American Sumo Newsletter – December 2022

With 2022 behind us, it’s time to look back at some highlights. In addition to the recent tournaments and the November basho, we look back at the year as a whole and hand out awards to some wrestlers who really earned special recognition for their performances. Make sure to check out the GSB, Sumo Punx, and Sake & Sumo YouTube channels for our full award coverage!

We are looking to continue expanding our coverage in 2023, so if you are interested in contributing articles, art, photography, or anything else, please get in touch!

2022 Year-End Award Show

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2022 was a wild year in sumo. Every tournament had a different champ, covid demolished the July basho, Mitakeumi gained and subsequently lost ozeki status, Takayasu broke a million hearts… Join the GSB crew to discuss the best and worst of the year! Stay tuned after the credits for our punishment of the year replay.

Also make sure to check out our amateur sumo award show where Jake and Mak were joined by the Sumo Punx and Sake & Sumo’s Caleb!

Theme music by David Hall via SoundCloud

2022 Amateur Sumo Awards ft. Caleb and Sumo Punx

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With 2022 coming to a close, all of us US sumo enthusiasts should look back with pride on one of the biggest growth years our sport has ever seen. Mak and Jake are joined by Caleb Baccus – sumo black belt and Sake & Sumo podcast host – as well as the SUMO PUNX! Congratulations to all our award winners and thank you to everybody who helped make 2022 a great year for sumo!

Theme music by David Hall via SoundCloud

US Sumo: Tennessee’s Nate Hudson and the Houston Open

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Sometimes an event feels cursed, like the whole universe is conspiring to keep a good thing from happening. The Houston Open was one such event, but the sumo way is to keep moving forward! Nick Ton and Shogeki Sumo powered through to make the tournament a great one no matter what. First-time competitor Nate Hudson joins us to talk about how it went.

Also, since Jake fumbled it so bad, here are the special prize winners he was trying to remember:

Outstanding Performance: Madison Guinn

Technique: Jared Tadlock

Fighting Spirit: Khalil Collins

Theme music by David Hall via SoundCloud