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The club practices four times a week in the red barn just off Pitney Road in the city's Conestoga Pines Park.
Vandals, likely overnight Friday, shot dozens of arrows they found at the club through a Japanese flag, a picture of the founder of judo, mats and even lights and ceiling insulation, an assistant judo instructor said.
VIDEO: Vandals shoot judo club gear
They broke into the building through a window, knocked locks off storage cabinets and rummaged through them, Tara Keister said.
They apparently didn't take anything, but they caused damage to items valued at $1,000, she said.
"The amount of disrespect showed — these kids must be completely undisciplined," Keister said of the vandals.
The flag was pinned up to a mat and used as a target, Keister said. She didn't think it was a case of racism, but likely kids wanting to vandalize something.
The arrows pierced small holes in judo mats, Keister said. Some arrows' tips broke off inside the mats and, if they aren't all located, they could jeopardize the safety of the 60 members of the club. The members are routinely thrown to the mats during practice.
"It could cause serious injury to someone," she said. Also, the holes will eventually tear, causing the need for replacements.
A new, legal-sized, competition judo mat like one that was damaged costs between $5,000 and $7,000, said Audra Landers, director of sports services for Lancaster Recreation Commission, which oversees the judo club.
The 25 to 30 members who typically practice at the city-owned barn four times a week will continue to use the damaged foam mats, some of which were bought new this past spring, Keister said.
The club practiced Thursday night and discovered the vandalism Saturday morning and reported it to city police, she said.
The barn has been the frequent target of vandals and thieves in the four years the judo club has used it, Keister said.
Twice last winter, heating oil was siphoned through a pipe and stolen, Keister said. One time, it happened a few days after the several-hundred-gallon-tank was filled.
Graffiti was sprayed on the outside of the barn, and three times rocks were thrown through windows, she said. She believes this is the first time the vandals have entered the building.
The barn has outdoor lighting, but when an outside light is broken or goes out, a dark area is left where vandals can strike, Keister said. The window where the vandals broke into the barn this time was in such a dark area.
This latest case of vandalism has instructors at the center talking about improving security, she said. They want to add more outdoor lights and install a security system.
