Wally Litousky

Highlights

Former Judo Alberta athlete and long time judo coach and referee Wally Litousky has been nominated by Judo Alberta for the prestigious City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Award in the category of Sport Builder.

Litousky, who celebrates 56 years of volunteer service to Judo Alberta this year, was recognized at the Provincial Championships in 2003 by the Association for his contribution to Judo as a referee and all those he has coached and mentored during his first half decade in sport. Litousky was also awarded a Life Membership from Judo Alberta at that time. Six years later, Litousky’s name still brings unanimous votes from across the province.

"He’s just the nicest guy”, says Dr. Yoshio Senda, CMA, who’s known Litousky for the better part of the 56 years. “He was always someone you could count on to be at every tournament to referee”, Senda added.

“As far as I can recall, Wally consistently attended most, if not all, tournaments in Alberta since retiring from the military in 1980”, said Guy Sunada, current Judo Canada Referee Chair. “That’s why, I’m guessing that he probably holds the Alberta record for having attended more Alberta tournaments (as a referee) since Dr. Senda’s retirement from refereeing” Sunada added.

Currently a 3rd degree black belt, Litousky was first introduced to Judo at the age of 15 while living in the farming community of Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan where he practiced at the local high school. In 1955 at age 17 he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. After boot camp and trade school he was sent to RCAF Base McDonald Manitoba where he and friend Kenny Greer started a judo club, learning most of his technique from a Kodokan book. This club later expanded and moved to Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. In 1958 Litousky was posted to Germany and trained at the 4 Wing Baden-Baden judo club. In 1960 Judo Ontario’s Masao Takahashi was transferred to Baden-Baden base and between the two judo fanatics, the sport spread like wild fire. With Takahashi, Litousky visited many European judo clubs. In 1962 he was transferred back to RCAF Station Cold Lake where as a green belt he opened another club. Again, after only three months, he was re-deployed to Germany where he was stationed until 1968. During this stint in Germany he was promoted to Shodan. In between Judo and his career as a weapons technician, he also found time to marry his sweetheart Liz, whom he met in Canada but didn’t hook up with until 1964 in Germany.

Upon his return to Edmonton he ran the CFB Edmonton which, under his management, measured the highest base membership ever. The years of 1968 & 1969 were great years for Litousky as he won the provincial championships and fought at Nationals in Lethbridge.

In ‘71 the Litousky’s returned to Germany for four years where Wally took charge of the Armed Forces Europe Judo Association. Upon his return to Cold Lake he started yet another judo club on the base which he ran until his military retirement in 1980. Guy Sunada says that he and Greg Senda were on the Canadian Judo team that traveled to Germany in 1972 for a goodwill tour just prior to the Munich Olympics. “The Team flew into Canadian Forces Base Lahr...we were just a couple of young guys from back home in Alberta and Wally did his best to make us feel at home. He and his wife looked out for us and showed us around that part of Germany,” Sunada added.

In 1973, Dr. Yosh Senda was travelling with the Canadian contingent to the World Judo Championships in Switzerland. “We invited Wally to come along...to be part of the Canadian group,” Senda said.

After suffering a serious work related back injury, Litousky retired from competitive judo in 1976. The injury, although debilitating, did not extinguish his passion for the sport as he continued to volunteer countless hours to coaching and refereeing.

Following his retirement and a move from Cold Lake to Edmonton, Litousky hooked up with brown belt Yvonne Bedard whose keen interest to start a club pulled him back into the fold. The popular CFB Edmonton club opened in the fall of 1980 with membership of civilians and military alike exceeding 80 in some years. Litousky sponsored the club until 1983 when Bedard met an untimely passing from cancer. Following Bedard’s death, Litousky renamed the club North Edmonton Judo and became the club Sensei. Under his direction, the club achieved great success sending many athletes to national level events.

EYJS co founder Gil Hachey fondly recalls travelling around the province with Litousky to sport outreach clinics. “We would go to the outlying clubs in Grande Prairie, Cold Lake...sometimes towns requested us and we would just go”, Hachey said, of teaching the sport to members and non members alike.

“Wally used to hold the biggest tournament out of the Greisbach facility”, Hachey said, adding that over 350 athletes from northern Alberta would gather to compete in the annual event. And when the North Edmonton Judo Club closed in 2005 for redevelopment of the Greisbach property, Litousky quietly sold his equipment and joined the St. Alberta Judo Club who welcomed him with open arms.

Litousky’s passion for judo, in addition to his jovial and giving nature, has certainly supported the growth of the sport in Edmonton.

“Wally has helped to develop the sport of Judo in Edmonton and has demonstrated his desire to build a strong community through many initiatives over his extensive Judo Career,” Edmonton Yudanshakai President Keith McKee says.

Still operating today, the organization trains volunteers to handle tournament duties such as time keeping, draw keeping and other tasks required to run tournaments. EYJS is currently comprised of eight judo clubs in the communities of Edmonton, Drayton Valley, Ft. Saskatchewan, Spruce Grove, EYJS runs an annual international judo tournament every March on the Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall.

Until recently, despite continuing health problems, Litousky, had been a constant figure at the St. Albert Judo Club and would volunteer at various tournaments to referee. In 2008, despite his physical limitations, he refereed at the 2008 Alberta Winter Games in Leduc. Now, at age 70, and only after being ordered by a specialist, Litousky has had to cut back on his involvement with Judo due to debilitating health problems. A keen biographer, Litousky keeps busy on the computer archiving his military records and keeping in close contact by email with judo friends in Alberta and across Canada. He and his wife Liz live in north Edmonton.

Judo Resume

Gradings

  • White Belt ~ Rokkyu January 16, 1961
  • Yellow Belt ~ Gokyu March 30, 1961
  • Orange Belt ~ Yonkyu June 22, 1961
  • Green Belt ~ Sankyu April 14, 1962
  • Blue Belt ~ Nikyu October 13, 1962
  • Brown Belt ~ Ikkyu April 7, 1963
  • Black Belt 1 Dan (Shodan) February 28, 1964
  • Black Belt 2 Dan (Nidan) January 17, 1981
  • Black Belt 3 Dan (Sandan) December 8, 1996

Clinics Attended

  • High Level Kata Clinic February 21, 1987
  • Goshin Jitsu February 21, 1987
  • Sport Med Clinic December 18, 1987
  • Sport Injury Clinic March 18, 1989
  • CPR Clinic October 29, 1989
  • Referee Clinic (Int.) November 11, 1989
  • Referee Clinic (Int.) January 11, 1999
  • Referee Clinic (Adv.) May 5, 2000
  • Referee Clinic (Adv.) April 08, 2006
  • Referee Clinic (Adv.) March 16, 2007

Referee Gradings

  • Provincial C May 15, 1982
  • Provincial B March 9, 1985
  • Provincial A November 22, 1987
  • National C October 21, 1989
  • National B October 26, 1991

Coaching Certification

  • NCCP Level 1 Technical June 1983
  • NCCP Level 1 Practical June 1983
  • NCCP Level 1 Theory January 1997
  • NCCP Level 1 Certified April 1997