Athlete Spotlight: Christopher Hutchcraft

By Searrah Herendeen

Athlete Spotlights highlight athletes that are competing for the first time, or are a returning competitor. We want to showcase the diverse sports community the Meijer State Games of Michigan has helped create and grown with. Today’s Athlete Spotlight features Christopher Hutchcraft, a judo athlete in the Meijer Winter State Games of Michigan.

About Chris:

Chris was raised in Detroit, but then moved to Taylor to be closer to the school he went to. He and his brother were raised by their mom with help from the rest of family. While his father was around, he struggled to support the household. Chris says, “My mom is the biggest inspiration in my life.” He is in awe of how she raised two sons, and put them through college. He describes his mom as always being supportive and present at all the events he and his brother had. Chris works hard every day to make his mother proud.

To describe himself, he states, “I am the most athletic geek you’ll meet!” He is a collector of hobbies, but has his favorites. His favorite sport hobbies consist of judo, skiing, bowling, and hiking. Here comes the geeky part. If Chris isn’t busy training, he can be found at home playing video games, dungeons and dragons, watching anime, or hanging out with friends. Chris obtained a bachelor’s in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense at Eastern Michigan University in 2021. He currently works in IT security at Bosch.

What is a challenge you have experienced and how did you overcome it?

For most of Chris’s life he was 230+ lbs. He stayed active with sports, but never felt the want to go out of his way to work out at the gym or try a diet. Everything changed in his junior year of college in 2020. Chris dropped about 40 lbs and started working out daily. This weight loss was inspired by his best friend that was looking into the Air Force office program. Chris told his friend that if he lost enough weight to meet the weight requirement, he too would join. These two friends motivated each other, and went to the gym frequently until Covid closed them all.

A little hitch like this wasn’t going to stop Chris. He ran a mile everyday, did pushups and sit-ups, and trained judo in the garage. Illness couldn’t deter Chris from exercising. He caught Covid during Christmas and worked out in his room. His diet consisted of rice and chicken. This diet and workout routine helped him reach a weight range of 190 lbs. Chris’s eyes were opened and he was able to see his potential. According to Chris, “It gave me a lot of self-confidence and more discipline when achieving my goals.” He didn’t give up on the idea of the Air Force, but at the time they were only looking for pilots.

what do you think your greatest accomplishment is so far in judo?

The two greatest accomplishments that Chris has in judo, both occurred within the same month. He earned his 1st-degree judo black belt and competed in his first two national tournaments. Chris spent five years trying to earn his black belt. Chris explained the process of ranking up, “You compete in tournaments and beat people with a higher belt.” It took him a year to move from a brown to black belt. The belts represent more than just his judo progress. Chris says, “I see more my entire college experience, weight loss, and personal growth.” The different belt colors mark different milestones in his life.

His intention was to wait to compete in National Tournaments. Thanks to his coach and teammates, he was convinced to compete and placed 17/19 in the Dallas Open and 5/10 in the President’s Cup. Christopher believes that it was, “The worse I have done in a Judo tournament since I was a white belt.” Still, Chris used this as a moment to realize his flaws and that he was able to compete at this level. At one of the competitions he got the chance to take a picture with someone he looks up to, Judo Olympian Coltan Brown!

When and how did you get involved in Judo?

When they were growing, he and his brother were always involved in a sport. Chris was predominately involved in bowling, wrestling, and field events. His sibling and mother were into bowling, so Chris stopped wrestling to focus on bowling. Even though he wasn’t a bad bowler, he felt that it was more his brother’s sport.

After graduating high school in 2017, Chris stopped bowling and starting searching for colleges that had martial arts clubs. The search led him to Eastern Michigan University. Chris expresses, “The EMU judo club has given me a passion, friends, mentors, and lessons I will carry for the rest of my life.”

Why were you interested in competing in the Meijer state games of michigan judo competition?

Christopher has three main reasons for competing in the Meijer State Games of Michigan.

First of all, the Meijer State Games of Michigan includes one of the only judo tournaments in Michigan. This gives Chris’s family a chance to see him compete for the first time in a long time.

Second of all, last year he won the brown and black belt divisions. This tournament is the first one since he went to nationals. Chris is looking forward to, “road-testing new strategies,” and the chance to win again.

Last of all, he is extremely excited to see how his new club members do, and
improve, after this competition.

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The Meijer State Games of Michigan is a multi-sport, Olympic-style event(s) that welcome athletes regardless of age or ability level. The Games embody the values of participation, sportsmanship and healthy living.

Interested in Judo?
https://www.stategamesofmichigan.com/events/winter/judo2023

Interested in our Summer Games? 
www.StateGamesofMichigan.com/summergames

Interested in our Winter Games? 
www.StateGamesofMichigan.com/wintergames