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Karen Whilden

by | May 22, 2024 | Class of 2024, Lifetime Achievement Award

Karen Whilden

© 2024 Roy E Nanjo, all rights reserved

Karen Whilden

Judo Biography

Karen started judo in college in 1970 and has continued practicing judo ever since. Upon returning home from college, she found a wealth of judo in Los Angeles (Nanka) which meant that judo did not stop once finishing college. Karen competed in both shiai and kata for many years before moving to the Washington DC area (Shufu) in 2000, another hub of judo. There she joined Baltimore Judo until it closed at which time she joined Hui-o Judo, later moving to DC Judo. Over the years Karen has studied under such well-known names as Elizabeth Lee, Keiko Fukuda, John Anderson, Edwin Takemori, and Kuniko Takeuchi. Karen currently holds the rank of Rokudan.

Karen Whilden, Kosei Inoue, Fran Vall

Karen Whilden, Kosei Inoue, Fran Vall

© 2024 Roy E Nanjo, all rights reserved

In Nanka she competed in shiai and kata at the local and National level. Karen’s kata partners there included Marlene Baker, Miki Takemori, and Pat Taylor. She continued this tradition in Shufu competing nationally and internationally with Frances Glaze, Peggy Whilden, Diane Jackson, and Terence McPartland. Karen has competed in all seven katas, plus Joshi goshin-ho and kime-shiki, placing Nationally as both an uke and a tori in nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, and Kodokan goshinjutsu; and on both sides of katame-no-kata in Pan Ams. Whereas shiai ended after a dozen years, kata was more available and included not only Nationals, but Miss Fukuda’s tournament, World Masters, PJU/PJCs, and culminating with the first World Kata Championships in Malta where she and Diane represented the USA in ju-no-kata. Karen is a Pan American level kata judge in nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, Kodokan goshinjutsu, and kime-no-kata; and a Class A level kata judge in koshiki-no-kata. She is also a certified kata instructor in all five katas available at Nationals and koshiki-no-kata. Karen has also helped teach many kata clinics, has been the Kata chair for both Nanka and Shufu, is the current Shufu rank registration chair, is on the Shufu Board of examiners and is a member of the USA Judo Kata Committee. She was involved in actively working to move the USA to convert to using the IJF criteria for judging kata starting with being a member of the three-person contingent that went to Italy to learn the IJF criteria. She was a kata judge for the pilot of judging kata electronically using the Smoothcomp system; and spearheaded the pilot of remote kata judging using Smoothcomp as well as testing the downtime procedure.

Competition Record

Shiai – (1974-1987)

  • Senior Nationals – competed 12 times, best result – went 4 rounds
  • US Open – best results – 4th and 5th place.

Kata – (1975-2022)

  • Fukuda Kata Tournament (1989–2012)
    competed 17 times.
    Placed on both sides of nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, KDK goshinjutsu, itsutsu-no-kata, and placed once in koshiki-no-kata (only competed one time)
  • Senior Nationals (1975–2017)
    nage-no-kata:  1st – 12 times, 2nd – 9 times, 3rd – 2 times
    Katame-no-kata:  1st – 5 times, 2nd – 9 times, 3rd – 4 times
    Ju-no-kata: 1st – 3 times, 2nd – 8 times, 3rd – 3 times
    KDK goshinjutsu:  1st – 5 times, 3rd – one time
    Kime-no-kata: 2nd – 1 time (only competed one time)
    Grand Champion:  9 times
    Has placed as Tori and Uki in nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, and KDK goshinjutsu.
  • Pan American Judo Confederation (2001–9)
    Nage-no-kata (tori): 1st – 3 times, 2nd – 3 times, 3rd – one time
    Katame-no-kata (tori): 1st – 2 times, (uke):  1st – 2 times
    Ju-no-kata (tori):  1st – 3 times, 2nd – one time
    Has placed as both a tori and an uke in katame-no-kata
  • World Team Member in 2009 – ju-no-kata (tori)

Karen Whilden in the 2009 World Kata Team photo

Karen Whilden in the World Kata Team photo

© 2024 Karen Whilden, all rights reserved

Other competitions

  • World Masters, Tokyo:  katame-no-kata (tori) 1st, ju-no-kata (tori) competed.
  • Pan Am Masters, Canada:  nage-no-kata (tori) 1st
                    katame-no-kata (uke) 1st
                   KDK goshinjutsu (uke) 1st
  • 1st Kodokan Judo Kata International Tour: katame-no-kata (uke) competed.
  • 4th Cuban Sport Olympiad:  nage-no-kata (tori) 1st
  • Competed locally in Joshi goshin-ho and kime-shiki

Karen teaching a Kata clinic

Karen teaching a Kata clinic

© 2024Roy E Nanjo, all rights reserved

Karen and Terence McPartland performing ju-no-kata

Karen and Terence McPartland performing ju-no-kata

© 2024, Roy E Nanjo, all rights reserved

Certifications

  • Kata Instructor Certifications:
    Class A – nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, kime-no-kata, koshiki-no-kata.
    Class B – Kodokan goshinjutsu
  • Kata Judge Certification:
    PJC – nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, kime-no-kata, KDK goshinjutsu

Judo Instructor

  1. Moscow Dojo – assistant (Northwestern Yudanshakai)
  2. University of Idaho – Physical Education class (Northwestern Yudanshakai)
  3. Iowa State Judo instructor – assistant (Midwestern Yudanshakai)
  4. Sawtelle Dojo (Nanka Yudanshakai)
  5. Baltimore Judo (Shufu Yudanshakai)
  6. Hui-O Judo (Shufu Yudanshakai)
  7. DC Judo (Shufu Yudanshakai)
  8. Coached Kata teams going to the PJC and World Championships – nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, and kime-no-kata.
  9. Coached Kata teams going to Nationals and other tournaments in nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, kime-no-kata, KDK goshinjutsu, koshiki-no-kata, and itsutsu-no-kata.
  10. Head clinician (or assistant clinician) in nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, KDK goshinjutsu, kime-no-kata, koshiki-no-kata and itsutsu-no-kata.

Awards/Service

  1. AAU Outstanding Women’s Judo player (1974–1975)
  2. B level certification in nage-no-kata and katame-no-kata – Kodokan 1st Part Summer Camp.
  3. Technical Staff at tables for Senior Nationals
  4. Clinician for Kata clinics – nage-no-kata, katame-no-kata, ju-no-kata, KDK goshinjutsu, kime-no-kata, itsutsu-no-kata and koshiki-no-kata
  5. Pan American level judge in all 5 katas
  6. In 2021, inducted in the Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame.
  7. Part of the US contingent of 3 to Italy to learn IJF criteria for scoring kata. Have continued to be instrumental in its implementation.
  8. Participant in testing judging kata electronically (using IJF criteria)
  9. Headed pilot testing judging kata remotely, including testing the downtime backup.
  10. Piloted remote judging for promotion in Shufu.
  11. Asked by USJF to present a lecture on how to fill out the Form 20 to Yudanshakais as a training tool.

Karen and Fran Vall receiving Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame

Karen Whilden and Fran Vall receiving Philadelphia Historic Martial Arts Society Hall of Fame

© 2024, Karen Whilden, all rights reserved

Karen and Peggy Whilden performing katame-no-kata

Karen and Peggy Whilden performing katame-no-kata

© 2024, Karen Whilden, all rights reserved

Offices Held

  1. Iowa State Judo Club -– Secretary/Treasurer
  2. West Valley Judo Dojo (Nanka Yudanshakai) – Registration Chair
  3. Nanka Yudanshakai – Kata Chair
  4. Shufu Yudanshakai – member of Shufu Board of Examiners (2000 – present)
  5. Shufu Yudanshakai – Kata Chair (2000–13)
  6. Shufu Yudanshakai – Rank Registration Chair (2018 – present)
  7. USA Judo – Kata Committee (2016 – present)

Karen and her husband, Richard Whilden working at the tables at a Judo event

Karen and her husband, Richard Whilden working at the tables at a Judo event

© 2024, Roy E Nanjo, all rights reserved