, Kan. next month. Hopefully, I’ll get to referee the Junior Olympics.”
Reagan is very active in the sport as an instructor as well helping out at classes in both Wayohi (Wolftown) and Soki (Waynesville, N.C.).
“It’s a martial art, but it’s also an Olympic sport. The rules are really controlled. There’s throws that you learn that you can do, but they’re not allowed in competition because they’re highly likely to injure somebody. I like that it’s regulated like that. I just love it. I loved it from the time I started. All three of my kids made black belts. I’m a black belt. My brother and his two sons earned their black belts. Now I’ve got five grandkids coming up doing it.”
She said it helps keep her active after retirement.
When asked what advice she would give to someone starting out in Judo, Reagan said, “I would tell them that if they’re not starting out as a child, they need to be a little patient, but you will get there if you just keep working at it.
You don’t have to compete, if that’s not your bag, because it is a martial art and you can just learn the sport.”
Reagan said that Judo is a sport that is for all ages. “It’s something you can do your whole life. It doesn’t end when high school ends.”
