From the very beginning, Mikey Mutz has understood the true meaning of the sport of Judo. “At our dojo, we take Professor Jigoro Kano’s principal of mutual welfare and benefit to heart. It’s our responsibility to give back to our community as a sign of gratitude for all the opportunities that Judo has given us.”, explained Mikey, a 16 year old member of the Menomonee Judo Club - USA Judo Paralympic National Training Site in Chicago. Last year Mikey competed at the Cadet World Championships in Santiago, Chile and the Junior Pan American Championships in Cancun, Mexico.
For the past seven years, Mikey has been volunteering to help teach Paralympic and Adaptive Judo classes. Every Saturday, he travels around the city with his coaches, Brett Wolf and Scott Goldstein, to mentor at three classes that are specifically geared towards different populations. If you include his 6:00am gym workout and his own two hour Judo class, it makes for a long and jam packed day! “I’m always tired at the end of Saturday, but it’s well worth it. I’m happy to be able to help teach and mentor so many athletes on a weekly basis. It’s my goal to help them enjoy the sport of Judo as much as I do.”, said Mutz.
The first class takes place on the northwest side of the city at a Chicago Park District location, an organization that Menomonee Judo has a ten year relationship with. The participants are adults with intellectual disabilities, who are part of the Park District’s huge Special Olympics program. “It’s a great group. We’ve been working with them for more than eight years now. They really love doing Judo and their skills have improved so much over the years.”, stated Brett Wolf, the head instructor at Menomonee Judo.
At the conclusion of the 90 minute class, Mikey, Brett and Scott jump in the car and begin the 45 minute trek south to a class that takes place at a park right next to Guaranteed Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox. The participants for this class are athletes with visual impairment or physical disabilities. “This particular group includes some of our competitive, Paralympic players. They compete on Team USA at major International tournaments. We work hard and get a lot done during this class.”, declared Mikey.
After grabbing a very quick lunch, the trio heads off to the Menomonee Judo Club on the near north side of Chicago. There they meet their teammates, which include more of Menomonee Judo’s competitive, Paralympic players. “In many ways the Saturday afternoon group is our most advanced. We have multiple Cadet and Junior World Team members and countless National and International medalists. It’s a two hour grind, but everyone loves it.”, explained Sensei Wolf, who’s been the head instructor at Menomonee Judo since 1998.
Immediately following the elite training session, the Caring for Kids group from the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab make their way into the dojo. This group of athletes includes children with various physical disabilities. They range in age from 7-18. Mikey is joined by some of his other elite Junior judoka teammates to mentor the class. “We have a fantastic time with the Caring for Kids players. They bring so much positive energy to the dojo. The class flies by each week.”, proclaimed Mutz.
After helping put the mats away, his day filled with Judo is complete. All told, Mikey and the Menomonee staff work with well over 50 athletes each Saturday. It’s something that the members of the club take great pride in. “Regardless of how many World and Pan Am Teams Mikey makes in the coming years and I happen to think he’s just scrapped the surface as far as his competitive potential, this will be his lasting legacy in the sport. In a day and age where so many kids are fixated on video games and their phones, here’s a kid who literally begs to help in any way possible and do what amounts to basically eight hours of Judo every Saturday. I couldn’t be more proud and honored to be someone’s coach. Mikey’s a special person.”, articulated Brett.