Three Swift Current Judo Club athletes and one of its coaches will represent Judo Saskatchewan next month at the 2025 Open Nationals Judo Championships.
Talon Moen, Eliot Perrault, and Blake Rempel will be flanked by coach Nancy Filteau from May 15-18 at Calgary's Olympic Oval.
Filteau, the head instructor with the Swift Current Judo Club, said she will be there to help and encourage Moen, Perrault, and Rempel as they battle against the best judo talent from across the country.
"They're young, up-and-comers, they're training hard, and I'm hoping for great results for them," she said. "I'm pretty excited for them, and I'm excited to be going along as a coach."
Filteau has coached and participated in nationals several times, winning six national titles in her judo career, two as a cadet competitor and four as a senior. She also placed ninth at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, and said her message to her athletes is simple: trust your training and process when in big moments.
"I think sometimes people get caught up in this guy did this or this guy medaled here, I think you have to remember everyone's beatable," she said. "It's much easier being the underdog than being the top dog. I've been in that top dog position, and I find it more stressful because you have everybody coming after you to beat you and claim your title."
Moen will compete in the U16 66 kilogram category and the Ne-waza 66 kilogram class, Perrault will take to the mat in the U16 and U18 55 kilogram classes, and Rempel will compete in the U16 46 kilogram category and the U18 50 kilogram category.