For his 90th birthday, there was nowhere else Bob Griechen wanted to be other than on the mats at Kokoro Judo 100 Mile House.
Griechen is one of the club’s senseis, a sixth-degree black belt, training adults and children alike in the unarmed Japanese martial art. He’s been practising the sport for seven decades now, a fact even he finds surprising. On Monday, Jan. 26, the day after his birthday, he was out on the mats spending time with his students.
“I told them last year, towards the end of the year, look next year on the 25th of January, I’ll be 90, and I want to be on the mat teaching. They all said ‘alright, we’ll be here, sensei,” Griechen chuckled. “It’s just amazing when I think about it. No, it can’t be that many years, you’re not going to be 90, but here we are.”
For Griechen, his journey with judo started by chance one day in 1955. At the time, Griechen was studying to become part of the Ground Observer Corps, a civilian organization that served as the eyes and ears of the Royal Canadian Air Force. He would later join the Canadian Armed Forces for 31 years and serve a tour with NATO.
One day, while he was working out at the YMCA, a man approached him and told him he was trying to get someone to try judo. Griechen, then a young man of around 19, agreed to give it a try.
“There was a gentleman in Toronto running a number of franchised clubs, Frank Hatashita. He watched me work and do certain things,” Griechen said, noting he joined Hatashita’s club and his lifelong relationship with judo began there.
“I loved it. It was an art form where you learned how to move in balance. The movements are challenging and technical but it covers the whole realm of physical activity; self-defence, recreation, and fitness. It’s a really good sport.”
Throughout his three decades with the armed forces, Griechen, whether he was stationed in Canada, Syracuse, New York or West Germany, would join an existing club or found his own judo club to practice his chosen martial art. He noted he loved competing and kept practising after he retired and settled down in Winfield, B.C., where he lived for 30 years.
In 2010, Griechen said Winfield began to feel too crowded, so he decided to move up to the South Cariboo, noting he used to visit the area on vacations. He settled down on a 20-acre property on Bridge Lake, where he could ride his horses and for a time, judo took a back seat.
Two years later, however, Griechen realized that 100 Mile House had a judo club in the form of Kokoro Judo. Visiting the dojo, Griechen offered his experience and soon became one of its senseis. He noted that over the last few years, he’s been happy to help the club grow under the leadership of Sensei Ian Briggs.
“Our club has grown and is doing really, really well. The individual running the club, Ian Briggs, is doing a great job, and he’s got great people. We’ve developed our club into the best membership in the province, per capita. The club needed my experience, and we’ve come a long way.”
For Griechen, the most rewarding part of still practising judo at his age is teaching. He enjoys watching the change judo promotes in his students, especially the confidence it inspires in more timid or non-aggressive people.
“I’m happy when I’m on the mat teaching. We’re doing well, and it’s very rewarding.”
Griechen said that one aspect of judo that many come to appreciate is the family atmosphere that develops between members of the club. He explained that when you’re practising throwing each other around, doing arm locks or chokeholds, you place a lot of trust in your partners. That trust breeds an easy camaraderie amongst judoka, with Griechen remarking the two axioms of judo are “mutual benefit and wellfare” and “maximum efficiency with minimum effort.”
When asked what he thinks the secret to his longevity is, both in terms of judo and his physical health, Griechen said it’s all about sticking with it. He noted that as people age, they often fall into ‘old age syndrome’ where they believe they can only do so much.
“I have just kept myself in good shape, and I attribute that kind of commitment to better health and longevity,” Griechen remarked. “I’m hoping I can keep the same schedule (going forward) and continue to help the club and be there when they need my advice and help. And be with my horses and my partner.”