Deafblind teen selected for England judo squad
29 November 2011
Gainsborough teen, Jack Hodgson, age 15, has been selected to be part of the England judo squad following a series of wins at national and international competitions.
He also recently won a runner-up award in the Lincolnshire Sports Awards and appeared on ITV Calendar Yorkshire evening news.
Jack, who has Usher syndrome, currently ranks third in the country in his age and weight class against able-bodied players, as well as being the British special needs judo champion.
Jack has been a keen judo-player since he was six years old and will be joined in the squad by his younger brother Dylan, age 12, who also made the national call-up. The brothers are currently members of the Nottinghamshire County Squad.
Jack said:
"I’m really pleased to have the opportunity to represent England at judo. Being deafblind has its challenges - my field of vision is just ten degrees and I take my hearing aids out when I fight, so sometimes I can get dizzy and I have to let the referees know that they need to tap me on my shoulder to get my attention, but because judo is such a close contact sport, I’m able to feel my way around a fight."
Jack often acts as a young ambassador for Sense, and has taken part in a number of sporting fundraising activities including a charity abseil.