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1715 E.
Poinsettia St., Long Beach, CA 90805 | Tel. (562) 428-3831 |
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Current
issue December '07 |
October '07 |
August '07 |
June '07 |
April '07 |
February '07 |
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Rikishi |
No. |
YOKOZUNA
(#) |
No. / Y |
|
Akinoshima |
16 |
Taiho
(48) |
28/58 |
|
Takamiyama |
12 |
Kitanoumi
(55) |
52/62 |
|
TOSANOUMI |
11 |
Chiyonofuji
(58) |
29/53 |
|
TOCHINONADA |
11 |
Akebono
(64) |
35/39 |
|
Takatoriki |
9 |
Takanohana
(65) |
37/36 |
|
Kotonowaka |
8 |
Musashimaru
(67) |
21/19 |
|
Kotonishiki |
8 |
ASASHORYU
(68) |
18/25 |
|
TAMAKASUGA |
7 |
|
|
|
KAIO |
6 |
|
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DEJIMA |
6 |
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[back to top] [back to Sumo Shimpo home]
|
Division |
Rank |
Shikona |
Heya |
Rec. |
|
Makushita |
17-E |
HOSHIHIKARI
(Mongolia) |
Hakkaku |
7-0 |
|
Sandanme |
36-E |
KYOZAN |
Oguruma |
7-0 |
|
Jonidan |
8-E |
TOCHIHIRYU |
Kasugano |
7-0 |
|
Jonokuchi |
33-E |
ARAN
(Russia) |
Mihogaseki |
7-0 |
[back to top] [back to
Sumo Shimpo home]
(updated after Haru
2007)
|
Rikishi (Top Rank) |
MD
Basho |
MD
Wins |
Wins/ |
|
Chiyonofuji
(Y58) |
81
|
807
|
9.96
|
|
Kitanoumi
(Y55) |
78
|
804
|
10.31
|
|
Taiho (Y48) |
69
|
746
|
10.81
|
|
Musashimaru
(Y67)* |
73
|
706
|
9.67
|
|
Takanohana
(Y65) |
71
|
701
|
9.87
|
|
KAIO (O) |
82
|
687
|
8.38
|
|
Takamiyama
(S)* |
97
|
683
|
7.04
|
|
Konishiki
(O)* |
81
|
649
|
8.01
|
|
Takanonami (O) |
75
|
647
|
8.63
|
|
Akinoshima
(S) |
91
|
647
|
7.11
|
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Terao
(S) |
93
|
626
|
6.73
|
|
Wajima (Y54) |
62
|
620
|
10.00
|
|
Kotonowaka (S) |
90
|
608
|
6.76
|
|
|
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* Non-Japanese
The
ASASHORYU Watch
(updated after Haru
2007)
|
Rikishi (Top Rank) |
MD
Basho |
MD
Wins |
Wins/ |
|
ASASHORYU (Y68) |
38
|
442
|
11.63
|
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IF
YOU REALLY LOVE SUMO, AND WANT TO STAY CLOSE TO IT FOR MANY YEARS TO
COME…
MAKE THE COMMITMENT!!
Become
a United States Sumo Federation LIFE MEMBER
A one-time
tax-deductible donation of $200.00 eliminates your worries about annual
USSF dues FOR LIFE. If
you compete in USSF-sanctioned amateur sumo events for ten years or more,
a Life Membership will pay for itself.
It also shows you are very serious about the sport, and is a
definite ‘resume enhancer’ if you decide to seek office in the USSF or
any other amateur sports body.
SHUNBUN 2007: No Mongolian Spice, But Some Great Stories
Report
by “Yukikaze” for SUMO SHIMPO
To
be really honest, SHUNBUN 2006 was going to be a very hard act to follow:
There was only a slim chance (at best) that we would have anywhere
near the same number of competitors for the 2007 version.
When Troy Collins announced he would not be coming, the chances of
having any Mongolian sumotori joining us became slimmer still. The Oceanside Sumo Kyokai, which had made such a strong
showing the previous year, was represented solely by Michelle Pike and new
recruits Lindsey Hood and Jimmy Calas.
Golden State Sumo’s Doug Cochran brought Steve Moore, a former
high school/college football player, as well as his own children Sawyer
and Shannon. Dan Kalbfleisch
and Bradley Sutton carried the California Sumo Association colors.
Southern California Sumo Kyokai members Kurt Rightmyer, Art Morrow
and Mike Simpson drove in with kids Cory, Judy and Steve respectively, to
take part with SCSK founders Hiroshi Matsuzaki and this correspondent. Juvenile
males Brandon Freel (Goltz) and Zachary Clark (SCSK) filled out the lists.
The
field may have been smaller than last year, but the fighting spirit was
there in abundance. It was a
great outing for the Cochran children:
son Sawyer won a best-two-of-three against Cory Rightmyer, while
daughter Shannon’s hard work paid off with victory over Judy Morrow.
The big boys’ division saw rookie sumotori and judo student
Zachary Clark take the gold medal in surprising fashion, with Steve
Simpson taking the silver and Brandon Freel the bronze.
With
Trent Sabo and Jason Gilbert not present, the men’s lightweights came
down to a best-two-of-three between Art Morrow and Hiroshi Matsuzaki.
Our most-esteemed patron and research editor fought very hard, but
the coach from Palm Desert won out for the top honors.
There was no Masters’ competition this time out.
Only
two women came to the “DoD” to compete – but did they ever!
Michelle Pike had her hands more than full with football player/powerlifter/rookie
sumotori Lindsey Hood, who had driven up from San Diego to try her hand at
this. In probably the most inspiring story to come out of this
tournament, Lindsey won out in the best-two-of-three match battle
–despite the minor handicap of an artificial leg.
(Why should Heather Mills have all the fun on Dancing
With the Stars? – Ed.)
The
middleweights were (in the opinion of this correspondent, anyway) the most
exciting competition in this year’s edition.
Kurt, Doug, Brad and Jimmy threw themselves headlong into a
round-robin bursting with energy. When
all the official bouts were done, a three-way tie at 2-1 existed between
Brad, Doug and Jimmy. It then
went to a playoff, where the first man who could win two bouts in
succession would get the gold medal.
When the dust and salt finally settled, Jimmy had the top honors
with Doug holding the silver and Brad the bronze.
The middleweight medal presentation was done right afterwards –
because Jimmy, a newly-ordained minister, had to head back home to perform
a wedding! This action helps
make the case that amateur sumotori are better-conditioned athletes than
the professionals. In his
remarks after the tournament, organizer and referee Harry “Tonkatsu”
Dudrow stated that, in the future, round robins would be used to seed a
bracket for the finals.
2006
California Amateur Sumotori of the Year Dan Kalbfleisch claimed he would
be under the 253-pound middleweight threshold for the US Sumo Open in
April. (He did make it, with
good results: see article in
this issue – Ed.). But for
SHUNBUN he was still in the heavyweight category along with rookie
sumotori Steve Moore, Mike Simpson and this writer.
Unlike the middles, the four-man round robin yielded a clear 1-2-3
finish: Dan, Steve, and Mike.
These three, with Brad joining in, formed the field for the Open
competition. And once again,
the round robin action resulted in an unambiguous result:
Dan, Steve, and Brad.
Dan
now has four medals (all gold) for the 2007 season.
Jimmy and Steve both established strong chops for SUMO SHIMPO’s
Rookie-of-the-Year honors, while Lindsey has a ‘leg up’ (no offense
intended – Ed.) on being named Female Sumotori of the Year.
Full tournament results are located elsewhere on this page.
Together
with its autumnal counterpart, SHUNBUN represents sumo in its natural
state, on natural surface under the open sky.
It is here, however, that a somber event must be reported.
A large Brazilian pepper tree (also known as the ‘monkey
puzzle’ tree) had been in the backyard of what would eventually be
called “Meade Station” when Lorinda’s family moved into the house in
the mid-50’s. Over the
years it had grown to provide a large section of shade in that
otherwise-open yard. And many
sumo fans had utilized that shade when they came to the “Dohyo of
Dreams” for tournaments. Sadly,
they will no longer be able to hide from the sun under those tangled
branches: the fierce winds
that came through the area the week after SHUNBUN pushed the tree over,
ripping its roots from the ground. In
pace requiescat!
[back to
top] [back to Sumo Shimpo home]
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<< HEATHER WHO??… Rookie sumotori Lindsey Hood (in blue singlet) did not let her minor handicap get in the way, as she overpowered Michelle Pike for the gold medal in Women’s Open action at SHUNBUN 2007 on the “Dohyo of Dreams” in Garden Grove, CA. (Photo: “Yukikaze”) |