The Four Founders’ Awards Nominating Essays for the 2017 Award Recipients

John Pfund, recipient of the Professor John Cahill Award
Outstanding Tournament Competitor of the Year

While I don’t know about John’s competing in tournaments this year, for many, many years John has been promoting tournaments. John has always been a strong and friendly competitor. He is always upbeat and supportive of other competitors, encouraging them even if they are in his division. He is always a joy to compete against. I remember one Freestyle Tournament where he attacked me by getting on his hands and knees and started gnawing at my ankle. I always enjoy competing against John in a Freestyle Tournament because you never know what kind of attack you will get.
For many years John has been the Chair of Clinics and Contests. John has written a program to help people host contests, a manual describing how to host a contest and re-written the contest manual. John also hosts the National Contest at Convention every year.
John represents the AJJF incredibly well as he promotes and participates in contests and is well deserving of the Cahill Award.

Prof Dennis Estes, recipient of the Professor Bud Estes Award
Outstanding Contribution to the AJJF

Professor Estes has contributed to the current organizational make-up of the AJJF in a most profound way.
Professor Estes has been instrumental in creating our current By-Laws, Re-organizing the Board of Professors and creating the Executive Committee. Professor Estes was also instrumental in creating the current Board of Directors wherein the current Board of Directors is made up of a balance of Professors and non-Professors. He has been the President and has run the BOD for the past several years as the transition has taken place to ensure that the transition was seamless.
Professor Estes has also recently been a key figure opening a Dojo in Lehei Utah.
Professor Estes has spent countless hours working to improve the AJJF by teaching Dan Zan Ryu and working with the organizational system and is well deserving of the Professor Estes Award, especially this year as he steps down as President of the AJJF. (Beside… how cool would it be to have Prof Estes get the Prof Estes Award?!)

John Pfund, recipient of the Professor Ray Law Award
Outstanding Contribution to the Youth of the AJJF

John Pfund has always been dedicated to his children’s martial arts programs and works to help them be more physically skilled as well as strong members of the community. I’ve watched him many times over the years interact with the children at tournaments and clinics. He always treats them with respect and yet enforces a gentle discipline that fosters an atmosphere of learning. They have a great time with him! And he is always full of games and novel ways to help them succeed in jujutsu. I can’t think of anyone more deserving than John Sensei for the Law award. His original lineage traces back to Professor Law, and he carries forward that tradition of promoting character development and development of physical skills through an education in Danzan Ryu Jujutsu.

Scott Redden, recipient of the Professor Dick Rickerts Award
Outstanding AJJF Sensei of the Year

I met Sensei Scott 3 years ago. I was only about seven years old. One of Sensei Scott’s biggest qualities is that he can work with both the youth and the adults. I have attended both of his classes and in both classes he has always been consistent of what he is teaching and what he expects from each student. He is able to see the qualities in each and everyone one of them. I’m not one of the easiest to teach but with his traditional ways of teaching I have come a long way. He answers all my most difficult life questions with wisdom. With his patience, tolerance, tenacity, energy, enthusiasm, and compassion I have grown so much. I believe I owe it to this Dojo of Redding California but most of all to Sensei Scott Redden.