Last May I got approached to co-host a tournament here in Asheville, NC.
The Carolinas Association of Chinese Martial Arts has a tournament in Charlotte every year and I’ve taken my students to it twice. Those of you in the US Kuoshou family may know some of the member sifu’s and schools as they go up to Maryland most years, I think.
Anyways, me, the other sifu here in Asheville and the rep from CACMA met for the first time this weekend to plan and organize.
The title of “Southern Appalachian Chinese Martial Arts Tournament” is basically a working title at this point but I think it might stick. We are going to be trying to reach over to east TN (including you JP and Master Mullins as well as the Wah Lum guy in Knoxville [if you happen to see this]) and down into GA and SC and up through VA.
We are not going to have any full contact this year but if this year works out then we will add Lei Tai later. So, basically it will be your basic forms and continuous sparring tournament. There will be Tai Chi divisions as well.
The basic mission of CACMA is a good one…no politics, just kung fu.
you can link to my school, the other teachers school and CACMA’s website.
a much, much hotter website built by Ming Yue will be up by the end of the week at the same page.
One note is that we will have a division for other internal forms besides tai chi. At this point we’re not going to break it down into Xingyi or Bagua or anything else but want to provide a place for other internal styles to compete. The other teacher involved teaches ba gua and he have another ba gua teacher in town as well as a teacher or two in SC.
I’ll make every effort to attend. I’ll discuss it with my teachers as well to see if anyone else would like to go from our schools (Scott there in Asheville sees Master G. Mullins more often than I do). Have you thought about Sifu Myers in Atlanta as well? Sean Stonehart is here often so they may (or may not) be interested as well.
There’s also another internal guy, Russel Sauls I think, here in Knoxville. There’s a CMA/IMA guy in Maryville, Richard Clear I think, that trained with some of MS2’s teachers.
I talked it over with my teacher and, unless something drastic happens (injury, family or financial) I’ll be there. I’m thinking about competiting is sparring and I might even do a form (even though I’m not the best forms person) What the hell. . . . Is there an over 30 division? I’m getting too stiff to deal with those gumby-type 20 year olds out there. My fiancée may also fight in the beginner division too.
I’ll mention it to Master Mullins Sunday. Bob Cummings will probably be there as well so we might get a few SD people there.
I placed 5th out of 14 at Taiji Legacy when I was 30 in the Advanced Northern division, and I know I was the oldest one in that category by at least 4 or 5 years. I won a bronze that year in the Long Weapons division. I also won a bronze and a silver at AAU nationals in the weapons categories (traditional staff and open divisions) that same year.
I saw a karate tourney once, a pretty big one called Shogun Day, with probably a good 400 competitors or more that broke down seniors into 10 year gaps
35+
45+
55+
they had at least a half dozen folks in each. it was pretty cool and allowed for older folks to keep competing.
The hung gar and wing chun schools involved with CACMA have lion dance teams and Mark Small does as well. So, at least 3 lions plus you and your group.
I don’t know when I’ll get around to learning it only so much time and honestly, it’s not a high priority for me. To much other stuff to learn.
thanks for the kind words yu shan. unfortunately, we will be in the middle of chinese new year performances and will not be able to attend. but hopefully we can come to the next one. it sounds like there are gonna be some quality people there. judge pens group are super people. i know yu shan will have a strong team as well. good luck oso and if i can ever help out, just let me know.if any of you guys are ever down my way, swing buy and will go get some dim sum in chinatown.
We thought about the fact that lot’s of schools will be in the middle of their own CNY activities but as Sifu Small’s New Year’s event is the basis of this tournament…
Our goal is to make this an annual event. So, maybe next year.
RHD just informed me that this tournament will be in Feb. for some reason I thought it was in May. Anyway, I’ll be looking into the tournament it will depend on how things are at that time over here but I might show up with some students.
You guys are the real deal down there in ATL. Most definitely will take you up on dim sum, there is a china-town in the ATL?
FWIW, I tell my group, if i were not doing mantis it would be CLF. Got introduced to CLF thru Chan Pui. Cherished moments with the late Master Lee Koon Hung.
My fiancée may also fight in the beginner division too.
