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Two years ago he was youth ambassador for Shalom Square, now he’s one of the top judokas in his age category in all of Canada
By BERNIE BELLAN
Last year we reported on the success that young Michael Akbashev had been enjoying as a 16-year-old judoka. This year, now 17 (he’ll turn 18 in March), Michael has attained even more success competing against athletes similar in age, most recently having placed first in the “Elite National Eight” judo championships in Montreal in January.
The Elite National Eight invites judokas from across Canada to compete in categories that are defined both by age and weight. Michael was in the male under-18 81 kg category. One competitor in each category is seeded number one. This year Michael was one of those number one seeded competitors.
And – he didn’t disappoint. As he wrote to me in an email: “I beat all the fighters on the podium. After winning this competition I have been selected by Judo Canada to compete in a European tour in Germany in March.”
Michael’s success on the mats this past year follows previous successes, about which I wrote last March: In my March 2019 story about Michael I noted his success to date: “In the short time he has lived here he has already accumulated a terrific record of success in his age category, as a member of the Manitoba Judo Team: 3rd place in Canada in 2017, 2nd place in the USA in 2017, and Canadian champion in 2018. He was selected by Judo Canada as an Elite Athlete in 2018 and 2019 and by Judo Manitoba as the best youth athlete in 2018.”
I also noted in that March 2019 story that “Just this past week he earned a bronze medal in the under-81 kg. class at the Canada Winter Games, held in Red Deer, Alberta. (The Canada Winter Games are open to athletes 21 years of age and under.)
“Michael was the youngest competitor in his category,” competing against athletes who were as much as five years older than him.
Since then, in addition to his winning in the National Eight championship, Michael has been a consistent top performer in every competition he has entered: Silver medals in the Quebec and Ontario opens and two golds in the Saskatchewan open.”
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Michael Akbashev, along with his parents Baruch and Helena, and younger brothers David (12) and Eithan (7) has been in Canada three and a half years now, having arrived in Winnipeg from Israel in 2016. They had lived in Tel Aviv prior to their immigration to Manitoba, helped in part by the Winnipeg Jewish Federation.
Baruch works at Misericordia Health Centre as a biomedical technologist, while Helena works at Winnipeg Clinic doing biological research.
It was Aaron Pfeffer, well-known judoka and judo teacher himself, who told me last year about Michael’s special ability. I had actually met Michael when he served as Shalom Square Youth Ambassador in the summer of 2018, and I remember reading in our own Folklorama guide that year how talented Michael was as an athlete, but I didn’t realize at the time what a bright future lay ahead for this personable young man.
What made me realize though even more how talented Michael was came when I learned that, ever since his family moved here from Israel, he has been training with Mark Berger, a former Olympian in the sport himself, at Mark’s West Kildonan Judo Club.
I asked Michael how long he’s been participating in judo? His answer: “I started judo in Israel when I was 4 years old.”
Now the holder of a first-degree black belt (which he received earlier this year), Michael has advanced through the colour system of belts in judo to the final colour one can attain.
Here is an explanation how the grades and colours work in awarding belts in judo: “There are six colored-belt levels called grades, and 10 levels of degrees for black belts. White is the universal color that represents a novice practitioner, while black represents an expert with varying degrees of black belts. The highest rank in judo is a 10th-degree black belt.”
A Grade 11 student at Vincent Massey Collegiate in Fort Garry which, Michael says, is a “well known sports school”, he admits that “I don’t really have any other interest in anything else but I am a very open person and I would love to try new stuff” – which he did when he applied to be Shalom Square’s Youth Ambassador two years ago.
By the way, younger brother David is also doing quite well in judo, Michael tells me, and Eithan will soon be joining his two older brothers in the sport. Both David and Eithan attend Shamrock School in St. Boniface.
Naturally, with the Summer Olympics in Tokyo soon approaching, Michael’s dream, he says, is “to go to the Olympics and represent Canada in the international podium.” In order to qualify, Michael will have to compete in the Olympic trials for judo, to be held this coming June in Montreal.
But, more than just performing superbly in his chosen sport, Michael Akbashev sees the benefits accruing from the discipline associated with judo, and says: “ I also would like to send a message to the public – telling them how they should try the sport and that the sport is a way of life, it’s about respect, appreciation, and hard work.”
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Why Fitness Routines Fall Apart — and How to Rebuild Yours
Every spring, gyms see a flood of hopeful faces. New shoes, fresh playlists, unwavering intentions, by mid-summer? Half of them vanish into the fog of abandoned routines. The story repeats year after year until it starts to feel almost scripted. Why does enthusiasm evaporate? The easy answer involves willpower but that explanation misses the point. Habits don’t fail because people are weak. Life stress, boredom, and monotony ruin routines. Timely lever pulls can change narratives. The hardest part is persevering when motivation wanes.
Mistaking Motivation for Momentum
Most chase that opening surge, the lightning strike of motivation, but then stop searching once enthusiasm fizzles. A scroll through sites like PUR Pharma (pur-pharma.is/) or a glimpse of an influencer’s progress triggers a burst of action: new workout gear ordered, plans scribbled in planners destined for dusty drawers. Yet momentum fades when small setbacks pop up (a late meeting here, rainy weather there). Real progress comes from building systems stronger than any fleeting pep talk. Those who frame fitness as something owed to motivation end up back at square one every time life interrupts, which it always does.
Overcomplicating Everything
It’s tempting to turn wellness into a science fair project with spreadsheets and specialized equipment lined up on day one. This is the allure of complexity disguised as seriousness, a new diet paired with seven types of supplements and four color-coded bottles. Simplicity gets lost in the noise almost instantly. Most successful routines rely on two principles: keep it simple and keep showing up even when everything else is chaos outside those gym walls. Anyone insisting that perfection is required before taking step one has already constructed an excuse not to begin at all.
Forgetting Fun Completely
Who decided exercise must hurt or look like punishment? Somewhere along the line, fun got swapped out for grind culture and “no pain, no gain.” That isn’t just unappealing, it’s unsustainable over months or years. If sessions feel like torture devices borrowed from medieval times, nobody should be surprised when commitment falters fast. Seek activities that actually spark some joy or curiosity, a dance class instead of yet another treadmill session, maybe, or play a pickup game rather than slogging through solo circuits again and again.
Ignoring Recovery (and Reality)
Sleep deprivation, disguised as discipline, fools anyone, except perhaps uncritical Instagram followers. Ignoring recovery turns ambition into tiredness faster than any missed session. Because bodies break without rest, routines must breathe with owners. Cycling, real leisure, and honest self-checks regarding weekly goals build endurance, not continual pushing.
Conclusion
Change rarely arrives by force alone but usually grows quietly from patterns repeated imperfectly over time, even if last month looked nothing like this week so far. Drop the hunt for nonstop inspiration. Instead of breaking behaviors at the first hint of stress or boredom, build habits that last. People who rebuild methodically after every stumble or detour make progress, not those who peak and then fall.
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How DIY Auto Repairs Can Help You Cut Costs—Safely
Regular maintenance and minor repairs are the greatest approach for many car drivers to save money without sacrificing dependability. DIY repairs can save you a lot of money over the life of your car since most of the expense is in the labour. DIY helps you learn how things work and notice tiny issues before they become costly ones. Every work requires planning, patience, and safety.
Test Your Talents with Safe Limits
DIY solutions succeed when one is honest about their talents. Wiper blades, air filters, and occupant filters are beginner-friendly. With the correct equipment, intermediate owners can replace brake pads, spark plugs, coolant, and brake fluid. Pressurized fuel, high-voltage hybrids, airbags, and timing components are risky. Only professionals should manage them. Limitations protect you and your car. Drivers trust sources like Parts Avenue to find, install, and schedule manufacturer-approved work.
Set Up a Reliable Workspace and Tools
Good tools pay for themselves quickly. Ratchets, torque wrenches, combination wrenches, heavy jack stands, and wheel chocks are essential. It is advisable to engage specialists for specific tasks. A clean, flat, well-lit, and open space is essential. Please take your time. While working, keep a charged phone nearby to read repair instructions or write torque patterns.
Find the Problem before Replacing the Parts
It may cost more to replace something without diagnosing it. Instead of ideas, start with symptoms. OBD-II readers detect leaks, sounds, and DTCs. Simple tests like voltage, smoke indicating vacuum leaks, pad thickness, and rotor runout might reveal failure. A good analysis saves components, protects surrounding parts, and fosters future trust.
Maintenance That Pays off is Most Crucial
Jobs compensate for time and tools differently. Prioritize returns and maintenance. Change the oil and filter, rotate the tires, evaluate the air pressure, replace low brake fluid, clean the coolant with the right chemicals, and replace belts and filters before they fail. These items extend automotive life, stabilize fuel efficiency, and reduce roadside towing issues that can take months to resolve.
Do as Instructed, Utilize Quality Parts, and Follow Torque Requirements
Understand the service. Set the jacking points, tighten the screws in the appropriate order, and use threadlocker or anti-seize as suggested by the maker. Rotor wear can cause leaks, distortions, or broken threads. Choose components that meet or exceed OEM requirements and fit your car’s VIN, engine code, and manufacturing date. Cheap parts that break easily cost extra.
Test, Record, and Discard Carefully
Safely test the system before patching. Check under the car for drops, bleed the brakes again, and check fluid levels after a short drive. Note torques, parts, miles, and repair date. Photo and document storage for car sales. Properly dispose of oil, filters, coolant, and brake fluid. Controlling hazards protects your community and workplace.
Know When to Seek Professional Help
Self-employed individuals recognize their constraints. If a task is challenging, requires special instruments, or involves safety, consult an expert. Collaboration makes cars safer, cheaper, and more efficient. Selecting, planning, and implementing processes properly improves performance, lowers costs, and ensures safety.
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What It Means for Ontario to Be the Most Open iGaming Market in Canada
Ontario is the most open commercial iGaming market in Canada, having been the first province to open up to commercial actors in the online casino and betting space since 2022.
Since gambling laws in Canada are managed on a provincial level, each province has its own legislation.
Before April 4th, 2022, Ontario was similar to any other Canadian province in the iGaming space. The only gaming site regulated in the province was run by government-owned Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, also known as OLG. However, when the market opened up, numerous high-quality gambling companies established themselves in the province, quickly generating substantial revenue. As the largest online gambling market in Canada, it’s now, three years later, also one of the biggest in North America.
The fully regulated commercial market is run under iGaming Ontario and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario. These licensed casinos and online sportsbooks are thus fully legal and safe for players to play at, while at the same time, the open market allows companies to compete and offer different products and platforms as long as they all fit within the requirements set up by the state of Ontario.
This means that Ontarians have a wide choice of licensed sites, whether they’re interested in sports betting, live dealer games, or slots – all with strict consumer-protection rules that keep them safe while exploring the many options. (Source: https://esportsinsider.com/ca/gambling/online-casinos-canada)
There are many benefits to online gaming, especially in a country that’s as sparsely populated as Canada, leaving physical venues often few and far between for those living outside the biggest cities.
Even before Ontario launched its own gambling sites, online gambling had been common among Ontarians. Regulating the market and offering alternatives regulated by the province has often added safer and more controlled options.
Since 85% of Ontarians now play at regulated sites, the initiative of opening up the market seems a clear win in more than one way.
Despite the huge success of the Ontario market, most provinces in Canada haven’t changed much in the iGaming sector in the past few years. Some provinces keep Crown-run monopolies, while others limit activity to a single government-run platform. This often leads Canadians to seek offshore alternatives instead, since the options are so few in their own province.
But 2025 marks an important change. The provinces seem to have noticed that Ontario picked a winning strategy, and Alberta has clearly been taking notes.
While the province of Alberta has previously opted for controlled gambling through one government website, the province is now opening up the commercial online gambling market. The Alberta iGaming Corporation will be in charge of licensing and inspecting actors that operate in the province. This will mean many more options for players, coupled with consumer protection and a high level of safety.
Meanwhile, the Ontario iGaming market continues to prosper, grow, and develop. Now that a second province is following in its footsteps, it seems more likely that other provinces will also start following the trend.