Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi
photo by Peter Perazio
Growing up in the ’60s with ‘the mother of women’s judo” was a one-of-a-kind adventure. Often called a pioneer, Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi was an unsung hero in the fight to give women a voice, in life and in sports.
Her daughter, Dr. Jean Kanokogi, was with her every step of the way, one mat at a time.
In Get Up & Fight, Rusty recounts the tales of her life, co-written with her daughter, and now releasing to honor her memory.
It is more than a journey of perseverance—it’s a story loaded with passion, antics, and chutzpah!
Rusty’s philosophy: be the hammer and not the nail.
Dr Jean Kanokogi writes about her writing process.
There were several challenges and mental obstacles while writing this memoir. This process was very unique. I never wrote a book. What I have authored was either something academic that required APA and Chicago Styles or magazine articles that were more short form narrative.
The major hurdles were emotional. It was necessary to have my mother tell her story, so I had to ensure I properly captured her voice. By doing this, my childhood memories, feelings and experiences were stirred up. I also felt the sense of immense loss and the deep void she left since she passed away. Keeping these feelings in check were challenging because I had to continuously hear her voice, remember how she looked at me or people, the tones and inflections in her voice when she spoke of or to different people and her spirit on and off the
judo mat.
Her spirit was important to harness because I wanted the reader to not only know the story but I wanted the reader immersed in it so they could be wrapped with her passion, tenacity and grit. There were several messages the reader should receive while reading. In order to facilitate this, I had to not only keep the story authentic, tell it in Rusty’s words and voice but also illustrate how to tap into your inner fight.
Rusty & Jean, photo by Peter Peraziors
Some of the messages in this book that had to be encapsulated and shared were that of overcoming adversity, dealing with inner struggles, embracing knowledge of right and wrong, being open to love, maintain your values and follow your passion and be willing to pay the price to accomplish goals. Other challenges and rewards were in the research process. I researched old news articles, photos, videos and other archives to preserve the authenticity of the story.
This was fun yet burned a bit internally because it really made me see what my mother was really doing when she was not at my softball game or school play. I overcame a bit of childhood guilt in these instances when I realized she was changing the world for so many while I was hopping around the stage in a third-grade school play. The myriad of processes I would love to share are endless, but I knew one thing, I would get this story published.
An excerpt from the Prologue: “We lined up as a team. I was beaming with pride. This was my Olympics at the time. I’m actually getting a medal for fighting instead of a citation! The tournament director methodically placed the first-place medals around each of our necks and then presented our coach with the first-place team trophy. After we disbanded, I was walking past the competition mats, smelling the sweat in the air and feeling unbreakable.
Just then, the tournament director approached me and asked to have a word in private. I thought he was going to compliment me on my technique but inside, I felt a level of nervousness, like I had done something wrong. Having done so many “something wrongs” in my life, this was my go-to feeling when someone wanted to speak with me.
“Are you a girl?” he asked in a low tone, out of earshot of all others. “I know you are a girl.”
Then he added—in a snide, guttural, condescending tone—that it was illegal for me to compete because women were not allowed. My first thought was that this jerk didn’t even give me recognition for being a woman and referred to me simply as a girl.
In my head, I mimicked his same snide tone, and I asked him if he was a cow because his question was so outlandish. In reality, I kept my mouth shut; judo had taught me to choose my battles.
My heart was racing. I felt tears welling up in my eyes, not from sadness but from a boiled anger—but I kept listening. I held in those tears. No one could think I was soft—not even now.
He told me if I accepted the first-place medal, my team would be disqualified and would have to forfeit their win and the trophy we had rightfully earned.
I was shaking inside. My heart dropped to the floor. My breathing was labored. But I showed nothing to him—he and his rule-makers did not deserve any emotion from me.
This was all done quietly; no other tournament officials knew about it, but I told Coach Evoy. He exclaimed that the team would all give their medals back. But I insisted that would make the situation even worse, because these medals were all won fair and square.
I went back to the tournament director and agreed, in as casual a way as I could muster. I would not accept the medal—my medal—from my very first win.
I handed him my cherished medal. At that moment, I felt like I did everything wrong just by being a female. I was heartbroken.
As I uttered the words of declination, I realized that this moment would be one of those pivotal occasions, not just in my life, but in the lives of women in judo and other sports around the world.
No woman shall ever suffer such an indignity again, I told myself. I will make sure of it.
I was going to change judo history.
—
Get Up & Fight: The Memoir of Rena “Rusty” Kanokogi, The Mother of Women’s Judo
In 1959 Rusty’s well-earned first place medal was ripped away from her because she was a woman. She fought in a judo championship against a man and won, but when the judges discovered her gender, they stripped her of her title. Women were not allowed. From that point on, Rusty had a new goal: to ensure that no woman would ever suffer such an indignity ever again! This vow sparked a fifty-year career fighting for equality—a tireless battle she would take all the way to the Olympics.
In her uniquely raw, unfiltered, humorous voice, Rusty recounts the tales of her remarkable life and journey from the rough streets of Coney Island, Brooklyn, to the offices of the political, powerful and persuasive, where she established herself as a major force in the world of women’s rights and the sport of judo, securing women’s inclusion on the international stage. Rusty’s memoir is a love story filled with passion and righteousness—for her sport, her family, and her way of life as a judoka.
Often called a pioneer, Rusty was an unsung hero in the fight to give women voice and agency, in life and in sports. She did not see human limitations, only possibilities. The establishment told her “no,” but “no” was not a part of her vocabulary. Instead, Rusty fought like hell, and won.
In her own words, Rusty decided to “be the hammer,” not the nail.
Find out more HERE
Tags: featured, women writers
Category: On Writing
