Zoey Gallant, of the Mabou Judo Club, was a silver medalist at the Eastern Canadian Judo championships in Edmundston, N.B., on the weekend.
-by Bill Dunphy
There must be something in that Judique water.
Zoey Gallant, who lives in Judique and is a member of the Mabou Judo Club, brought home a silver medal from the Eastern Canadian Judo championships held in Edmundston, New Brunswick, on the weekend.
Not since Judique’s two-time Olympian, Amy Cotton, began her judo career 40 years ago at the tender age of six has a judoka from that community showed such promise.
Gallant was the sole member of the Mabou Judo Club to attend the tournament. Fighting in the U18 under-70kg division, she defeated her first opponent, Mckenna Proulx-Olson, by ippon in a match that lasted two minutes, one second.
In the gold medal match, blue belt Florence Morin, of St. Hyacinthe, Que., put a choke hold on Gallant and she had to tap-out in the match that lasted 1:59.
There were over 230 judokas at the tournament, including 130 U18 females.
Dwayne Beaton, who is the sensei of the club along with Cotton’s first coach John Angus Campbell, said Gallant was amazing considering she had to fight heavier opponents.
“This was her first time fighting with chokes and arm bars, her first time in the green belt, and up a division, just missing her weight which forced her to compete in a heavier weight division,” he explained.
“Despite all of this, and fighting in one of Canada’s premier judo events, she was able to battle her way to a silver medal performance!”
Gallant said she enjoyed the experience.
“Usually, when I’m training, I fight people my size or bigger. It’s good to fight people over my size because you get stronger for it,” she said.
Gallant, who is 16 and in grade 11 at Dalbrae Academy, said she was in grade nine when she first tried judo.
“I didn’t really know what it was when I first went to the club. But once I tried it I said I’m sticking with it,” she said.
“I like how we don’t do the same thing at every judo practice. Dwayne and John Angus show us different stuff like ground work, standing, and different types of moves.”
An all-round student athlete at Dalbrae, Gallant also takes strength and conditioning sessions with The South’s Steven Graham.
“He’s very straightforward and has helped me a lot in getting stronger,” she said.
Gallant said her long-term goal is to represent Nova Scotia at the Canada Winter Games in Quebec in 2027.
In the meantime, she will attend a meet in Bedford the first week in May and then it’s off to Nationals in Calgary later in the month, hopefully with her friend and training partner Aidan MacIsaac, who broke his foot earlier this year.
Zoey is the daughter of Jenn and Curtis Gallant. Curtis used to drive Amy Cotton to her judo practices but flying to Calgary with Zoey might be a better idea.
Good luck in all your future endeavors Zoey!