SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 7111
By Southerland
A RESOLUTION to honor and congratulate Paola Martinez upon her first-place finish in the 2023 U.S. Open Judo Championship.
WHEREAS, the members of this General Assembly are pleased to specially honor and commend those citizens who, through their unwavering dedication and unflagging commitment to excellence, have distinguished themselves as extraordinary athletes of whom we can all be
proud; and WHEREAS, one such noteworthy person is Paola Martinez, who recently received first-
place honors for her weight and age class in the U.S. Open Judo Championship; and WHEREAS, coached by Morristown Police Department Chief Roger Overholt, Ms.
Martinez competed in this year's championship with little professional training aside from the countless hours she and Chief Overholt dedicated to ensuring her proficiency; and WHEREAS, a Lakeway resident of nine years, Paola Martinez first began practicing Judo at the age of twelve; she devoted the next ten years to the sport, until being sidelined by
an elbow injury at the age of twenty-two; and WHEREAS, Ms. Martinez took up Judo again after moving to Tennessee with her husband, Ismael Concha; encouraged by her sensei, Chief Overholt, she attended a formal Judo training camp in Florida two years ago and received a place representing a team based in
Arlington, Virginia, known as Kogaion Academy; and WHEREAS, the Kogaion Academy is part of the U.S. Judo Federation, which allows Ms.
Martinez to compete nationally; and SJR7111
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WHEREAS, after relentless training and dedication to the art of Judo, Paola Martinez achieved a second-place, silver-medal finish in the U.S. Judo Open Championship in 2022 at the veteran level for under fifty-seven kilograms; and WHEREAS, Ms. Martinez competed this year in the Open Judo Championship solo with Chief Overholt as her coach, winning gold in her category; and WHEREAS, an accomplished professional, Paola Martinez recently became a state-
certified Judo coach in Tennessee; and WHEREAS, it is fitting that we recognize this outstanding athlete for her championship performance; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH
GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, that we honor and congratulate Paola Martinez on her first-place finish in the 2023 U.S. Open Judo Championship and wish her much continued success in her future endeavors.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that an appropriate copy of this resolution be prepared for presentation with this final clause omitted from such copy and upon proper request made to
the appropriate clerk, the language appearing immediately following the State seal appear without House or Senate designation.
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