Cadence Morris (left) and Graham Pryschlak (right) both brought home medals from the Saskatchewan Open.

By Tommy Osborne

Judo

Prince George athletes bring back multiple medals in cross-Canada tournament

Feb 5, 2026 | 5:36 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – The Hart Judo Academy has seen great success in recent years, ranging from provincial, national, and even international wins. In fact, one of its judokas, Carla Van Zyl, is currently training with former Olympians in Montreal and winning multiple gold medals in international tournaments. It’s the type of success that the Academy hopes its students can reach even once leaving its doors, and some of its younger fighters had the chance to prove what they’re made of at the Saskatchewan Open in late-January.

The Saskatchewan Open hosted around 500 athletes from across the country, and the Hart Judo Academy saw several of its young fighters bring home medals.

“It felt nice to achieve something that I’ve been working for, and it felt nice to come home with something that I’ve been working towards,” said Shane Grooten, who won gold in the U16 under 66kg category.

“When I was about to fight, it was for bronze or not getting placed at all, so it was stressful but when I was on the podium it felt good,” added Cadence Morris, bronze medalist in U16 under 63 kg.

Public Art

New mural for the Conference and Civic Centre

10m ago

Voices & Culture Summit is more than a conference its creates a place of belonging in the North

2h ago

Expo

4th annual Northern RV & Outdoor Expo underway at CN Centre

2h ago

It’s certainly a confidence builder for these young fighters to prove they can compete and excel in these large competitions, and tournaments like the Saskatchewan Open can also set the stage for even biggest competitions down the road.

“The Saskatchewan Open is part of the Judo Canada Tournament Tour, so kids can get points nationally, and for the U18 cadets it works for the Cadet World Championship selection,” explained Bruce Kamstra, owner of the Hart Judo Academy.

“At their age, it’s all about development and getting more and more matches in. The more matches they get in, the more experience they get, the better they’re going to get it. We can solve more problems, and really, the success is all about just solving all the problems that they’re encountering in competition,” he continued.

It was a great learning opportunity for these fighters, and some of them also competed in the U18 tournaments. While U18 obviously posed a higher level of fighting and a bigger challenge than U16, it was still a valuable chance to learn some new techniques and grow as a fighter.

“I gained a look at what I think it’s like in the higher level of judo, because you’re fighting people with more experience than most U16. They’re probably a bit older, they’ve been doing it for longer, and they’re a higher skill level,” said Graham Pryschlak, U16 Silver Medalist and U18 Bronze Medalist for plus 73 kg.

“It felt good to get some experience and learn from these things and learn how to counter certain things and just learn new techniques and stuff. and see what I have to work on for when I do U18 next year,” Grooten added.

The Academy will waste no time getting back into action, as it will be sending multiple fighters to Provincials in Abbotsford this weekend.