B3

By BRENDA MACMINN
For The Daily Gleaner

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Lukas Nowak of Harvey has been taking judo since he was five years old. And now he's a national bronze medallist.

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The Daily Gleaner/Brenda McMinn

When it comes the sport of judo, Harvey's Lukas Nowak ranks No. 3 in the 60kg and under weight class in Canada. He won the bronze medal at the Judo nationals held recently in Lethbridge, Alta.

"I loved it from the moment I started," said Nowak after earning the bronze medal in the 60kg and under weight class at the Judo Nationals held recently in Lethbridge, Alta.

"It's been 10 years now since I started," said Nowak, a brown belt. "After the first class, I was hooked on it. It was offered at Harvey Elementary School and that's where it started.''

He still attends class in Harvey but has added two Fredericton classes to his busy training and workout schedule.

His classes take a lot of time with two 2-hour classes in Fredericton and one one-and-a-half hour class in Harvey. He has worked his way through the white, yellow, orange, green, blue and brown belts.

To become a black belt in Judo, one has to be 16 which Nowak will be on Saturday. The black belt is on the horizon for Nowak for which he will work through competitions accumulating points and then do the test for the black belt.

During the school year, Nowak, who will attend Grade 11 at Harvey High School in the fall, tries to fit soccer and volleyball into his extra-curricular activities.

"It's sometimes difficult to attend every game with the training schedule for judo but I can mostly fit my training into another night if it conflicts," he said.

Nowak follows in the footsteps of his cousin, Maniel Thibodeau, who was a Canadian champion in judo about six or seven years ago.

Nowak trains with Dave and Shawn McManus, sensai for both the Harvey Judo Club and the Fredericton Judo Club. He assists with the beginners in the Harvey Judo Club and is quick to give the McManus duo credit for his training. "You can't train by yourself," he said.

At the Nationals, Nowak took first place in his first two competitions but lost the third placing him in the bronze category. Gold went to an Alberta competitor and silver was won by a Quebec participant.

Carole LaPointe-Nowak is proud of her son. "He has learned so much. Judo is all about respect," said LaPointe-Nowak. "That's the Japanese way. He has developed a lot of self confidence. It's great for character-building. Even nutrition has to be learned. He has learned a lot about eating properly."

What's his favorite food? "Steak" is the quick reply from Lukas.

"It's a very physical sport," said Nowak. "I just like it a lot. It's about the competitions too where you can go and meet others."

Being ranked in the top three or four in the province earned him a spot at the Nationals, that despite separating a shoulder on April 25. But with physiotherapy, he was able to qualify. He will begin training again in August for the Quebec Open competition in October.