AnnMaria De Mars
AnnMaria De Mars (born August 15, 1958) is an American technology executive, author and judoka. She is the first American to win a gold medal at the World Judo Championships, competing in the -56 kg weight class, for the 1984 World Judo Tournament.[1]
Personal information
AnnMaria Waddell
The Animal
August 15, 1958
Scott Air Force Base, St. Clair County, Illinois, U.S.
56 kg (123 lb)
Shichidan (7th degree black belt)
De Mars is the chief executive officer of 7 Generation Games and The Julia Group, as well as a statistical consultant and Native American activist, having authored grants for various Native American programs.[2] Before she launched 7 Generation Games as its CEO, De Mars was Vice President of Spirit Lake Consulting Inc., a tribal institute based on the Spirit Lake Tribe Indian Reservation and was actively involved in the Tribe's Education and Vocational Rehabilitation programs.[3]
In 2013, De Mars was named in Forbes' annual list of the "40 Women to Watch Over 40" recognizing the accomplishments and backgrounds of women who are making major professional contributions after the age of 40, in the fields of innovation and disruption.[4] In 2016, she was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Early life[edit]
She was raised in the small community of Alton, Illinois.[6]
Career[edit]
1970–1995[edit]
De Mars began her judo career at the age of 12 at a local YMCA.[6]
De Mars won her division at the USJA Junior Nationals at the age of 16 – her first major competition.[7] The same year, she entered college at Washington University in St. Louis as a Business major. At the age of 18, as a college junior, De Mars was an exchange student at Waseda University in Tokyo, Japan. While there, she trained under Sensei Osawa.
She graduated from college with a degree in business in 1978. She also won the US Senior Nationals, US Collegiate Nationals and the US Open. In the absence of women's judo world championships, she quit competitive judo and studied for an MBA at the University of Minnesota.[7]
De Mars earned her MBA in 1980. She missed the first women's world championships while in grad school, but in 1981 won bronze in the British Open and Tournoi d'Orleans. In 1982, she was ranked #1 in the USJI rankings and won the US Open. However, she did not contest the second women's world championships due to the birth of her daughter María.
De Mars pursued further study, including an MA and PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of California, Riverside;[8] which came in handy while teaching her daughter Ronda the proper mindset to take before fights.[9]
De Mars enjoyed more success in 1983, including the Pan American Games and US Senior Nationals, and in 1984, winning the Austrian Open, Canada Cup (now known as the "Rendezvous"), and the US Senior Nationals. She came out of retirement to win the 1984 World Judo Championships, becoming the first person representing the United States to win a World Judo Championships (her name at the time was Ann-Maria Burns).
1995–present[edit]
In 1995, De Mars' then-husband Ronald Rousey suffered a sledding accident which resulted in a broken back and chronic pain. Later, he was diagnosed with Bernard–Soulier syndrome, which complicated his pre-existing injuries and he was given a prognosis of two years to live. He later committed suicide.[10][11] Following this, De Mars moved her family back to Southern California and settled in Santa Monica, where she homeschooled her children.[12]
Following the move, De Mars remarried, and helped coach her daughter Ronda Rousey, to win a gold medal at the 2004 World Junior Judo Championships and a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics.[13] Ronda is now a professional mixed martial artist and a former UFC Women's Bantamweight Champion.[14]
De Mars frequently coaches and spars at a gym in Los Angeles, where she can recall Ronda breaking her wrist the first time her daughter finished a throw against her: "I didn't really think I was going to go, you know, so I put my hand out and she caught me", De Mars said. De Mars would "always, always, always tell kids don't reach for the mat."[15]
In 2013, De Mars and Jimmy Pedro Sr. co-wrote the instructional book Winning on the Ground, published by Black Belt books.[16]
Her philosophy in judo argues for an offense-centered attack.
Personal life[edit]
De Mars is the mother of Ronda Rousey, an Olympic bronze medalist judoka and former UFC Bantamweight world champion. She is also the mother of María Burns Ortiz, a sports journalist who serves as the social media columnist for ESPN.com and as a contributor to Fox News Latino.[20]
De Mars is Catholic.[21]