Celebrating Olympic heroes with a connection to the North Shore, MarketStreet Lynnfield hosted “Meet the Medalists” on Wednesday September 21st from 6:00pm-7:30pm. Open to the public, the event took place on The Green (600 Market Street Lynnfield MA, between J.P. Licks and J.Crew), and honored Olympians who live on the North Shore and who train at Pedro’s Judo Center, located just a few miles away in Wakefield. Olympians include 2012 and 2016 Gold Judo Medalist Kayla Harrison and 2016 Judo Silver Medalist Travis Stevens, as well as 2012 and 2016 Judo U.S. Olympic Team Coach and two-time Olympic Bronze Medalist Jimmy Pedro. Nancy Kerrigan, two-time Olympic medalist and legendary figure skater, moderated the inspiring evening.
The schedule for Meet the Medalists on Wednesday September 21s was as follows; the event was open to the public.
6:00pm: Olympian Nancy Kerrigan Welcomes Guests
6:15pm: National Anthem by Nicole Pelletier of Pelham, NH
6:30pm: Inspirational Remarks by 2016 Judo Gold Medalist Kayla Harrison, 2016 Judo Silver Medalist Travis Stevens, and 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Coach and two-time Judo Olympic Bronze Medalist Jimmy Pedro
6:45pm: Marianne Cohen, Executive Director of the Wakefield Lynnfield Chamber of Commerce, honors the medalists
6:50: Audience Q/A
7:00pm: Photo Opportunity
In support of Meet the Medalists, California Pizza Kitchen, which recently opened at MarketStreet Lynnfield with a stunning new design, donated 20% of dinner sales raised between 5pm and 10pm on the 21st to Kayla Harrison’s Fearless Foundation, which shines a light on child sexual abuse and enriches the lives of survivors through education and sport.
About Kayla Harrison made history at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and by winning her second Gold Medal by any American (man or woman) in the history of the sport of judo. Her first Gold Medal was won at the 2012 London Olympics. Her victory marks another step in a career characterized by success at the sport’s highest levels. Kayla’s judo career has been undeniably impressive. However, it is her perseverance through incredible personal struggles that is truly inspiring. Kayla began judo at the age of 6. As a teenager, she quickly distinguished herself as one of the top junior players in the country. Among other national titles, she won the Junior U.S. Open in 2003, 2004 and 2005. She was a two-time US Senior National Champion before she turned 18 and she became only the third American to win the Junior World Championships in 2008. She won a Silver Medal at the Junior World Championships in 2009 and became Senior World Champion in 2010. She was only the fourth American ever to become World Champion. Since 2008 Kayla has been on a world podium every year. Her competitive success masked an unimaginable personal struggle. At the age of 16, Kayla revealed the fact that she had been for years sexually abused by her coach. After the story came to light, Kayla moved from Ohio to Massachusetts to train with Jimmy Pedro, a two-time Olympic Bronze medalist and his father Jim Pedro, Sr. The Pedros became Kayla’s coaches but also her surrogate family. When she arrived in Massachusetts, she entertained suicide, was depressed, hated judo and wanted to run away. Through discipline, tenacity, and the support of others she fought through the pain both on and off the mat, transforming herself into a strong, confident, articulate young woman who happens to be a world-class athlete. She also summoned the courage to face her abuser, delivering a victim impact statement at his sentencing hearing in Federal Court in Ohio. She intends to use her Gold Medal profile, voice, and example to encourage and empower others. She also plans to maintain her dominance on the mat by remaining a competitive Judo player with sights on defending her Gold Medal in Rio in 2016. Her story has captivated audiences everywhere and has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, The New York Times, USA Today, Time Magazine, The Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, among many others. Kayla was awarded the 2012 OC Tanner Inspiration Award, The Women’s Sports Foundation’s Wilma Rudolph Courage Award; was named one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year for 2012, Boston Globe Magazine’s Bostonian of the Year, and the Boston Sportswriter’s Association Athlete of the Year. She has been inducted into the New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame and the Middletown High School Hall of Fame. Kayla created the Fearless Foundation to shine a light on the darkness that is child sexual abuse and to enrich the lives of survivors through education and sport, leading survivors to mastery and enabling them to flourish in all aspects of life. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Doc Wayne, an organization that provides sports-based therapy for at-risk youth, and uses her voice on behalf of countless organizations dedicated to protecting children and women. USA Judo National Junior Olympic Championships (IJF-Junior, 78kg)
About Travis Stevens: Travis Stevens has been dubbed the "Olympic Warrior” since his semi-final match at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Since then Travis has been feared at International Judo competition around the globe. Known for his rigorous training regiment, Travis truly embodies the mental drive and passion to be a true champion on and off the mat. Travis currently holds a black belt in both Judo & BJJ. Along with his full-time training schedule, Travis is involved with two Team Renzo Gracie BJJ schools; one in Wakefield, MA and the other in Fort Lee, NJ. Travis is a ThreeTime US Olympian (’08, ’12, & 2016), seven Time World Team Member (’07, ’09, ’10, ’11, ’13 ’14, ‘15), three Time Pan American Medalist, 3 Time Pan American Games Gold Medalist (2007, 2011, & 2015), multiple time Grand Prix, Grand Slam and Continental Open Medalist and is currently Ranked Top 5 in the World for Judo. For Travis’ complete bio please visit www.fujigym.com
About Jimmy Pedro: Jimmy Pedro is a 6th degree black belt and one of the most decorated judo players in American history. Jimmy is world renowned for his judo expertise, coaching ability, and training methods. A newaza (ground techniques) specialist, Jimmy currently owns and operates Pedro’s Judo Center in Wakefield, MA and teaches clinics and seminars throughout the country. Along with Jimmy’s impressive judo accolades, Jimmy is also a graduate from Brown University with a degree in Business Economics and OBM. Jimmy has coached some of the best athletes in the world such as the first ever US Olympic Gold Medalist for Judo Kayla Harrison, UFC Bantam Weight Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist Ronda Rousey, two US Olympians: Travis Stevens and 2004 Olympian & MMA Fighter Rick Hawn. Pedro was the 2012 & 2016 US Olympic Team Coach, a U.S. Olympic Team Member (1992, 1996, 2000 & 2004), Two Time Olympic Bronze Medalist (’96 & ’04), 1999 World Judo Champion, Two Time World Bronze Medalist (’91 & ’95), 6x US National Champion, New York Athletic Club Hall of Fame Member, Brown University Hall of Fame Member, Black Belt Hall of Fame Member. For Jimmy’s complete bio please visit www.pedrosjudo.com
About Nancy Kerrigan: Nancy Kerrigan has been one of America’s most recognizable sports icons for over 20 years. Kerrigan’s rise to competing at a national level began when she placed 3rd at the 1992 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, qualifying for the 1991 World Figure Skating Championships, where she won the bronze medal. In 1992, she received a bronze medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics and the silver medal at the 1992 World Championships, later on becoming the United States Champion. Nancy also went on to win the silver medal at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. In addition to her work on the ice, the two time Olympic medalist has regularly appeared on television and movies as an actor (Boy Meets World, Blades of Glory, Saturday Night Live) or commentator (Entertainment Tonight, The Insider, Lifetime Network, Fox Sports), and is well known for being instrumental in the creation of Halloween on Ice. She has been a product endorser (Revlon, Reebok, Seiko, Campbell’s Soup, Old Navy), author (Artistry on Ice) and motivational speaker. The Nancy Kerrigan Foundation has raised significant funds for the vision impaired and she has been recognized for her excellence on and off the ice (US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, Mother’s Day Foundation Mother of the Year, New England Sports Hall of Fame).
MarketStreet Lynnfield is the North Shore's premium open-air shopping destination boasting over 80 shops and restaurants, 29 of which are locally owned. Since its 2013 opening, MarketStreet Lynnfield has become essential to the North Shore community, both for its diverse shopping, dining and entertainment options and for its dedication to family friendly events, seasonal festivities, and charitable fundraisers. Guests can find such leading brands as Whole Foods Market, Kings Bowl, Tommy Bahama, Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse, lululemon Athletica, California Pizza Kitchen, Nike Running, FatFace UK, Hanna Andersson, Yard House, Legal C Bar, Sweetgreen, Tumi, Pink Parkway, Wahlburgers, The Paper Source and Vineyard Vines throughout the property. MarketStreet Lynnfield is developed and leased in a partnership between leading Massachusetts’s commercial developers, National Development and WS Development. For more information and the most current updates, please visit www.marketstreetlynnfield.com and follow along on social media: Facebook: MarketStreetLynnfield; Instagram: #marketstreetlynnfield Twitter: @Shop_MarketSt. MarketStreet Lynnfield is located at 600 Market Street Lynnfield, MA.
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