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Finding joy in judo

Judoka's time, talent benefit St. Boniface club

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Many Canadian boys bond with their fathers over hockey, but Pierre Plourde bonded with his father over judo.

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Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2021 (1717 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Many Canadian boys bond with their fathers over hockey, but Pierre Plourde bonded with his father over judo.

Plourde’s father was serving as a peacekeeper with the Canadian military in southeast Asia in the early 1950s when he encountered judo and started learning the sport. In the mid-’60s, when Plourde was six and the family was living on a military base in New Brunswick, his father started taking him to classes at their local judo club.

Today, Plourde is an accomplished judoka, the Japanese word for practitioners of the sport. The 63-year-old Wolseley resident holds a black belt, the highest belt ranking in Canada — not bad for someone who isn’t exactly a natural at the sport.

Supplied
Pierre Plourde, 63, an accomplished judoka, holds a black belt.
Supplied Pierre Plourde, 63, an accomplished judoka, holds a black belt.

“I was never felt to be aggressive enough,” Plourde said. “That was the main criticism my senseis had of me: I needed more of a fighter instinct. Sometimes I wonder why I kept it up, other than my dad brought me, so it was something I could do with my dad.”

When he isn’t working as a medical officer of health with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and professor at the University of Manitoba, Plourde volunteers as manager of the Saint Boniface Judo Club. He has been involved with the club since 1995, and was formerly one of its coaches.

Judo was created in Japan in 1882 by Jigoro Kano. Inspired by his training in jujutsu, Kano aimed to create a sport that men and women could practise together for health and well-being. Judo means “the gentle way.”

To that end, Plourde enjoys being involved with the Saint Boniface Judo Club because it welcomes both judokas who are interested in reaching elite levels of competition as well as non-competitive judokas who are pursuing the sport purely for its health benefits.

In addition to his involvement at the club, Plourde has volunteered with both Judo Manitoba and Judo Canada. In the last year, Plourde used his expertise in infectious diseases and advised the latter organization on its return to sport protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plourde reviewed what Judo Canada had produced and offered his insights as a specialist, judoka and sensei to the organization’s CEO, Nicholas Gill.

Gill praised Plourde’s volunteer involvement in a recent news release.

“Rather unknown to Canadian judo before spring 2020, his unexpected involvement made us discover a judoka who perfectly represents the values of judo: modesty, sincerity, politeness and respect!” Gill said. “His contribution and his expertise have allowed us to offer our members top quality protocols which have subsequently enabled a safe resumption of judo across the country.”

In addition to his involvement in judo, Plourde has an extensive history of volunteering in Haiti. Prior to the pandemic, he visited the country every year since 2004, teaching Haitian nursing and medical students practical ways to do community medicine with limited resources.

The married father of two sits on a few boards, and he recently returned from Split Lake, Man., where he led a canoe trip for Indigenous youth.

Like his passion for judo, Plourde credits his father with his interest in volunteering.

“My dad was big into giving back to the community and volunteering,” Plourde said. “I knew him mostly as a coach, as a fundraiser, as just a community organizer. He was very well respected, well known, well liked, very gregarious, and I probably got that bug from him in terms of sort of giving back to the community.”

If you know a special volunteer, please contact aaron.epp@gmail.com.

Aaron Epp

Aaron Epp
Reporter

Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. Read more about Aaron.

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