AnnMaria DeMars

AnnMaria De Mars, was born AnnMaria Burns on August 15, 1958 at Scott Air Field Base in Alton, Illinois. De Mars is a Rokudan (6th Degree Blackbelt), and was the first American to win a Gold medal at the 1984 World Judo Championships in Vienna. She is the mother to four daughters - sports journalist Maria Burns Ortiz, Jennifer Rousey, Olympic Bronze Medalist and UFC Bantamweight Champion Ronda Rousey, and Julia DeMars. De Mars is of Venezuelan descent.As a child, AnnMaria admits to being a short, fat, little kid that wore thick glasses, spent all her time sitting in her room, eating, and reading books. Her three brothers gave her the nickname "Stumpy" because she was built like a tree stump. AnnMaria's mother demanded she do some type of physical activity, so at the age of 12, she began training in Judo at the local YMCA.De Mars won her first judo competition, the USJA Nationals, at the age of 16. That same year she attended Washington University in St. Louis as a Business Major. At... [Details Intro]