Publish Date:2019-01-04
? Politicians of the State and city level and elite from all walks of life gathering in congratulating and helping compete ?
On December 8, 2018, the year-end campaign, Shaolin Warriors Meet held by Shaolin Temple USA, was grandly held in Fremont, Silicon Valley, California, USA. Shaolin Warriors Meet is Shaolin cultural center’s school sports of the year. Each year Shaolin Temple USA’s units, including multiethnic students and families from Shaolin cultural centers in San Francisco, Fremont, Sunnyvale and Shaolin Kungfu class of Stanford University, get together to conduct Kungfu competition, performance, and mutual learning to ring the old year out and the new year in.
This year’s Shaolin Warriors Meet unprecedentedly attracted politicians of the state and city level, including the Representative of California and chairman of California Tourism Culture Committee Zhu Gansheng and his wife Zhou Yunju, Fremont city mayor Lily Mei, chairman of the Fremont Board of Education in Unified School District Shao Yang, the councilor of Saratoga Zhao Yan, member of Scientific Advisory Board in Unified School District Xu Yulin, the founder of Northern California Chinese Culture – Athletic Association Mr. Dai Qi as well as many friends from all circles.
Meanwhile consul-general of the Chinese Consulate in San Francisco Wang Donghua, and director of the Physical Education department of Xian Physical Education University Dr. Ma Wenguo sent their congratulatory message respectively.
Executive director of Shaolin Temple USA Master Yanran expressed his heartfelt gratitude for guests’ attendance, volunteers’ support and students’ joining in the welcome speech. The event demonstrated the true meaning of Shaolin spirit. Master Yanran wished all students would get good grades.
“An annual Shaolin Warriors Meet gives us an opportunity to review and indicate our learning outcomes for one year while enriching experiences of Kungfu practice through mutual learning and improving each other. It is hoped that students could breed the spirit of Shaolin heroism under the influence of Shaolin culture and Kungfu practice. So far, Shaolin disciples have distributed into every corner of the world. If Shaolin culture could be more widely spread around the world in the future, the spirit of Shaolin heroism will bring a more peaceful, harmonious society to the world.”
The Representative of California, Fremont city mayor Lily Mei and the councilor of Saratoga Zhao Yan delivered speeches respectively and issued the certificate of recognition. They thanked Master Yanran for bring Shaolin Kungfu and profound Shaolin culture to the United States and encouraged participants to make still further progress.
After the oath of the athlete and representative of judges, masters and students of Shaolin cultural centers performed wonderful Shaolin Kungfu and Health Qigong for guests, participants and audience.
Then the 2008 Olympic Wushu champion Zhao Qingjian announced the open of the school sports meeting.
? Chinese and American senior martial arts predecessors presiding over the group of judges ?
Founder and chief director of Chinese Wushu Competition Zhang Guoxuan was specially invited as the Superior Judge of the Shaolin Warriors Meet. Former director of technical supervision committee of Guangdong Provincial Traditional Wushu Championship and director of Shaolin Wellness Center Master Li Ningyao, and Master Yanyong of Silicon Valley Shaolin Cultural Center served as the head judges of the two venues. National first-level Health Qigong instructor and referee Zhou Shufen, trainee coach of Beijing Capital University of Physical Education and Sports as well as Master Hengwu, Master Hengyuan, Master Hengxiu, Master Hengzhen, Master Hengshen, Master Hengti and others participated in the refereeing work.
? The overall level of students improved in the fierce competition ?
The school sports meeting included more than 60 individual and team events as well as the “Happy Shaolin Family Cup” of parent-child performance. The competition set the senior pentathlon and the primary and secondary triathlon events. Individual events mainly aimed to examine students’ basic training, all levels of Shaolin boxing and traditional weapon routines and auxiliary techniques. On the basis of Shaolin Kungfu, it mainly took the expression and performance level of programming, orderliness, originality and team spirit as the scoring criterion. All of them pay attention to representations of Shaolin Kungfu’s characteristics, connotation and vigor, whether it is individual or group events.
Since Shaolin Temple USA started teaching Shaolin Kungfu eleven years ago, generations of students have begun studying Shaolin Kungfu from their childhood. Then they grew a bright and brave young man. If he graduated from high school, he still continued to practice Kungfu in university, which would be an exciting thing.
In this year’s the Shaolin Warriors Meet, there were more young students participating in the competition than in the past. The youngest student just turned four-year-old. Compared to brothers and sisters, their serious attitude in the competition was pretty good. They also got good grades in the competition. This year high levels of students competed more severely. But they had made obvious progress this year than in the last. Many competitors’ scores, especially in all-around champion’s contest, were only a gap of 0.001 score.
? The performance for Happy Shaolin Family Cup moving audience and manifesting Shaolin Kungfu Chan ?
The purpose of Shaolin Kungfu Chan gave Kungfu practitioners except an opportunity to check study achievements and another aim was to promote family health, family interests and family harmony. Since 2014, family program have been set. Parent-child performance has become one of the most-anticipated items. This year there were eight families from Shaolin cultural centers to participate in the performance. There were different combinations in family teams. Whatever father-and-son, brather-and-brather, mother-and-sons of three or a family of four or six, vividly showed fun and joy the whole family practiced Kungfu through simple stories. Especially parent-child interaction brought joy to audience and stuck deep into the minds of people. Warriors of the Ye family who were composed of Children aged 5-14 led by mother displayed not only the joy of Kungfu family, but also the imposing manner, which was heatedly discussed.
After watching the performance of family teams, teacher Fang Guoxuan said: “There are kinds of competitions and only this kind of competition binds people together. I think it is an important dimension.”
Parent-child performance does not belong to competition events and does not measure whose Kungfu level is higher than other people. But referees said that all of them were deeply moved by the Kungfu Family item. Chief referee Li Ningyao said, “Family-tied Kungfu sport can promote family harmony and health.” Teacher Zhou Shufeng noted, “The main attraction of a family item like this in the competition is programming and vivid, warm stories of practicing Kungfu with families.” The young referee, teacher Gu Liheng also thought that parent-child performance was a moving link in the arena.
Master Yanran concluded: “Kungfu is not only able to improve physical fitness and defend self, but also form life bond with Kungfu in union. It is the Kungfu Chan and also Shaolin Kungfu different from others.”
? Group event manifesting creative programming and team spirit ?
The finale of Shaolin Warriors Meet was the group event except boxing of pentathlon senior class and traditional weapons. Five multi-disciplinary academic staffs of the delegation of Shaolin Kungfu class from Stanford University participated in the group event and won the championship. School teams included San Francisco’s youth team and child team, Fremont youth team and Sunnyvale family team from Silicon Valley. Each team showed their patent programming and team spirit. Fremont youth team took the crown with much more wonderful group and individual performance and the sparring session.
? High scholarship awarding all-around champion, team spirit and family event ?
When fierce competition was over, the sports meeting awarded nearly 300 Cup and medals and $7,000 scholarship to winners.
Three all-around champions were crowned:
Senior class: individual pentathlon winner Chen Fengqi got a $1,500 scholarship;
Secondary class: individual triathlon winner Stephen T. Delaney got a$800 scholarship;
Junior class: individual triathlon winner Sarah Ye got a $500 scholarship.
School teams’ scholarship will be used as team building:
Champion: Fremont central youth team got a$800 scholarship.
Other three participated school teams got a$300 scholarship respectively.
Shaolin family Kungfu performance included eight families and three of them came from Shaolin cultural centers. Each family participating in competition got a$300 scholarship.
The 2018 Shaolin Warriors Meet had a complete success as people shouted: “Happy New Year 2019新年快樂!”(Editor: Faxi)
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