Century Has Judo Champ

Century Student Is Judo Champ

Century College has a judo champion in its midst.

Christian Robertson, 18, a Post-Secondary Enrollment Student from St. Paul, last month earned a bronze medal at the National Collegiate Judo Association Tournament at Iowa State University.

Competing against such schools as West Point and Stanford University, Robertson lost only one match in his class (178 pounds).

Robertson started his judo training at the Downtown YMCA in St. Paul, and now trains at the University of Minnesota. He also is a member of the wrestling team at Johnson High School and participated in the state wrestling tournament.

Traveling by bus to college classes in the morning, wrestling in the afternoon and judo in the evening, Robertson is busy from early morning to about 10 p.m. every day. A conscientious student, he maintains a 4.0 grade-point average at Century.

“I like being at Century because you are respected for having your own life, and you are encouraged to pursue what you want to pursue,” said Robertson, who plans to become a doctor. “I love the judo because it is so challenging.”

Robertson said for him, college is all about making connections. He enjoys staying after class to chat with prof. David Lyons in Global Studies, for example, and he also enjoys the discussions with Prof. Bruce Hinrichs in Psychology and Prof. Robert Hathaway in English. Professors Pamela Lampright and Jon Wendt in Communication and Teresa Jentzsch in Chemistry also have been helpful, he said.

“If you want that inter-connectedness, you have to seek it out,” he said.