NUMA proving judo is for everybody
Judo can be for everybody and Nova United Martial Arts is proof of that. Founder Jason Scott started teaching his friends in 2000, rolling out mats in a warehouse. The club has expanded since, moving into its present location in 2019. NUMA is rolling out new programs for members, one for youth newcomers to Canada (typically ages 5 to 16) and another for women, with the goals of inclusion and integration working hand in hand alongside enhancing well-being and health through physical activity.
Judo Canada began the Judo4All Program in 2022, targeting clubs with coaches who have immigrant backgrounds. Fifteen clubs are participating, with NUMA one of two from Nova Scotia included. Funding was provided from the Government of Canada’s Community Sport for All initiative sport support program, which seeks to remove barriers and increase participation levels for underrepresented groups.
NUMA has also introduced the program at area mosques for those from the growing local Muslim community who may be interested in participating.
“One of the barriers is obviously language,” said Scott. “So lucky enough we have multiple coaches and athletes who speak a lot of languages, and one of the biggest ones we have is Arabic. One of my coaches is from Egypt and she’s been able to help break that language barrier.
“We also have a high-performance athlete from Ukraine who has really been helpful with making people feel more comfortable and welcome. We also work with ISANS (Immigrant Services of Nova Scotia) trying to introduce the program to those who are new to Canada.”
Scott noted that within the mosque, they found a woman who was involved in a national program on women in sports.
“We talked about starting a judo program for women and she helped develop it through the mosque,” said Scott. “So that’s when we realized there was a need for this and we expanded it.
“And now we’re finding that not only are our female athletes helping teach judo to other females, they’re learning how to coach as they grow into our judo world.”
As well as accommodating those with diverse backgrounds, NUMA has a place for those who seek to participate at recreational as well as competitive levels.
“We have a high-performance area for anyone who wants to feed into that,” said Scott. “But we also have a recreational side for those who are just in it for exercise and self-defence.”
The high-performance area has yielded some impressive results. In November, NUMA members Abigail Smith and Oleksander Kaplin competed at the Pan-American Junior Cup in Montreal against an international field. Smith earned a silver medal and Kaplin took home a bronze.
In February, NUMA sent two athletes to a tournament in Denmark that had more than 1,000 entrants. Muhammad Turajev and Smith competed in under-18 and under-21 divisions, with Turajev winning two bronze and Smith adding a bronze.
Scott has had as many as 100 participants for these programs. He’s now running three programs with about 60 people. He pointed out that these programs play a role in helping to integrate newcomers to Canada into the community.
“We’re not only teaching them judo,” said Scott. “If they need help with something basic like finding a nearby grocery store where they live or just making friends or anything like that, we’re there to help out.”
More information on the programs can be found at teamnuma.com.