First off, SHAME on all you students who skipped this event. There is only one event each year that you can hope to have an opportunity to even meet all of our students from each region, and this was it. You might not care about others, but there's someone else who cares about you. Plus, there's a possibility that people skipped because they just don't care for "tournaments", or "competing", or they're self-conscious and don't want others "judging" their kung fu... This weekend was not about a tournament. It was about OUR New Year Celebration. It was about all of us coming together, being together, and celebrating together... and also having fun and sharing pain.
Second, Police or Firemarshall don't really need to come, since we were all over the news... we'll probably just get some complaint in the mail or something...
Third, the next time ANYONE sees me doing one of Sifu's training regimens (or anything involving cinder block and ankle weights) right before a tournament... slap me upside the head! But, for all the pain and weakness of my own that I had to put up with, the food was good, the company was great, and at least the weather kind of cooperated... (hey, it's january, we could all have been there, buried in snow and ice... the ice waited until afterward, at least) and I'm actually glad that, against my better judgement, I got out of bed that morning
I also would like to say a big THANK YOU to all of the volunteers that my mom, Milly Walls, rounded up to help her. I know she specifically arranged for herself to be there, as well as Sharon Asher (Sean Asher's mom), and Sara Chavez (Simon Chavez's wife). I would like the thank the Dragon Inn II for the excellent food which was very reasonably priced... Food by the pan really doesn't seem like such a bad way to go... I would like to thank all the spectators for not shrieking in terror as blood and bodies were flung at them...
... ok, just kidding... there wasn't THAT much blood nor bodies flying around... and there probably were a couple of shrieks, now that I think about it...
Congratulations to all of our competitors. Screw the winners, they get enough congratulations already.
Just kidding. Seriously, Congrats to EVERYONE who competed. It's not easy to put your kung fu on display for everyone to "judge". We all have reasons we don't want others to see us do things, like our forms, which we spend all that time training... just to continually whine that we suck at them so much. Seriously, EVERY martial arts school I've been to before, people usually BRAG about something... It seems like here, everyone stuck on how much they suck, or how they're still "working on it", so others won't understand or will misjudge them in some way. For all of you with the strength to overcome your own self-consciousness, you have my respect, and seriously, CONGRATULATIONS!
Oh, and thank God that no one was seriously hurt (yeah, Kendal, I know you broke your thumb, but we won't count that as serious because it was your own fault
), oh, and thank God that no one flew into the food, since the red sash sparring (definitely the liveliest bunch we've had in a while) took place just a matter of feet from where the food was served. Sifu, the idea of protecting the food with spectators worked!
Anyway, guys and gals, my only regret about this weekend is that the weather chased everyone away so quickly, as we normally get to spend so much more time together on our New Year's celebrations. Dang you, Sifu, for making things go so quickly this year!
(ok, not really my only regrets... Sihing Kurt, I'm really sorry I drew blood, I was really trying to not hit very hard... and Sihing Bart... ok, not very sorry about kicking you, but sorry that it knocked the wind out of you. It really was meant to be a hip check... you just move around too much when someone's attacking you
)
OH, for all of us who needed someone to tell us what "Kung Hei Fat Choi" means, much less can say it properly...
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
