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Rejuvenated Jenkins back in the game

Glace Bay athlete is a member of Nova Scotia judo team

JEREMY FRASER SALTWIRE NETWORK jeremy.fraser@cbpost.com @Cbpost_jeremy

“I like winning and when it happens it feels really good and I hope I can have the success I want in P.E.I.” Mitchell Jenkins Nova Scotia judo athlete from Glace Bay

There isn’t an athlete who can say they haven’t had ups and downs in their career – Mitchell Jenkins is no different. From starting training at a young age to competing against some of the best in Atlantic Canada and even losing interest, Jenkins has been through it all in his 12-year judo career.

Introduced to the sport by his father Wayne Jenkins, owner of Tora-kai Judo, the Glace Bay product began training when he was four years old at the Glace Bay club.

Over the years, Jenkin’s passion for the sport remained high. He continued to train on a regular basis and found himself competing in various competitions and having success.

As the years went on and his friends, who once loved the sport as much as him, began to lose interest, there came a time when Jenkins himself thought about the possibility of leaving the sport.

However, after a two-year break from judo caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenkins returned to the mat with fire in his belly to once again be the best athlete he could be in the sport.

“It was hard during the pandemic because we didn’t have training partners to keep skills at a certain level and all my friends were quitting and finding other interests, I was really the lone guy left,” said Jenkins.

“When the restrictions began to loosen, and we were able to get back training, I realized the opportunities ahead of me in the sport and that’s when the passion came back.”

The desire to return to his normal athletic self couldn’t have come at a better time. He went on to compete in several events including tournaments in Boston and New Brunswick and also competed in his first national event in Quebec in 2021.

While the results in the win column may not have been what he had hoped to receive, Jenkins used the competitions as experience and as a way to improve his skills.

“I think the experience really opened my eyes and sparked an interest knowing what opportunities were there for me in the sport of judo,” said Jenkins. “The experience also allowed me to make new friends, some of whom I’m still in close contact with today.”

In 2021, Jenkins was invited to attend an Elite 8 competition for the top fighters in the country for his age group in Edmonton. Unfortunately, the event was cancelled due to the

pandemic.

Jenkins’ dedication and commitment

to being better each time he stepped on the mat for training and competition caught the attention of the coaches for the province’s judo team for the Canada Winter Games.

In mid-december, Jenkins, who was the junior male athlete of the year for judo in 2021, was named to the provincial team and will compete in the minus-55 kg division at the Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island in early March.

He is joined on the Canada Games men's team by Bryce Chapman, Tristan Singh, Gibson Deveau, Hunter Annis and Evan Ginn. The team is coached by Jason Scott.

The women's team features Abi Unglaub, Katherine Brown, Chloe Fahie, Naomy St-hilaire, Abigail Smith, Kandice Verge. Vanessa Mccarron is the coach and Angee Leblanc is the manager.

“It’s going to seem surreal to fight some of the best judo athletes in the country for my age group at the Canada Winter Games,” said Jenkins, noting he’s proud of his accomplishment but knows the work isn’t done yet.

“I like winning and when it happens it feels really good and I hope I can have the success I want in P.E.I.”

With the Canada Winter Games taking place six hours away from Cape Breton, it also provides an opportunity for Jenkins to fight in front of family and friends including his father Wayne.

“Usually the event isn’t as close as it is and we end up watching it on television but to be able to go to his competition and support him it’s going to be special,” said Wayne Jenkins. “I don’t know if that’s more pressure on him or not but everyone is looking forward to this competition.”

The Canada Winter Games will run from Feb. 18 to March 5 and will feature 20 different sports. Judo will be part of the second half of the event.

Jenkins’ division is scheduled to begin on March 1 with the preliminary bout slated for 10 a.m. at the P.E.I. Convention Centre in Charlottetown. The semifinals and medal rounds will be later in the day.

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2023-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

2023-01-28T08:00:00.0000000Z

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