Judo Throws Highlight Paralympic Sports Day at Walsh Elementary

The children of Walsh Elementary School witnessed a judo demonstration complete with flying feet and pounding mats May 7 as part of Paralympic Sports Day in the fourth day of Olympic Week activities.

Judo Olympian Ryan Reser and Judo Paralympian Myles Porter provided a thrilling exhibition and even hurled Principal Krish Mohip through the air for good measure, much to the delight of the students. Mohip was unhurt.

 "We're pretty sports oriented here, we feel that sports are just as important as the education and we know that healthy minds lead to healthy bodies and vice versa," Mohip said. "So we welcome the Olympics and the opportunity for them to have Olympic Week and get the kids understanding the Olympic and Paralympic Games."

Walsh Elementary welcomes athletes with open arms. In February, the school hosted Kobe Bryant as part of a contest that allowed children to design a pair of sneakers for him.

For Mohip, Olympic Week provided a new kind of teaching moment. "Each class learned about a different country. We did our little parade. They had artifacts from each country, they learned all about the Olympic Star; they did arts and crafts about the Olympics'" he said.

 "It was a good experience for these kids," said fifth-grade teacher Ashley Oshita, "a lot of them don't have the exposure to sports such as judo. So it was a really good opportunity for them to see that there is more than just basketball, soccer and baseball in the Olympics."

The world-class athletes who came to visit were just as excited as the kids.

"An event like this is amazing for schools especially in Chicago which is vying for the 2016 Games," Porter said. "These kids are our future. They'll be as old as me when 2016 comes around."

Reser also has his eye on 2016. Reser plans to retire after 2012-unless the Olympic and Paralympic Games come to Chicago. He will be 36 in 2016. "It's not out of reach," he said, referring to the fact that judo athletes tend to reach their peak in their late 20s through their early 30s. "We're super excited and we hope that it is in Chicago.

For the kids at Walsh, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are right now. "Tomorrow we'll be doing a World Cup Soccer Tournament," Mohip said, "if it rains we'll be playing basketball."