Athletically, UCLA ranks among the elite universities in the
country. The men’s basketball team always seems be a national
contender, women’s soccer is quickly coming into its own, and
few, if any, gymnastics teams in the country match UCLA’s
talent.
But UCLA is also quickly making a name for itself as a top sumo
wrestling school, and nowhere will this be more evident than at
this weekend’s 2002 U.S. Sumo Open at Wooden Center’s
Collins Court, where 10-15 UCLA students are expected to compete
with the best athletes in the sport.
“UCLA is really the pioneer here,” said Andrew
Freund, the director of the U.S. Sumo Open and teacher of UCLA
extension classes.
“In Japan, sumo is so huge. UCLA is the first and only
university sumo club in the United States. With all of its
diversity and culture, Los Angeles is the ideal place to hold this
tournament.”
The 2002 Open will feature 200 matches and wrestlers from 20
different countries. It will be the second tournament of its kind
to be held at UCLA, and the organizers ultimately hope the
tournament will make the sport more visible.
“We had a tournament last year that was absolutely
huge,” Freund said. “There’s a martial arts wave
coming from Asia to America. Sumo is just a part of this
wave.”
About 1,000 spectators attended last year, but organizers hope
that up to 2,000 fans will come see Japan’s national pastime.
UCLA’s sumo club, which is fresh off a second place finish at
the North American Sumo Championship in Toronto, isn’t
necessarily in the competition to win, but rather to learn, watch
and gain experience.
“I don’t think I’ll do that well,” said
Victor Doan, who weighs in at 135 pounds, “but I absolutely
love the sport, and it’s just fun to be out there.”
The opening ceremonies begin in Bruin Plaza on Saturday at 12:30
p.m. with the drummers Kyodo Taiko performing. The actual Open
begins on Sunday, when according to Freund, a “130-pound UCLA
student could be facing a 500-pound Bulgarian.”
“People have their stereotypical ideas of what a sumo
wrestler is,” said Doan, a former high school wrestler.
“People need to open their eyes and realize it’s a
sport of agility and technique, and that you really don’t
have to be that big to participate. Our coach, a world champion, is
195 pounds of pure muscle. The best thing is to just to come out
and watch.”