Moore than expected

When USA Judo nominated Scott Moore for the Paralympic Coach of the Year award in November, Moore didn’t think he had a chance. After all, he was in his first year as a head coach with USA Judo.

“I never gave it another thought,” Moore said. “I was just honored to be nominated.”

So when he was traveling to Turkey for the World Championships in March and a USA Judo media relations staffer asked whether Moore had heard from the U.S. Olympic Committee, the coach’s first thought was that he was in trouble.

“What’s the news?” he wondered. “Have I been replaced?”

Not quite.

The USOC had selected Moore as the 2009 Paralympic Coach of the Year.

“I was honestly just shocked,’’ said Moore, who will receive his award at the National Coaching Educators’ Conference later this week in Savannah, Ga. “I never dreamed this would happen. This is not why I do it.

“I am very proud, very honored, that the people above me say I am doing a good job. It speaks a lot to the program and the staff of USA Judo.”

For someone who had never participated in judo until college, Moore has made quite a career out of the sport. Moore had always been a wrestler. After competing in wrestling in high school, he intended to walk on at Louisiana State University. However, when LSU cancelled its wrestling program, he decided to look elsewhere for college.

While in college and looking for a combat sport fix, a friend introduced him to Judo. Moore first competed in the sport at the University of Southwestern Louisiana. Judo’s physical aspect was something that Moore was familiar with and enjoyed from wrestling. He quickly became what he calls a “judo bum.”

“After a week and a half, I got into it and learned how to fall and not get hurt,” Moore said. “I was very aggressive and cocky from wrestling, and no one from the white belt class could handle me. I thought I was hot stuff, and I’d beat most of them on the ground.”

Moore, who is visually impaired, was the only person from the visually impaired class to come back to practice with the sighted class. He still credits his coaches from his youth in teaching him the technique and mentality that made him a standout right away in judo.

“I wasn’t afraid to get roughed up or dirty with my wrestling mentality,” Moore said.

After graduating with a degree in physical education, Moore embarked on a judo career that has made him one of the most successful U.S. Paralympic judo athletes ever. His accomplishments include a gold medal at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games in the men’s 73-kilogram class, and bronze medals at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games and Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. Additionally, Moore won a gold and earned two bronze medals at the International Blind Sport Federation World Championships, as well as a gold medal at the 2005 Pan American Masters Championships.

Moore briefly retired after the 2004 Paralympic Games, but he was talked back into competing. After not earning a medal at the 2006 World Championships in France, it was his performance at the Pan American Games in 2007 that made him finally retire.

“I didn’t qualify,’’ Moore said. “I lost to a guy who was half my age. I wasn’t training at the same level I was used to.”

It was then that Moore inquired with the U.S. team leader about coaching. Moore had been serving as the head coach at the Denver Judo Club since 1998. The timing of the move from competing to coaching could not have been better. The U.S. coaching staff had just been shuffled, and there was an opening for an assistant coach.

“I said I should have stayed retired because I didn’t do well, and I didn’t just want to be a tourist; I wanted to compete,” Moore said. “But if I hadn’t done that, it wouldn’t have happened. The timing was just right, and I was very fortunate to have the opportunity.”

Moore served as an assistant at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, in which a young U.S. team earned just one medal — a bronze from Greg DeWall in the heavyweight division.

The transition from competing into coaching hasn’t always been easy for Moore. He admits he misses the rush from competition at times.

“I don’t miss the training or the injuries,” Moore said with a chuckle. “But I miss being part of the team. When you are the athlete, you are the show.”

Moore coached the USA Judo team that won 17 medals at the 2009 International Blind Sports Association Pan American Games. He also coached the team at the World Championships in Turkey in March.

As a coach, Moore says his responsibility is to not be the center of attention but rather to prepare the athletes and put them in the best position to win. Communication is paramount during training and matches, and Moore can understand the emotions that go through the athletes in the middle of matches.

“I didn’t listen to my coaches during the games,” Moore acknowledges.

When he was competing, Moore’s only duty was to prepare himself. As a coach, he is responsible for the performances of more than a dozen athletes in any one competition.

“As a coach, you don’t want to be responsible for someone losing,” he said. “My biggest fear is saying the wrong thing and being responsible for one of them missing the podium.”

In addition to Moore’s responsibilities with USA Judo, Moore also works as a Web developer for the University of Colorado Denver, and he still runs Denver Judo Club. Moore said USA Judo and his other employers have been gracious about his many responsibilities.

“It really helps,” Moore said. “My boss even takes judo (lessons) from me.”

After a full day of work, Moore holds classes three nights a week at the club, and on the weekends he is busy with competitions and more classes. The club is a family affair. His wife, Heidi, an accomplished judo athlete herself, co-runs it. Even his 6-year old son, Jordan, is a judo trainee.

Moore’s position with USA Judo is not paid, but the perks of the position include traveling around the world with the team to places such as Turkey and China.

A diehard New Orleans Saints fan, Moore always will have a special link between his favorite NFL team and his USOC honor: He met Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Drew Brees in the airport on the day he was informed he had won the Paralympic coaching award.

Little did Brees know he was in such good company.

Story courtesy Red Line Editorial, Inc. Justin O’Neil is a freelance contributor for teamusa.org. This story was not subject to the approval of any National Governing Bodies.