Kind and approachable, Judit is someone who can always be relied upon to engage in high quality ‘mondo,’ enjoying discussions around wide-ranging subjects, from scoring to philosophy and beyond.
Why judo?
“First of all, my youngest brother was into wrestling and I saw that my parents were really proud of him, especially my father. So, I tried many sports too but judo came to my school and I tried it and loved it immediately. My parents said I couldn’t do it though as I’m a girl but I went anyway without their knowledge, for more than half a year. I was 11 at the time."
"Our coach had a reward system; we didn’t have the judogi until our coach said we deserved it and so I earned mine after 6 months and took it home. My parents were not happy but my mother let me go sometimes.
My childhood was not easy. My father was an alcoholic and was not nice to us. At judo I found my second father, my coach, Jan Uhliar.
Rimavska Sobota was my town and there were two judo clubs there at the time but ours was bigger and we had many good judoka there, including Olympians. We also had many referees at our club. The assistant coach suggested that maybe I should stop fighting, as I had some injuries, and suggested refereeing. At first I didn’t like that idea but it didn’t take long for me to begin to love it."
"I started refereeing in 2002. I did fight again after I had my daughter and in fact, from 2003 I was coaching, refereeing and competing. I won my last national championship in Slovakia in 2008 but then, eventually, stopped due to injuries.
In 2005 I moved to Austria as I had the chance to be a coach in Linz. I have now been there for 20 years and I still love it. Life at home in Slovakia was not the same, not what I needed. My father was never really the father I needed either. My first judo coach, in Slovakia, supported me and not just in training but in my school life and beyond. He was always there for me. Home was really bad and he gave me safety. He retired in 2004 and I felt very sad about that. He moved to another city with his family and so I had to look for something else, something new.
In Austria I was coaching at JZ Rapso Linz and the head coach was Günther Brantner. We are still a team now, 20 years later, and he now supports me in everything. I can call him anytime and also his wife too. They are really good people.”
Judit’s story is reflective of many of our judo stories, one of finding support, new family and security within the judo community, especially when home lacks safety and joy.
“I love both coaching and refereeing. As a coach you have a relationship with the athletes and sometimes we even let them come very close to our lives but when they move on it can be hard. I miss many of my judoka from the past. Thats part of why I believe refereeing is good for me. I am responsible for myself, my progression and am always accountable for my mistakes. I am always learning and feel in control of that process. I still coach but refereeing is the priority and my club supports that."
"My heart and history are Slovakian, of course, but in Austria I really found a great judo family; I have a real second home and family there. It is my ‘now!’
I have had some amazing moments in refereeing. The Paris Grand Slam semi-final between two best friends really stands out. They were emotional on the mat and I had to tell myself not to get emotional too. Refereeing Maret was special in Paris anyway but particularly that contest. When Maret retired a year later, he gave a speech in which he thanked the referee, me, for allowing them their special moment, for not separating them too soon. It was a special moment and I believe it deserved the chance to exist for a few extra seconds."
"I have mentioned that I love to learn and I think the biggest lessons for me have been about respecting both people and opportunities! I have also been able to move forward knowing that although nothing is easy in life, if you try your best, if you give the best you have, you can achieve great things.”
Judit Pisarova is back on the WJT again soon, one of a special group of highly committed and knowledgeable referees who do all they can to be the best they can be, no matter what challenges stand in front of them.