Previous Spotlights:

07/2010 Valera Sim earns "Student of the Year". Along with exhibiting great sportsmanship at the 2010 Spartak "Cubs" Tournament, Valera Sim was also awarded a Student of the Year trophy by Spartak Sports Club for his oustanding academic achievements this school year. As part of his reward, Valera will be traveling to Florida to compete in the Juniors US Open championship for free with all expenses paid for by Spartak Sports Club. Congraulations and good job!

06/2010 Congratulations to Sensei Arkadiy Aronov on receiving 7th Dan Judo rank from International Judo Federation (IJF) . A well deserved recognition of 30 years of hard earned experience and great contributions to the art and sport of Judo. While an outstanding athlete and coach himself, Mr. Aronov trained many champions on national, international, and Olympic levels. We also would like to take this opportunity and congratulate coach and national referee Saro Balagezyan on attaining his 3rd Dan Judo rank from IJF. Congratulations!

05/2010 New winners come into the horizon of Spartak’s successes. Robert Tkach won Gold medal in his new -90kg category at Morris Cup 2010. Beautiful Makikomi throws and skillful TaniOtoshi as a counter guaranteed him the First place at this challenging tournament. Daniel Palatnik and Arafat Iminov took Gold showcasing exceptional Judo. Although coming in second place, Eldar Ismayilov, Akbar Iminov, and Valera Sim demonstrated stellar performances as well. Congratulations!

04/2010 Valera Sim returned with Gold medal from 2010 - Liberty Bell Championships. He fought flawlessly securing solid victories in each match. As he wrestled, Valera used the techniques precisely as he learned them back at the dojo making the coaches and the club very proud. Fellow judoka and the coach commented on error free execution of the techniques demonstrated by Valera securing his desired First place. Valra also showed maturity and ability to work closely with the coach while on the mat, which accompanied by wrestling strategy and skills guaranteed a Gold medal. Exhibiting dedication and great desire for the victory Valera proved to be the best at this tough championship. Congratulations!

03/2010 Congratulations to NYAC/Team-Force on the victory at their first annual Spartak Judo Team Cup 2010. As the winning team they took home the Grand Prize of $3000 and will have their name engraved on the perpetual Spartak Cup. We also congratulate JMJC team on getting the Second place and Starrett Judo team for the Third Place. Spartak Sports Club would like to thank all the coaches, athletes, sponsors, and our distinguished panel of referees for their support and participation.

02/2010 Saribek (Saro) Balagezyan joined Spartak Sports Club as a student a decade ago. With the help from the Head Coach Arkadiy Aronov, Saro has been coaching at the club for the last few years. Due to knee and back injuries Saro could not continue competitive judo and decided to get on the mat in a different yet exciting and challenging way. With the help from a mentor, Billy Martin a PJC level referee from New York State Judo Incorporated and the head coach of our club Saro embarked on a challenging journey of becoming a referee. Starting out with a few local tournaments at the end of 2008, Saro recently refereed at one of the Zebra Mats events - Pedro's Challenge. This point tournament was also a referee-testing site where Saro took and passed a test to now be a US National Level Referee. We wish Saro the best of luck and one day may he referee at the Olympics. Congratulations!!!

11/2009 - 01/2010 Spartak Sports Club honors Rena "Rusty" Kanokogi who passed away in November 2009 after a vigilant fight with cancer. Ms. Kanokogi held a seventh-degree black belt in judo, making her the highest-ranking American woman ever in the sport of judo. Kanokogi first started competing in the late 1950s, when women were barred from judo leagues. In disguise, she competed as a member of the all-men's team until she was discovered and disqualified. Soon after, Kanokogi dedicated herself to ensuring that women are able to compete in judo competitions. For her years of commitment, she received the honor of World Pioneer of Women's Judo, which was given to her by the International Judo Federation (IJF) Congress in Japan. In 2007 Kanokogi received the prestigious John Osako Award, which is given to those who have worked continuously to develop their referee skills and contribute unselfishly to the Olympic sport of judo. In memory of Rusty Kanokogi!