HondaReport.com - Judo: Tenri coach answers call for help in Iraq, July 2, 2004

Judo: Tenri coach answers call for help in Iraq, July 2, 2004

When Robin Chapman met Greg Chow in a New Jersey dojo years ago, they had no clue that their voyage would bring them to Hawai’i—and Iraq. Here’s the extended version of a story that ran in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin Friday, July 2, 2004.

In a world of contradictions, the art and sport of judo provides cause and effect.

Robin Chow will watch her judoka display their skills at the United States Judo Federation Junior National Championships, which begin Saturday, 9 a.m., at Blaisdell Arena. Her husband, Greg, will stand in a hospital in Baghdad, bringing healing to the wounded.

Somehow, it will all make sense. For the Chows and their three children, life’s rigorous journey has been sewn together by unity, judo and faith. Their bond became even tighter when Greg, an orthopedic surgeon, was deployed to Iraq Saturday night.

“Hopefully, he’ll be helping soldiers heal,” said Robin, whose thoughts are extended over thousands of miles.

“We’re not used to being apart for a long time,” added oldest child Daniel, 14. “But it’s only a few months. He told us he’d come back pretty soon.”

Focusing on the junior nationals will certainly test the mettle of the club that Robin and Greg have grown with since coming to the islands in 2001.

Robin and Greg have assisted at Hawaii Tenri Judo Club for three years under sensei Hiroshi Toriyumi. At last year’s junior nationals in Boca Raton, Fla., nine Tenri judoka captured gold medals. Two others won silver and bronze medals. That gave Tenri 11 medals with just 12 traveling players.

This year, Tenri has 30 judoka entered in the junior nationals. Their nine gold medalists of last year: Taylor Ibera, Whitney Elizaga, Arnold Toriyumi, Bree Rapoza, as well as Daniel, and his sisters, Christina and Melinda.

“It should be very interesting. The competition will be good, and a lot of Hawaii kids who normally don’t travel to the tournament will be able to compete,” Robin said.

Daniel’s thoughts will be afar, but he has teammates to look after, as well. “It’ll be very new to a lot of them because this is a very big tournament. Local tournaments are a lot smaller,” he said, referring to the 900-plus entrants for the event.

“They’ll be a little nervous, but they’ll be all right after a couple of matches,” Daniel said.

How it all fits, East meeting West, two cultures meeting in a sport that requires as much inner fortitude as physical ability.

The first time Robin and Greg met, judo was just about all they had in common. Ronald Reagan was president. Judo was still more than 20 years away from becoming a state tournament sport in Hawaii. Bruce Springsteen ruled the pop music charts.

Robin Chapman, a Pittsburgh, Pa., native, was a latecomer to the sport. She began playing judo at 10, training most of those early years at Kim’s Judo Club. National competition, however, did not begin for her until she played for the University of Pittsburgh.

She moved to New Jersey after graduation and joined Cranford Judo Club in Bridgewater. There, she met Greg, a Chinese-American college student, with a tenacity that matched her own.

Never mind that Greg had a classic Jersey accent. “He’d probably point out that my Pittsburgh accent was obvious,” she said of her first impression. “He was extremely competitive, and so am I. He really loved judo, and he was very intelligent.”

Chapman’s success took off, and she began winning national tournaments in the 61-kilo division. Something in the chemistry between Robin and Greg worked.

“He has a good sense of humor, and he loves singing country and western,” she said. “It kind of grows on you.”

A year after they met—Robin doesn’t quite remember—they went out on their first date. “I’m pretty sure I’m the one who asked first,” she said. Then came the first serious obstacle in their relationship. Greg went to medical school at Duke University.

Where most long-distance relationships sputter, Robin and Greg flourished. There were tons of letters, phone calls and trips between Durham and New Jersey. After six years, Greg earned a medical degree and married Robin in 1988.

Greg’s residency and internship took him to UCLA, and during those six years, all three children were born. Robin, an insurance adjustor, stepped away from the job after Daniel was born. Then, an opportunity to study spinal surgery opened up.

“Greg wanted to sub-specialize, so we went to Lakewood, Colorado,” Robin said. The Chows, with three tots in hand, arm and stroller, headed to the Rockies. The children were 6, 3 and 1 at the time.

Judo remained a constant. Each of the children began the sport at age 5. Little did they know that Greg’s passion for spinal surgery would begin a series of new chapters near and far.

When his year in Colorado was done, Greg found an opportunity to join an orthopedics’ group in Honolulu. The family arrived in 1997. “We liked it here,” Robin recalled.

Years of study and intensive work, and the Chows were finally settled. The New Jersey couple and their kids were finally home.

And then, as with many other Americans, September 11, 2001 changed everything. In his soul, Greg knew he had to do more.

“After 9/11, he wanted to do something to help, so he signed up with the Army Reserves in spring of 2002,” Robin said. Greg served at Tripler Army Medical Hospital, where he also trained residents. “He wanted to do his part, and use his gifts that way.”

Then came Iraq. And the Reserves became a prominent fixture in the war.

“At the beginning of this year, we learned he might be deployed,” Robin said. “It was a shock for both of us.”

The children, all old enough to comprehend the severity of the situation in Baghdad, have endured. So has Robin.

“We both have a deep faith in God. You have to trust that God will take care of things,” Robin said. “We’re proud of him.”

At First Presbyterian Church in Makiki, support has been overwhelming. “Pastor (Dan) Chun and everyone’s been very supportive. They had a blessing for him before he left,” Robin said.

“He’s doing what he thinks is right,” Daniel added. “There’s a lot of people who need surgeons.”

Greg left for Fort Bliss, Texas, six nights ago. “We miss him a lot. The kids have talked to him on the phone,” Robin said. The transfer of power back to the Iraqi people hasn’t exactly eased tensions.

“It still sounds chaotic there,” Robin said. “We’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

In all, he will be gone four months, and an extended stay is not necessarily a given. A friend of Greg’s, Craig Ono, an orthopedic surgeon at Shriner’s Hospital, recently returned from Iraq, serving four months in all, including three on the ground,

“I told Greg to get ready when I was getting ready,” Ono said. “He was next in line. There’s such a great need there.”

Ono spoke at length with his friend. “I told him to consider this a unique experience. It’s not often you get an opportunity to do something like this. In spite of the situation, try to enjoy it as much as you can, although it’s harsh,” he said.

Ono was sent to a hospital on the outskirts of Baghdad. He was deployed in December and returned in April. “When I was there, there was a lull,” he said. “He’ll be busier than I was. He’ll be challenged by the type of trauma he’ll see, with more explosive-type injuries. It’s always different when you see soldiers’ injuries. You see the sacrifice a soldier makes.”

What helped Ono get through the mad rushes of injuries was his team. “I was fortunate to be with a tremendous group of people. That made it worthwhile,” he said.

For doctors in the Reserves, service always beckons. “I would go back if they called. We’re probably going to be there for a while. I know a number of physicians who’ve gone twice in the past three years,” Ono said, referring to Afghanistan.

Which brings the focus to today. Check-ins, weigh-ins and a multitude of judoka—nearly 1,000 in all—from across the nation, all in Honolulu. That this year’s tourney is in Honolulu, the meeting point of Asia and the U.S., is symbolic.

A man’s journey to serve mankind became a mission to serve his countrymen on 9/11. From New Jersey to Hawaii to the 31st Support Combat Hospital in Baghdad, Greg Chow’s voyage is nothing short of remarkable, for he has much to gain and, potentially, so much to lose.

“Greg should be applauded. He did not have to join,” Ono said. “He has a private practice, a family. He’s making a great sacrifice.”

There are thousands upon thousands of individuals making that trek to Iraq. They’re fortunate if they have the kind of foundation Chow has.

“The best way I can put it is, that’s one of the good things about teaching judo. The discipline and training transfer to life, schoolwork and career,” Robin said. “Hard work, persistence, responsibilities, sacrificing for a long-term goal. Greg is a role model to the kids in our dojo. He’s willing to sacrifice, to put everything on hold to serve his country, to help.”

Those were the words, she noted, that Greg shared with his judoka before leaving.

“We want our kids to be givers, not takers. That’s what we really want them to learn,” she said. “He told them that the freedom we enjoy isn’t free, that thousands of families are making the sacrifice for you. It’s kind of cliché, but it’s true.”

The example isn’t lost on Daniel. “In judo, you can’t become good overnight. You have to keep working,” he said. “If you really want to do something like be a doctor, it takes a long time. You need to persevere. “

Even at a young age, Daniel has already starting think ahead. “I’m thinking of kind of learning to become a doctor,” he said.