Sumo is Japan’s oldest sport, but did you know there’s a sumo club right here in North Texas? KERA Morning Edition host Andrew Garcia and I wanted to know more, so we stopped by Tietze Park in East Dallas for a Saturday practice—or keiko, as it’s known in Japan, with the Dallas Sumo Club.
ANY(body) CAN TRY SUMO
You’d think a group of wrestlers, some of them shirtless, and all of them yelling and pushing each other around, would make people want to avoid that side of the park, but quite the opposite was true. People who were walking dogs, playing frisbee, or just enjoying the park were intrigued by the practice. While we were there, the wrestlers frequently encouraged those watching to “give it a try.” A few people took them up on their offer, including Avi Rana. At around 35 pounds and just 4 years old, Ari doesn’t possess the stereotypical sumo wrestler physique, but that didn’t deter him from jumping into the ring.
Before his bout, Avi was given tips by wrestler Rick Garza.
“Come in, put your hands on the ground, and then go,” Garza instructed.
Avi stepped inside the sumo ring, or dohyo, and on the count of three, the contest began.
The crowd of wrestlers cheered Avi on with “PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!” as the tiny boy shoved his opponent out of the ring.
“Good job! That's how you do it,” praised Garza.
ANDREW GARCIA TAKES THE SUMO CHALLENGE
Not to be outdone by a 4-year-old, Andrew decided to jump into the ring.
He donned a mawashi--that’s the thick cotton belt used by sumo wrestlers--but didn’t elect to go full sumo and instead wore the belt over his jeans and a t-shirt.
“You’re good to go, man,” Garza said as he helped Andrew suit up. “The belt should feel like a little piece of armor.”
“Yeah, it does,” Andrew replied. “It feels like it's entrenched in there.”
“So when you get in, you just go to the center. We normally meet at the line, so you sit there in what's called a Sankyo, squat down, face your opponent,” Garza instructed. “As soon as you put your fist down, as soon as all four fists are down, you're gonna go. Fire off the line. Explode. Rocket, whatever.”
“I don't know how much exploding I'll do off the line, but I'll do my best,” replied Andrew.
As Andrew readied himself for his bout, I asked him how he was feeling.
“I’m excited,” Andrew said. “I'm a little nervous, but there’s no turning back now.”
As you can probably guess, Andrew’s bout went a little differently from Avi’s.
As Andrew sparred with the group’s founder, Corey Morrison, the other members of the team yelled instructions from the sidelines:
“Push! Push! Get those legs wide! Lock him out! Flat feet! Wide stance! Bend the knees!”
After three bouts, a winded Andrew left the ring. I asked him how he felt.
“Invigorated!!” Andrew said. “I feel bad that I was interviewing everybody after they did their bouts now.”
“Do you need to sit down?” I asked.
“No, I'm good. That was fun,” he replied as he wandered over to the sidelines and sat down in the shade.
AN ANCIENT SPORT COMES TO DALLAS
Morrison, along with his partner Siggy Sauer, founded the Dallas Sumo club back in 2019.
The two got hooked by watching professional sumo matches on YouTube. After a trip to Austin, where they saw another sumo team in action, the duo decided to start a club in Dallas.
Sumo has ties to Japan’s indigenous religion Shinto, and didn’t start as a combat sport.
“It started as a harvest ritual over 2,000 years ago to bring a good harvest. And then slowly from there it became a combat sport like it is today,” said Morrison.
Morrison has trained in Japan and works hard to honor the traditions and history of the sport. He works equally hard to create a fun and welcoming environment.
GIRL POWER
Luce Garza took up sumo wrestling after her brothers joined the club three years ago.
“What I like most about it is that it keeps me in shape,” Garza said. “It's really fun. I've been fighting my brothers my entire life, so I still get to beat them up.”
The team started out small. Today it’s got 20 members. Four are women.
“I just try to encourage the women that are already interested to try to show up and come to practice,” said Dallas Sumo Club co-founder Siggy Sauer. “It's just really important for women to see other women doing the sport.”
A WELCOMING ATMOSPHERE
Members of the club say the main thing that keeps them coming back is the camaraderie.
“The people are very encouraging because it's so small. A niche–we're trying to grow it,” Rick Garza said. “Everyone is encouraging and push people to do better and be stronger.”
And speaking of wanting to get better, Andrew is already planning his next match.
He asked Sauer if there had ever been any other reporters who had gotten in the ring and wrestled.
“We did have Bo Evans from CBS Texas come in and give it a shot,” Sauer said. “He did the full keiko (practice) with us. So, you'd be the second one to jump in there and give it a shot.”
“Me and Bo–a competition of news people!” Andrew said. “I'll see you in the ring, Bo, for our bout!”
Details: The Sumo Club of Dallas will be doing demonstrations at the Otsukimi Moon Viewing Festival on Saturday at Haggard Park in Plano and the Asian Heritage Celebration at Levitt Pavilion in Arlington on Oct. 11. Check the group’s Facebook page for information about the Saturday practice.
