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Sensei Leonard Carter (born 2 July 1929 in San Jose, CA) is an American judoka. He currently holds a rokudan (6-dan) in Judo and teaches at the Charleston Judo Club in Moncks Corner, SC which he founded in 1953. Carter started to practice Judo at age 24 and got his black belt in less then 2 years. He participated in several tournaments and won the Bronze Medal in the Judo World Games in 1955. Carter won the East Coast Judo Champtionships for seven consecutive years in the 1960s. His son, Leonard Carter Junior won the Junior Nationals Championship in judo three times in a row. The News and Courrier News paper of Charleston once called him: "A wiry physical specimen of 140 pounds who can bounce a man twice his size around like a rubber ball." . Carter's club has been a member of the USJA since 1956.

Biography
Carter was part of the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) and was sent to Japan to practice at the Kodokan twice in 1953. At the time, the SAC wanted a more efficient way to prepare the Air Force pilots for a hand-to-hand combat situation and they decided to send high-ranked judoka to Japan so they could come back and teach the pilots. He taught and competed for the SAC for 3 years and later moved to Charleston, SC where he opened his own Judo club.

Two of his sons are active members of his club and his wife, Jackie Carter, helped with the teaching in its early years. Leonard Carter Junior, born in 1959, was Junior Champion in 1969, and also won the August 16th annual Estern Invitational Shiai on the 9-years-old division together with his sister, Kay Carter, who won the Female Lightweight division of the same tournament.

The Foundation of Charleston Judo Club
In 1957 Carter founded the Charleston Judo Club in the Charleston, SC Downtown area (George St.) where the club existed for 3 years. At the time Carter would travel twice a week to Columbia, SC (a 2 hours drive) in order to teach at the YMCA. The Charleston Judo Club moved to the Papermill Hannahan's Athletic Club in 1960. The club then moved to the Oaks Country Club in Goose Creek. That location had a terrible fire accident in 2008 where the club house was completly burned. After the incident, Carter decided to move the club to his house in Moncks Corner, SC where he built a dojo himself.

Recognized Awards and Titles
1955 - Bronze Medal in the Judo Worlds Games

1966 - Fourth Annual Charlotte YMCA Judo Tournament