Sean Tachibana, top, and Chaedon Grace-Reyes, of the Hawaii Tenri Judo Club, practiced Wednesday for this weekend's judo competition.
Isle judo family
sacrifices for IraqThe Chows unite
around the sport
In a world of contradictions, the art and sport of judo provide cause and effect.
Judo championship
The United States Judo Federation Junior National Championships happen this weekend in Hawaii.Who: Nearly 1,000 judoka from across the nation
When: Tomorrow, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Blaisdell Arena
Admission: $10
Parking: $4 before 5 p.m., $5 afterward
Robin Chow will watch her judoka compete in the United States Judo Federation Junior National Championships this weekend at Blaisdell Arena while her husband, Greg, stands in a hospital in Baghdad, healing the wounded.
Somehow, it will all make sense. For the Chows and their three children, life's rigorous journey has been sewn together by unity, judo and faith. Their bond became even tighter when Greg, an orthopedic surgeon, was deployed to Iraq on Saturday night.
"Hopefully, he'll be helping soldiers heal," said Robin, whose thoughts are extended over thousands of miles.
"We're not used to being apart for a long time," added oldest child Daniel, 14, "but it's only a few months. He told us he'd come back pretty soon."
Focusing on the junior nationals will certainly test the mettle of the club that Robin and Greg have grown with since coming to the islands in 2001.
Robin and Greg have assisted at Hawaii Tenri Judo Club for three years under sensei Hiroshi Toriyumi. At last year's junior nationals in Boca Raton, Fla., nine Tenri judoka captured gold medals. Two others won silver and bronze medals.
This year, Tenri has 30 judoka entered in the junior nationals, including their nine gold medalists of last year: Taylor Ibera, Whitney Elizaga, Arnold Toriyumi, Bree Rapoza, Chaeden Grace-Reyes, Patrick Sheehan, as well as Daniel and his sisters, Christina and Melinda.
"It should be very interesting. The competition will be good, and a lot of Hawaii kids who normally don't travel to the tournament will be able to compete," Robin said.
Daniel's thoughts will be afar, but he has teammates to look after as well.
"It'll be very new to a lot of them because this is a very big tournament. Local tournaments are a lot smaller," he said, referring to the 900-plus entrants for the event.
Sensei Robin Chow, right, inspected her students Wednesday at the Hawaii Tenri Judo Club as they set up for a group photo for her husband, Greg, who is deployed in the Middle East.
THE FIRST TIME Robin and Greg met, judo was just about all they had in common.Robin Chapman, a Pittsburgh native, was a latecomer to the sport. She started judo at 10, training most of those early years at Kim's Judo Club. National competition, however, did not begin for her until she competed for the University of Pittsburgh.
She moved to New Jersey after graduation and met Greg, a Chinese-American college student, whose tenacity matched her own.
Never mind that Greg had a classic Jersey accent. "He'd probably point out that my Pittsburgh accent was obvious," she said of her first impression. "He was extremely competitive and so am I. He really loved judo and he was very intelligent."
Robin's success took off, and she began winning national tournaments in the 61-kilogram division. And something in the chemistry between Robin and Greg worked.
"He has a good sense of humor, and he loves singing country and western," she said. "It kind of grows on you."
About a year after they met, they went out on their first date. "I'm pretty sure I'm the one who asked first," she said.
They married in 1988 and, after stops in Los Angeles and Lakewood, Colo., arrived in Honolulu in 1997, when Greg had the opportunity to join an orthopedics group.
"We liked it here," Robin recalled.
After years of study and intensive work, the Chows were finally settled, finally home.
AND THEN, as with many other Americans, Sept. 11, 2001, changed everything. In his soul, Greg knew he had to do more.
"After 9/11 he wanted to do something to help, so he signed up with the Army Reserve in spring of 2002," Robin said. Greg served at Tripler Army Medical Hospital, where he also trained residents.
"He wanted to do his part and use his gifts that way."
Then came Iraq.
"At the beginning of this year, we learned he might be deployed," Robin said. "It was a shock for both of us."
Robin and the children, all old enough to comprehend the severity of the situation in Baghdad, have endured.
"We both have a deep faith in God. You have to trust that God will take care of things," Robin said. "We're proud of him."
At First Presbyterian Church in Makiki, support has been overwhelming. "Pastor (Dan) Chun and everyone's been very supportive. They had a blessing for him before he left," Robin said.
"He's doing what he thinks is right," Daniel added. "There's a lot of people who need surgeons."
Greg left for Fort Bliss, Texas, six nights ago. "We miss him a lot. The kids have talked to him on the phone," Robin said.
"It still sounds chaotic there," Robin said. "We'll have to wait and see what happens."
In all, he will be gone four months. A friend of Greg's, Craig Ono, an orthopedic surgeon at Shriners Hospital, recently returned from Iraq, serving four months in all, including three on the ground.
"I told Greg to get ready when I was getting ready," Ono said. "He was next in line. There's such a great need there."
Ono spoke at length with his friend. "I told him to consider this a unique experience. It's not often you get an opportunity to do something like this. In spite of the situation, try to enjoy it as much as you can, although it's harsh," he said.
Ono was sent to a hospital on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was deployed in December and returned in April.
"When I was there, there was a lull," he said. "He'll be busier than I was. He'll be challenged by the type of trauma he'll see, with more explosive-type injuries. It's always different when you see soldiers' injuries. You see the sacrifice a soldier makes."
What helped Ono get through the mad rushes of injuries was his team. "I was fortunate to be with a tremendous group of people. That made it worthwhile," he said.
For doctors in the Reserve, service always beckons.
"I would go back if they called. We're probably going to be there for a while. I know a number of physicians who've gone twice in the past three years," Ono said, referring to Afghanistan.
A MAN'S JOURNEY to serve mankind became a mission to serve his countrymen on 9/11.
"Greg should be applauded. He did not have to join," Ono said. "He has a private practice, a family. He's making a great sacrifice."
There are thousands upon thousands of individuals making that trek to Iraq. They are fortunate if they have the kind of foundation Chow has.
"The best way I can put it is, that's one of the good things about teaching judo. The discipline and training transfer to life, schoolwork and career," Robin said. "Hard work, persistence, responsibilities, sacrificing for a long-term goal. Greg is a role model to the kids in our dojo. He's willing to sacrifice, to put everything on hold to serve his country."
Those were the words, she noted, that Greg shared with his judoka before leaving.
"We want our kids to be givers, not takers. That's what we really want them to learn," she said. "He told them that the freedom we enjoy isn't free, that thousands of families are making the sacrifice for you. It's kind of cliche but it's true."
The example is not lost on Daniel.
"In judo you can't become good overnight. You have to keep working," he said. "If you really want to do something like be a doctor, it takes a long time. You need to persevere."
United States Judo Federation
www.usjf.com
