About

Okami Judo Club was founded in 2019 by Wolfgang Weiler (4th Dan).  The club is organized as a not for profit organization currently operating under the Laguna Creek High School Boosters Club.  Currently, membership is open to all students 3rd grade and higher within the Elk Grove Unified School District.  

In 2023, Sensei Weiler stepped down as Okami's Head Instructor passing the torch to Sensei J.D. Phelps (3rd Dan).  Sensei Phelps has over 40 years of Judo experience starting at 9 years old at the Sacramento Judo Club.  He fell in love with Judo immediately and quickly became competitive in the sport, routinely winning local tournaments and medaling or achieving a top five finish in larger national competitions as a student of Sensei Matsuo "Mac" Takeda (8th Dan) and Harou Makimoto (8th Dan), both members of the United States Judo Federation (USJF) Hall of Fame.  

Sensei Phelps was a member of the San Jose State Judo team during his collegiate years and was fortunate enough to have studied under Sensei Yoshihiro Uchida (10th Dan) alongside of many other world class and Olympic Judoka.  San Jose State is one of six United States Judo Olympic Training Centers with a long list of alumni who represented the United States or other nations in international competitions including the World Champioinships and Olympics.