About the George C. Balch Scholarship

Balch Sensei had a zest for life, a love for all people and he held the USJF Judo
programs in high esteem. His infectious nature made him a positive force with all of
his companions—he was just one really likeable man.

To honor George Balch, donations flowed in to the USJF scholarship account in his
name, and they continue to this day to provide college scholarships through the
George C Balch Scholarship program. This program has become one of the largest
scholarship funding sources in USJF. In 2011, it has a worth of about $60,000. The
principle is never touched and yet over $8,000 in financial awards have been made
to date using the interest only.

A 2011-12 $1,000 scholarship award goes to Kyle Tsubota, an outstanding High
School student and judoka from Hawaii. The award recognizes that Kyle will
continue with judo and will become one of the strong judo leaders in USJF in the
future. He is expected to be, like Balch Sensei, an infectious personality, loving life
and giving his all.

Scholarships are awarded on an annual basis. Applications are available for
outstanding high school students who are members of USJF. If you are such a
student, we encourage you to apply through the USJF National Office.

George C. Balch Scholarship Committee

The George C. Balch Scholarship Fund has been established to provide financial assistance to judo students who are high school seniors or graduates pursuing a college degree in Education. The scholarship will be awarded annually to the applicant who has the characteristics which promise a successful academic record and who continues judo study throughout his/her college career. The scholarship will be awarded at the level of $1000 per year for a maximum of four (4) years.
The George C. Balch Tribute Web Site

Please apply through the USJF National Office (form available).

Board of Trustees

Chair

James Cornforth

Members

Robert Balch
Robert Brink
Pete Catlos

Noboru Saito

Recipients

2002-3 Michael Oshima

2003-4 Michael Oshima

2004-5 Daniel Oshima

2005-6 Chris Cody

2006-7 Alex Murray

2007-8 Alex Murray, Michael Eldrid, Chris Cody & Katie Sell

2008-9 Katie Sell

2009-10 Katie Sell

2010-11 Katie Sell

2011-12 Kyle Tsubota