Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: News

Media Credit: John Dale - THE BATTALION Aggie Dan Gomez (right) stands with the manager of Ozona Bar and Grill, Donnie Roberts. Ozona is sponsoring Gomez for his trip to Las Vegas, Nev. to compete in the qualifying tournament to be a part of the 2008 Olympic Judo team. [Click to enlarge]

Two Aggies may be selected to compete for the U.S. Olympic Judo Team. Daniel Gomez and Jackie Perez will be going to the U.S. Olympic Judo trials June 13 and 14 where the Olympic team will be selected. Gomez was one of eight competitors in his weight division to be selected to the trials. Perez qualified after another competitor suffered an injury.

Daniel Gomez, class of 2004 and assistant coach of the Texas A&M Judo Team, has been practicing judo since he was 8 years old when his dad enrolled him in judo as "just another sport." Since then, Gomez has received several awards. In 2001, he was inducted into the U.S. Judo Association Hall of Fame and in 2002 he was named an outstanding member of the A&M Judo Team.

Jackie Perez, class of 2001, was interested in judo as a freshman at A&M. She was intrigued by the grappling and competition she saw during a demonstration by the team, as well as judo's potential use in self-defense.

"What kept me in judo was the camaraderie of the team," she said. "We're recognized as one of the top teams in the nation even though we're a sport club and not a varsity team."

Perez was named National Collegiate Champion in 1997 and 1998 and National Ladder Champion in 1999. She also attended the World Collegiate Championships in Prague in 1998 and placed third at the Benito Juarez international tournament in Mexico. Perez has taken some time off from judo to raise her children, but said she still practices with the A&M team when she gets the chance.

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