Dojo Puts Up Strong Performance at 2025 Iowa State Championship
Left to Right, Top Row - Jae, Swede, Liv, Jacob, Rachel, Logan, Ember, Boli. Bottom Row - Sensei Chaye Thompson, Sensei Leo Rodriguez
The 2025 Iowa State Championship was held on Sunday, November 9th, rather than on its usual Saturday, due to the seminar led by Megumi Sensei being held at the tournament venue on Saturday. Despite the unusual timing, the tournament had a strong turnout of 77 competitors, of which 8 were adults from the Des Moines Judo Academy. The day saw our dojo represented by veteran competitors like Jaehyeok Choi (yonkyu/green belt), Olivia McBee (sankyu/brown belt) and Jacob van Cleaf (yonkyu/green belt). It was also the first outing for the newly promoted Joseph Swedenhjelm (rokyu/yellow belt) and a mainstay of our sister school, Squared BJJ of Grinnell, whose been granted rank through the Des Moines Judo Academy under Sensei Leo Rodriguez, Bolívar Aponte Rolón (rokyu/yellow belt). Rachel Salisbury (rokyu/ yellow belt) also made it on the mat for her second shiai or “competition,” determined to put the lesson’s from her experience in Minnesota, as well as her recent training, to good use. The team was supported by several members of our dojo, and coached by Sensei’s Leo Rodriguez and Chaye Thompson.
Left to Right - Alayna Gushin, Liv, Rachel
Olivia (“Liv”), and Rachel faced off against each other and Alayna Gushin of Teikiatsu Judo in the Senior Women’s Medium Division. Rachel lost to Alayna, but won against Liv by scoring two waza-ari (a half-point score, awarded for pinning an opponent for at least 10, but fewer than 20, seconds, or a throw that fails to score an ippon) using sasae tsurikomi ashi to obtain waza-ari awasete ippon (lit. “two half-points make a full point”), securing a bronze medal and marking her first tournament win. The match between the two was exciting, taking multiple bouts with several falls failing to score points and prolonged periods of groundwork. Despite being defeated by Rachel, Liv rallied and went on to beat Alayna by scoring ippon (a full point score which instantly ends a match, awarded for pinning an opponent for 20 seconds, or throwing an opponent so they land on their back with force, speed, and control) with drop seoi-nage (shoulder throw), a move she’s been cultivating for at least the past two months. Although the throw initially appeared to not be working, Liv roused her inner bushi (warrior) and continued to drive forward until her opponent was first disbalanced, then fallen, securing her the gold and the fastest ippon in the women division, and second fastest ippon by a woman all day, at 15 seconds.
Left to Right - Garret Cox, Swede, Jacob
Joseph Swedenhjelm (“Swede”) fought in division two of the Senior Men’s Novice Heavy, which was split into two divisions due to an unprecedented 7 qualifying men showing for competition. Division two consisted of Swede, Jacob van Cleaf, and Garret Cox of Quad City Judo & Fitness. Swede took the gold, defeating both his rival competitors with a ko-uchi-gari to o-soto-gari combo he learned in Thursday evening classes from Sensei Leo, taking out Garret Cox in 15 seconds, and Jacob in 14 seconds. Jacob van Cleaf managed to hold out against Garret Cox for 1 minute and 8 seconds, before learning a valuable lesson about fighting until you hear sore-made or “finished” (the call the indicates the match is concluded and all fighting has ceased) and being pinned, gaining him the bronze medal.
Bolivar (“Boli”) had a gold banner day, sweeping both division one of the Senior Men’s Novice Heavy and the Men’s Masters 30-45 Heavy, each by ippon with a magnificent harai-goshi in approximately 16 to 40 seconds, with only two matches standing out. The Men’s Masters was best two out of three against Cory Cooper of Sempai Judo Academy, with the Boli’s second win being by walkover due to Cory being injured in an earlier match. The other standout was against our own Jaehyeok Choi (“Jae”), a long time successful competitor who also managed to dominate everyone else in his division. The match between the two took 2 minutes and 17 seconds, falling just 43 seconds short of going the full 3 minute period, but was ultimately Boli’s victory to claim, leaving Jae with an amazing story and a well earned silver medal.
A bracket redistribution saw Jacob van Cleaf moved to the Master’s Men Over 45 Heavy, to fight Michael Keller Jr. of Wahadachi Judo Club to attempt to retain the master’s champion title, which he had been training with an eye towards since last year’s championship. Jacob was able to win the first match by pin using mune-gatame in one minute and forty seconds, securing his first victory via osae-komi (hold down/pin). According to Sensei Leo Rodriguez, Jacob “fought great and showed lots of growth and resilience,” with the second and third matches being close and taking fifty-three seconds and one minute and forty-seven seconds respectively. Unfortunately Jacob was unable to secure a second victory and gave up the title. However, when asked by his son if it intended to focus with the same intensity to win it back next year, Jacob replied “can’t stop, won’t stop, don’t even know how to stop.”
OFFICER RANKS UP
From left to right - Conner Essery, Sensei Suhr, Jake Kane
On October 8th, 2025, Connor Essery, an officer with the Des Moines Police Department, earned his first promotion, becoming gokyu and receiving his yellow belt. Connor came to judo from a background in Brazillian Jujitsu, where he is a third stripe white belt (equivalent to a judo green belt in their ability with newaza). Connor’s interest in understanding the roots and origins of BJJ, and in developing his upright game, led him to begin studying Judo.
Connor has been rapidly improving his upright game, particularly with his favorite throw, O-Soto-Gari. That being said, his ground game still exceeds his upright, with his favorite submission being sankaku-jime. Conner most frequently attends Monday and Wednesday classes, staying late to to attend the fundamentals classes as well.
Off the mat, Conner engages in horseback riding and spending time with his wife.
Eager Giant Earns Promotion
From Left to Right - Karsten Lappe, Sensei Suhr
Karsten Lappe stands out not only in our dojo, but everywhere he goes due to his extreme height and boisterous personality. For those were present when he first came to our dojo, Karsten has long stood out for his drive and intensity; while many new students gas themselves out in their first training sessions, Karsten worked so hard he upset his stomach. While he has tempered his eagerness, his drive has never diminished. This fire has kept him on the practice mat, and carried him all the way to the gold in his first competition earlier this year, which he attended as a yellow belt.
On or about June 23rd, 2025, Karsten tested for, and earned, the rank of “Gokyu,” and the right to wear an orange belt. This promotion comes after approximately six months of study from his rank test.
When he first got on the mat at our dojo, Karsten called heavily on his past wrestling experience and preferred familiar attacks like O-Uchi-Gari. However, like many judoka, he soon became enamored with Uchi-Mata, which he has been working on since he was a white belt. Lately, he’s also been seen to demonstrate both familiarity and a refined level of control with O-Soto-Gari.
Congratulations to this dojo member. We look forward to seeing him develop further in the future.
Graduate Student Judoka ends Absence with Promotion!
Left to Right - Sensei Formaro, Jaehyeok, Sensei Suhr
One of the constants in Judo is diversity. From the numerous variations on each technique, to the variations in strategy and style, to the judoka themselves, practicing judo is an exploration of diversity. Despite that, it’s often easy to forget that diversity also manifest in each person’s path of progression.
Jaehyeok’s (Jae for short) journey with judo has been eccentric. He first came to the Des Moines Judo Academy in early 2024, progressing through “gokyu” or orange belt. Unfortunately, at that time Jae’s situation led him to returning to school for graduate studies at ISU. While he was fortunate to be able to practice with the ISU judo club, Jae chose to continue to attend classes at our dojo, and delay promotion until he could do so at his home dojo. While this choice may have delayed his promotion, it finally came on Monday, June 9th, 2025, when he was promoted to “yonkyu” or green belt.
Jae has been a frequent competitor, representing and claiming medals across the Midwest since his earliest competitions. He favors a highly mobile style of play and high collar grips, often using foot sweeps to set up uchi-mata, harai-goshi, or o-soto-gari. Jae prefers to avoid newaza if possible, relying on his throws to seize victory. Outside of judo and his studies, Jae is a fitness enthusiast with an (over-)fondness for neck exercises, a love of parties and a taste for fine alcohol.
Jae is a true example of the adage “all that wander are not lost,” and we’re glad to see that, although his journey has taken him on a more meandering path, he is still progressing and moving forward. Congratulations!
Far Travelling Pair Promoted Together
From Right to Left - Sensei Pohl, Ian Schaff, Jon Milliedge, Sensei Hilleshiem
Ian and Jon, regulars at Saturday open mats, have taken the next step on their journey into the Way of Gentleness, by being promoted to “gokyu” or orange belt. The duo normally spend several hours every Saturday developing their skills from approximately 9:30 AM until the open mat host is done the day or events demand they yield (usually around 12:40 PM), so they can work master what they learn training with each other during weekday. On May 3rd, 2025, they chose to forego training to instead demonstrate what they’ve learned in the pursuit of recognition of their hard won skills. Testing was overseen by Sensei Hilleshiem and Sensei Pohl, who determined the two passed muster, while a few stragglers looked on.
Ian, a student of jujitsu, bujinkan, and kali-silat in addition to Judo. As to be expected his “newaza” or “ground fighting” (the portion of combat that takes place after one or more of the combatants has fallen to the ground) is more developed than his “nage waza” or throwing techniques, he not only demonstrated competence with the required number of throws, but demonstrated an affinity for tai-otoshi, o-goshi, and uchi-mata. When not training, Ian enjoys tabletop roleplaying games, making mead, hunting, and spending time with his beloved dog.
Jon, a judoka with an MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) and wrestling background, who also cross trains in jujitsu and bujinkan, has a more robust standing game of the pair, despite Ian having a better flare for technical details. Jon also posses boundless positivity and enthusiasm, which makes long training sessions go by and the blink of an eye. While his foot sweeps won him gold and silver in the Governor’s Cup earlier this year, and even earned praise from Sensei Parkhill, Jon chose to instead show off his o-soto-gari, ippon seoi-nage, and tani-otoshi, all of which he’s been drilling endlessly since March. When off the mat, Jon spends most of his time with his family, being married and a father.
Kids Kick Butt at 2025 Governor’s Cup
Des Moines Judo kids with Sensei Hanssen
On March 15th of 2025, nearly an hour before the adult competition, Sensei Ryan Hanssen led a squad of five (5) young Judoka from our children’s judo program as they took to the mat for the honor of our dojo and personal glory. Jayce and Brayden Hanssen, Cillian Nizzi, Brogan Lindsey, and Aurora Wright all took to the mat in their respective divisions to demonstrate the skill and athleticism developed through long hours of training, and test their mettle against the best competitors they could find.
While each competitor’s matches were action packed and worthy of review, this author would only expound upon each competitor’s best performance for his loyal audience.
Brayden and Cillian each rapidly defeated the third competitor in their bracket and met one another in a heated match to determine who would take gold or have to settle for silver. Brayden tried his best to bring his opponent down with Hanssen family’s signature Koshi-Guruma, but Cillian presented a competent defense each time, hipping in and posturing up. On offense Cillian demonstrated a far more mobile style of judo, using circular motion to disbalance his opponent to create openings for Uchi-Mata and O-Soto-Gari. Unfortunately for Cillian, Brayden, being a seasoned competitor was able to meet and overcome this tactic through strategic us of grips and defensive posturing. After a reset by the referee, both combatants switched tactics, opting for a brief exchange of foot sweeps, with Cillian bringing Brayden to the ground for a non-scoring Tai-Otoshi. The two continued in this fashion for a short while longer before Cillian was finally able to catch Brayden off-guard with a will timed Uchi-Mata for victory by Ippon. The two fought well.
Aurora’s determination and aggression allowed her to take a bronze medal in her division, with her most exciting match being against Isabella from Sempai Judo Academy. Both girls came out guns blazing, charging one another to immediately grip up and throw a flurry of O-Soto-Gari at one another. While Aurora was the first to fall in her match, immediately escaping her opponent’s attempt at Kesa-Gatame, she was quick to follow up with an O-Soto-Otoshi, scoring a yuko, and to capitalize on her success by using Kesa-Gatame herself. The next bout yielded a solid Waza-Ari for Aurora off O-Soto-Gari, prompting her opponent’s team of coachs to prompt Isabella to make a drastic change in tactics. After another hard fought bout with no score, Aurora and Isabella clashed again, with Isabella disbalancing Aurora mid-attack, knocking them both over. In the mad scramble for position, Isabella was able to out scurry Aurora and secure a firm pin via Kesa-Gatame, which she maintained long enough for Ippon. While Aurora might not have won this match, which lasted over three minutes, she was in the lead when the final bout began, had maintained a lead for most of the match, and fought hard to the bitter end. Aurora should take pride in her accomplishment and in that it took her competitor benefitting from the combined experience of Sempai’s extended coaching staff to overcome her.
On his path to silver medal, Brogan faced off against Luca from Teikiatsu Judo, in a match lasting only fifteen (15) seconds. Luca assumed an aggressive and forward stance from the onset of the match, immediately charging to grip up with Brogan. Rather than meeting Luca’s charge directly, as many of our other junior competitor’s would have, Brogan embraced the teaching of “Seiryoku Zenyo” or “maximum efficiency",” shifting to the side and out of Luca’s path as he attempted O-Goshi. Luca stopped his forward charge in time to spin Brogan in almost a complete circle, which Brogan responded to by shifting neatly into Harai-Goshi followed by Kesa-Gatame on the ground. The pin was unnecessary, as the throw’s satisfying “thawp” told both the referee and the crowd Brogan has scored an Ippon.
Lastly, Jayce got to meet his rival, Asher Bruner, in the most recent in a long line of contests between the two. The most recent match was a furious affair, both upright and on the ground, ranging across the entirety of the tatami. The first bought ended with Jayce up a Waza-Ari from De-Ashi-Barai, with the follow up on the ground resulting in no further score. The second bout, in which both competitors were making textbook demonstrations of the down then up method of kuzushi, saw Asher tie the score using Uchi-Mata, with neither judoka able to score on the ground as follow up. After two bouts with the young judoka’s duel ranging to the edges of the mat and yielding no score, the rivals clashed a final time. Jayce managed to get his lapel hand around Asher’s neck and began to drag him into the Hanssen’s signature Koshi-Guruma. As the two spun with Jayce creeping his hips into position to reap his final score, Asher, familiar with the familial technique from prior encounters, shouldered into Jayce and threw out a leg, brining Jayce to the ground with Tani-Otoshi for Ippon. Jayce took home a well earned silver medal, and this author looks forward to seeing what Jayce brings to overcome his rival when next they meet.
Honor and glory to our young competitors! We all look forward to great things from you in the future!
Rokkyu Duo Clean Up at 2025 Governor’s Cup
From Left to Right - Kasten Lappe, Jon Milledge, Ian Schaff
On March 15th, 2025, two yellow belts or “rokkyu” from the Des Moines Judo Academy made their competitive debut at the Iowa Governor’s Cup Tournament, which was hosted by Teikiatsu Judo in Ames, Iowa. Adult competitor turnout was a sharp decline from 2024, during which sensei and academy founder Bret Parkhill made his final regular appearance coaching. Despite adult participation being thinned by scheduling and recent injuries, Karsten Lappe and Jon Milledge made up for quantity with quality.
Karsten, is a young man of 22 years of age who attends most, if not all, weekday classes at our dojo and occasional Saturday open mats. Standing 6’7”, Karsten fought in the 220lbs+ senior men’s open rank, winning both his matches against the green belt, or “yonkyu,” Brent Shipley from Sempai Judo. Karsten’s first match was won by application of the “renraku waza'“ (combination technique; when two or more attacks are made in sequence) Uchi-Mata, followed by O-Soto-Gari, earning an “Ippon” (full point, which wins a match). His second match was won by scorring Ippon via “Osae Komi” (pin), a varient of Yoko-Shiho-Gatame (commonly referred to as side control in jujitsu), after taking his opponent to the ground without scoring, securing the gold medal for his division. A southpaw, Karsten is known in our club for his explosive strength, preference for extremely high collar grips, and his love of Uchi-Mata, which he’s striven to improve since he first arrived at the Des Moines Judo Academy.
Jon Milledge, a man of 35 who stands at approximately 5’8”, fought in both the senior men’s middle weight novice, and the senior men’s 161lbs & Under open rank divisions. Jon, an mma fighter in the process of winding down his mma career, is one of a pair of far travelling Judoka who consistently grace our dojo at Saturday open mats and the occasional Thursday class. Jon fought five total matches between the two divisions. While Jon lost his first match by throw for Ippon, he went on to only have one more loss for the day, by submission while attempting to pass guard. Jon’s extensive drilling of “ashi waza” (leg/foot techniques), particularly foot sweeps, showed, as he scored “Waza Ari” (half point, two of which are required to win a match) by both Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi, and De Ashi Barai. While he did win one additional match by submission, the highlight of the adult competition of this tournament was an Ippon scored using Nidan Ko-Soto-Gari as a counter to Uchi-Mata, further demonstrating Jon’s ashi waza dominance. Sensei Parkhill, reviewing a video of the match, commented that the counter was “a thing of beauty!” Jon took gold in the open rank, and silver in the novice.
Despite being the only adult judoka to take to the mat or “tatami” to represent our Academy at this tournament, they were not alone. Ian, Jon’s long time training partner and travelling companion, was also present to give his support despite being wounded. Jon’s family was also present to cheer him on, and were enthusiastic, if frequently confused. The three are seen together in the cover photo for this entry, celebrating their victory.