Maegan Grooten has been rapidly ascending in the Judo world, and will soon be competing in the Cadet World Championships in Bulgaria.

By Tommy Osborne

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Rising Judo star to compete in world championship

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PRINCE GEORGE – Prince George’s martial arts scene continues to produce strong fighters, and the Hart Judo Academy is sending one of its fighters to a world championship. 17-year-old Maegan Grooten is preparing for the Cadet World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria, which marks an incredible milestone for the young judoka.

“I’m very excited. This has been a work in progress for, like, two years now. Two years ago, I sat down with my coach and I was like: ‘some of my friends are going to worlds as well, and I want to go.’ So we’ve slowly been working our way towards it. There’s been some bumps in the road, but we’re there,” she said.

She’s been a judoka for eight years, but the last two have seen significant strides in her journey. It’s been a consistent rise marked by strong showings at notable tournaments, such as winning the Pacific International Tournament, followed by a bronze medal at the Pan-American Tournament in Abbotsford. These experiences have her feeling confident for the upcoming World Championship.

“I’ve had some experience fighting some people from all around the world, and it’s been really cool. But my goal is just to have fun, really,” she said.

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“I’m really excited to meet new people and to fight some different people from around the world, because up until now, I’ve only really fought people from the Pan-America area. So I’m excited to see who I will end up fighting,” she said.

Grooten explained her journey to the World Championship has taken as much mental preparation as physical, saying the mental toughness in any sport is a crucial component to success. Part of the mental preparation is also knowing what you’re going up against, and Grooten says she’s looking forward to seeing what the rest of the world has to offer.

“I know that the Europeans are very physical with their fighting styles. I know that I am better on my technical part, I think, so I think I maybe an advantage. I fought some Europeans before in training camps, so I think I have a good idea of what their fighting style is like,” she said.

The Cadet World Championships will take place from August 27-30 in Sofia, Bulgaria, although Grooten says she plans on arriving in Spain a week prior to the tournament for training.

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