So aside of Taiji Legacy, and other tourney in Dallas

[xcakid]

Is this the only all Kung Fu tournament in DFW?? Anyone of another??

[SanHeChuan]

Planning for next year:

July

Taiji legacy (http://www.chinwoo.com/) in Dallas/Plano

August

Houston International Martial Arts Championships (http://himachampionships.com/)

September

Amateur Athletic Union (http://www.aausports.org/sprt_ChineseMartialArts.asp?a=sprt_ChineseMartialA rts_home.htm) in Austin/Round Rock

October

Austin Martial Arts Festival (http://www.austinmartialartsfestival.org/index.php)

and...:confused:

[Shaolinlueb]

i dont think there is going to be a tjl next year. at least that is what i was told.

[MasterKiller]

i dont think there is going to be a tjl next year. at least that is what i was told.

I heard that, too. But Gene talked to someone that said it will happen.

[Shaolinlueb]

hmm lets see. my source heard it right from them. maybe they changed. if so i guess i will go.

[xcakid]

hmm lets see. my source heard it right from them. maybe they changed. if so i guess i will go.

Unless your source is Jimmy Wong himself :p , I am going with Gene on this one. During the opening ceremonies of this years TJL, Master Wong said that the next TJL is definite. Gene contacted Patty (VP and Treas of Chin Woo if I recall correctly) and she said everything is a go for future TJL's.

Doubt it will shut down for attendance. Also given the attendance and support, I don't see how they could be losing money. Only thing I can see is not being able to get insurance due to cost. That may shut it down.

[CLFNole]

I heard they might go to every 2 years instead of every year.

[GeneChing]

Last time I saw Jimmy, he said it would still happen, but he was looking at changing things up dramatically. He was saying that he was looking at a location change and a potential name change. I got the feeling he was doing this to keep things fresh. His student Patty Sun has always given me the impression that Jimmy likes to keep challenging himself (and his students) and keeps pushing the edge of the envelope. My gut feeling is that his plans for TJL are along these lines. So expect many changes, but Master Wong and Chin Woo have something planned for us in 2008.

The last time we spoke was at the Eagle Cup (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47582). Things may have changed since.

[MasterKiller]

If it goes away, just rememberwho broke the story back in May (http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46445).

[xcakid]

He was saying that he was looking at a location change and a potential name change.


Aww crap. TJL was on 5mins drive from my house. WTF is he thinking. I have half a mind to drive down his school beat some sense into him. ;)

[Shaolinlueb]

well i am glad its continueing i liked that one.

[xcakid]

Or perhaps any other open tournaments? Anyone have any ideas?

[MasterKiller]

ttt for Gene.

[sha0lin1]

Hey everyone,

Received word today that the Tai Ji Legacy for 2008 has been cancelled due to not securing a venue. Bummer. Also the Houston International tournament was cancelled as well due to the Olympics, double bummer. The email I got said that if they can secure a place in the near future they may have it in the fall.

[xcakid]

Well that only leaves the AAU tourney in Austin

[Three Harmonies]

The high cost of fuel / travel, coupled with inconsistent judging and scoring at CMA tournaments is going to lead to the downfall of many local, and regional tournaments. Though I must say it comes as a surprise to here the TJL is one of those that is going to tank:( Bummer. TJL and the Baltimore tourney are the biggest ones in North America if I am not mistaken.
Bummer,
Jake :cool:

[xcakid]

The high cost of fuel / travel, coupled with inconsistent judging and scoring at CMA tournaments is going to lead to the downfall of many local, and regional tournaments. Though I must say it comes as a surprise to here the TJL is one of those that is going to tank:( Bummer. TJL and the Baltimore tourney are the biggest ones in North America if I am not mistaken.
Bummer,
Jake :cool:


If you think CMA tourney have bad judging, you oughta go to some local open tournaments.

[GeneChing]

...but I wouldn't credit inconsistent judging as a source of downfall. Inconsistent judging has been with us since the inception of tournaments. The only way to clean up judging would be to establish judging standards and certification. This sort of program has been ongoing through many organizations, again since tournaments began. To really get that going, we'd need a national governing body and a sport that had a significant enough economy to warrant paid judges. As it is now, almost all judges are voluntary. So what do you want for free? It's an imperfect system for sure, but you can't just sit back and complain. "They're not fair so I won't play." I hear that too often and it's unbecoming of a warrior. If you don't like the judges, come out a judge. We're always looking for judges. I'm always amazed by how much time and energy judges will volunteer towards the cause. Sure, some are partial. But at least they are out there working it.

Actually tournaments have been rising, at least according to our parent company Tiger Claw (http://www.tigerclaw.com). I see this reflected in the increase in the tournaments posted on our calendar (http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/news/index.php)(although this might be an artifact the growth of our website too). There are more tournaments then ever. Tournaments took a nose dive right after 9/11. A lot had to be canceled and many promoters took heavy losses. Of course, they've all recouped that since then.

As for Taiji Legacy, they were doing quite well. Attendance has been steadily growing. I know Master Jimmy Wong was concerned about how to cap growth, which was one of the factors that led to changes this year. TJL was far from tanking. Anyone who was there last year can attest to its popularity. So why no TJL this year? I know Master Wong is the kind of guy that always likes to change up his game. His students often speak about how he's always looking to change things, to improve things, keep them on their toes. I respect him for that. I hope that he and his crew pull something new and wonderful together. I'm saddened to lose a great event, but hopeful that something will rise from the ashes.

[1bad65]

That Austin Martial Arts Festival is a gathering of many different arts right? I remember they had a BJJ tourny there last year.

[Three Harmonies]

More tournaments does not necessarily mean more participants. I think we are seeing more tourneys because people are less inclined to travel.
But what do I know.

[SanHeChuan]

That Austin Martial Arts Festival is a gathering of many different arts right? I remember they had a BJJ tourny there last year.

Yep, but turn out was poor last year. Only one dude showed up for no gi on the 2nd day. I don't know about the reg. Bjj comp.

But with all the other tournaments going down, this year should see more participation. Kung fu wise atleast. :p

[ngokfei]

White its sad that the event has been "postponed", according to the e-mail I got, it think holding it every 2 years would be a good idea.

Mainly I say this because having a tournament puts alot of stress on the hosting school (Mentally, physicallly and $$). And the students get burned out as well.

This is what probably also happened for Tat mau Wong. But as we know the tournament never came back, but his school did become more successful.


as for the politics hey thats just flavor to the pot. Its actually better to have independent tournaments. The acceptance of standard rules and judges training is the problem though.

the AAU is making a strong comback in this area. Just look at how they've incorporated democratic voting rules and regulations.

there have been alot of reasons given for the non-inclusion of Wushu in the olympics but an obvious one is that there was no unity amongst the organizations. While the IWUF recognized the WKF they did nothing for promoting the sport fairly and continously throughout the world. This was the key reason why Karate never made it in the olympics but Taekwondo did.

ex: China would come up with new Compulsories and rules but would not distribute them outside the country in a timely manner. Also they didn't send out the required coaches and trainers to prepare foreign athletes to compete. So as usual China was able to take the lead/wins. Fine for the motherland but a no no for an olympic sport.

Remember the Jamaican Bobsled team:D

anyhow what I'm really looking forward to is the 100th anniversary of the Chin Woo. thats going to be a cool event I hope to attend.

[sha0lin1]

That Austin Martial Arts Festival is a gathering of many different arts right? I remember they had a BJJ tourny there last year.


Yes, the Austin Martial Arts Festival is supposed to be a gathering of all Martial Arts. I have participated in it for the last two years. The first year had an o.k. turn out but I think that many people were disappointed due to the lack of organization and the turnout was not as big as anticipated, and a lot of the Masters that were there did not come back the second year because of this. I think the most participants were in the BJJ category.

The second year tournout was abismal but this was due to the lack of promotion. Some of the Masters that did show up were very disappointed, one told me that he was led to believe it was a bigger event than what it was and felt ripped off.
It was sad indeed, not sure if there will be another one due to the last two years. I know it can be very hard on the sponsoring school. It takes a lot of money to rent out a civic center and get volunteers and judges.

I was kind of disappointed in the martial arts community here as well, there are tons of martial arts schools in Austin, because they did not get behind this and support it. I feel that more participation from these schools would have led to a better event with more competitors. But again you can't really blame them for not supporting something as disorganized as it was in the first year and this may have left a bad taste in their mouths. Austin really needs something like this. But again a lot of blame for the event does lie with the promotor. Can't really have a big event without the promotion now can you? As for the AAU tournament, can't really say much on that one, I didn't go last year, but this year I will be going and encouraging some of my students to compete.

[1bad65]

Yeah, Austin is a very diverse city and that includes the MA community. I really wished it could have been better, as the premise of various arts and schools gathering and holding events is a good idea.

I tend to wonder if stupid MA politics are a factor for the small turnout. I will say that the BJJ turnout would have been alot bigger if not for politics.

Bullshido Throwdowns I have attended are quite friendly and politic-free. But I'll be the first to admit the majority of attendees are BJJ/MMA practitioners.

[masherdong]

Wow! They cancelled it?!?! That is 2 out of 4 tournaments that have been cancelled here in Texas. Last I checked, Sifu Dave Pickens is scheduling the AAU Tournament for Aug 16-17 somewhere in Austin. Hopefully that one doesnt get cancelled too! It looks like I may have to compete in the open karate tournaments. :(

[xcakid]

Hopefully that one doesnt get cancelled too! It looks like I may have to compete in the open karate tournaments. :(

That's what I am doing. Forms only though. Open tournaments only do point sparring. Which is, pardon the pun, pointless. Which they would at least have continious sparring.

Here's the org. that hosts all over TX. http://www.theaok.org/where2008.htm

[masherdong]

Here's the org. that hosts all over TX. http://www.theaok.org/where2008.htm

Yes, that is the org that I was going to go through. Some of them look promising like the U.S. Championships and the Ocean Nationals.

[sha0lin1]

This one is in San Antonio in May. I have never participated in it before. The promotors are Karate guys but it is an open tournament. I may check it out this year.

www.theworldinternationals.com

[xcakid]

This one is in San Antonio in May. I have never participated in it before. The promotors are Karate guys but it is an open tournament. I may check it out this year.

www.theworldinternationals.com

Ooohhh they have countinious sparring....gonna have to think about that one. Depedning on gas prices. SA is 4hrs drive from where I am.

[masherdong]

Looks really inviting!

[Pork Chop]

Ooohhh they have countinious sparring....gonna have to think about that one. Depedning on gas prices. SA is 4hrs drive from where I am.

let me know if you come down here :)

[xcakid]

let me know if you come down here :)

Gas drops to $2.50 a gallon by May, I am definitely coming down. Will shoot you a PM if I do. Lost you number cause I changed phone. You probably changed it since moving anyways.

[Pork Chop]

Gas drops to $2.50 a gallon by May, I am definitely coming down. Will shoot you a PM if I do. Lost you number cause I changed phone. You probably changed it since moving anyways.

sounds cool; yah I'm getting a new phone in may, till then it's the same; after that it'll be local san antonio.

[masherdong]

If the Houston Tournament was cancelled, then why dont the promoters of TJL look into the Stafford Center where the Houston Tournament was going to be at?

[xcakid]

If the Houston Tournament was cancelled, then why dont the promoters of TJL look into the Stafford Center where the Houston Tournament was going to be at?


Have they actually officially said that its cancelled, or this all hearsay?

Even TJL is not officially canceled. According to the email I got, and what everyone got as well, there is a chance they can secure the new venue in the fall.

[masherdong]

Even TJL is not officially canceled. According to the email I got, and what everyone got as well, there is a chance they can secure the new venue in the fall.

Well, they stated that IF they are able to secure a new location, then they will have it in the Fall.

Let's cross our fingers!

[xcakid]

Yes, that is the org that I was going to go through. Some of them look promising like the U.S. Championships and the Ocean Nationals.


Well I went to the Big D Open here in Dallas yesterday. Same org that is organizing the one in Houston. Matter of fact they were handing out flyers for it.

Here's my observation.

1) Aside from me, and some of Sifu Lee's(My Jhong Lawhorn) students, there weren't many traditional kung fu guys. The kung fu guys that showed up were far from traditional. Pretty much an eclectic type system that happened to include kung forms.

2) That said, the soft style division consisted of myself(traditional long fist), a lady that claimed to do wushu, but more like a bunch of made up moves and not your standard conteporary wushu compulsary forms. There were a bunch of Kenpo guys there. I manage to pull a 3rd place with a basic Gung Li Chuan in the black belt division :eek:

3) The weapons forms were all nunchuks, bo, and sai. I am the only that went on with a straightsword and was scored poorly. I think out of ten, I placed 5-6th. Not to toot my own horn, but I belive I nailed the form, far better than when I did it at Taiji Legacy.

4) I did not spar, but saw the sparring division. In the beginning and intermediate division, it was your classic karate "let's play tag" type point sparring. In the Advanced(brown and red belts) and black belt division, they allowed a heck of a lot more contact. Points were not being counted unless you made a good contact and heard a thud. There were quite a few contacts that caused the recipients to be dazed. Definitely not your typical point sparring. Matter of fact the womens black belt actually drew some blood. Again, never seen that before in point sparring. They were letting the advanced and black belts go at it. In the rules if you drew blood, you got DQ'd, they did not seem to follow that in the black belt division. They went 2mins and whomever scored the most won. I am thinking about sparring next time. Although I am probably gonna be disqualified for sweeping and trapping :D If I can just curtail that, at least I know I will not get DQ'd for making contact.

[masherdong]

Well I went to the Big D Open here in Dallas yesterday. Same org that is organizing the one in Houston. Matter of fact they were handing out flyers for it.

Here's my observation.

1) Aside from me, and some of Sifu Lee's(My Jhong Lawhorn) students, there weren't many traditional kung fu guys. The kung fu guys that showed up were far from traditional. Pretty much an eclectic type system that happened to include kung forms.

2) That said, the soft style division consisted of myself(traditional long fist), a lady that claimed to do wushu, but more like a bunch of made up moves and not your standard conteporary wushu compulsary forms. There were a bunch of Kenpo guys there. I manage to pull a 3rd place with a basic Gung Li Chuan in the black belt division

3) The weapons forms were all nunchuks, bo, and sai. I am the only that went on with a straightsword and was scored poorly. I think out of ten, I placed 5-6th. Not to toot my own horn, but I belive I nailed the form, far better than when I did it at Taiji Legacy.

4) I did not spar, but saw the sparring division. In the beginning and intermediate division, it was your classic karate "let's play tag" type point sparring. In the Advanced(brown and red belts) and black belt division, they allowed a heck of a lot more contact. Points were not being counted unless you made a good contact and heard a thud. There were quite a few contacts that caused the recipients to be dazed. Definitely not your typical point sparring. Matter of fact the womens black belt actually drew some blood. Again, never seen that before in point sparring. They were letting the advanced and black belts go at it. In the rules if you drew blood, you got DQ'd, they did not seem to follow that in the black belt division. They went 2mins and whomever scored the most won. I am thinking about sparring next time. Although I am probably gonna be disqualified for sweeping and trapping If I can just curtail that, at least I know I will not get DQ'd for making contact.

That is the thing about the AOK, from what I have heard, it is all politics. For example, if you are a competitor that has shown up at a few AOK Tournaments, then the judges tend to lean to your favor than someone who hasnt been there. If you continue to go to AOK tournaments, then I am sure that you will be placing higher.

[xcakid]

That is the thing about the AOK, from what I have heard, it is all politics. For example, if you are a competitor that has shown up at a few AOK Tournaments, then the judges tend to lean to your favor than someone who hasnt been there. If you continue to go to AOK tournaments, then I am sure that you will be placing higher.


We shall see. Since there won't be any Traditional KF tournaments this year in my area, I am stuck with them for a while. Planning on going to at least 4 more this year.

[GLW]

AOK and other Karate type events bewilder me.

First, if you do a Chinese style and compete in forms, they have ONE division. I mean, how much can you get out of competing with Taijiquan in the same division with Long Fist, Hung Gar, and Contemporary Wushu? And can you REALLY classify Long Fist or Hung Gar as Soft Style?

Then you get to the weapons.... The last one of these I went to, they had ONE weapons division. OK...spear vs. staff vs. bo vs. broadsword vs. Kwan Dao...and so on.... Strange.

Now the last one of these I went to, I was a spectator..or so I thought. I went because I had a junior level classmate who was competing. I get in and soon hear my name called on the PA. I went where I was called for - expecting to be helping my classmate - NOT SO. I was drafted to be a judge.

Now, I have a LOT of judging experience at Chinese events...but these guys didn't know me from Kermit the Frog. I was polite and agreed. They introduced me to my fellow judges - wherein the first question was what degree black belt I was. Now, NONE of my teachers have ever done the belt thing. My belt holds up my pants or matches my uniform...nothing else. I stated that My teachers did not use belts but followed it with how many years I had been training. They all looked puzzled.

I judged...and noted that the louder the competitor yelled his or her name before doing anything, the better they scored them. I saw recognition levels when the competitor announced their name, style, and form...and the higher the recognition level, the better the score...even though to me, I saw many of them that were not deserving of the scores they got. In fact, there was one competitor from Japan that I recall to this day. He did one of the best traditional Japanese forms I had ever seen - came in third - he did not yell at the judges and was not a known name.

They did the "Will all black belts not competing please come to..." announcement at one point in time. I later found out that they were populating rings with judges and that pretty much anyone could go over and claim to be a black belt.

Sorry...I don't understand why a competitor would pay money for this.

[xcakid]

AOK and other Karate type events bewilder me.

First, if you do a Chinese style and compete in forms, they have ONE division. I mean, how much can you get out of competing with Taijiquan in the same division with Long Fist, Hung Gar, and Contemporary Wushu? And can you REALLY classify Long Fist or Hung Gar as Soft Style?

Then you get to the weapons.... The last one of these I went to, they had ONE weapons division. OK...spear vs. staff vs. bo vs. broadsword vs. Kwan Dao...and so on.... Strange.

Now the last one of these I went to, I was a spectator..or so I thought. I went because I had a junior level classmate who was competing. I get in and soon hear my name called on the PA. I went where I was called for - expecting to be helping my classmate - NOT SO. I was drafted to be a judge.

Now, I have a LOT of judging experience at Chinese events...but these guys didn't know me from Kermit the Frog. I was polite and agreed. They introduced me to my fellow judges - wherein the first question was what degree black belt I was. Now, NONE of my teachers have ever done the belt thing. My belt holds up my pants or matches my uniform...nothing else. I stated that My teachers did not use belts but followed it with how many years I had been training. They all looked puzzled.

I judged...and noted that the louder the competitor yelled his or her name before doing anything, the better they scored them. I saw recognition levels when the competitor announced their name, style, and form...and the higher the recognition level, the better the score...even though to me, I saw many of them that were not deserving of the scores they got. In fact, there was one competitor from Japan that I recall to this day. He did one of the best traditional Japanese forms I had ever seen - came in third - he did not yell at the judges and was not a known name.

They did the "Will all black belts not competing please come to..." announcement at one point in time. I later found out that they were populating rings with judges and that pretty much anyone could go over and claim to be a black belt.

Sorry...I don't understand why a competitor would pay money for this.

LOL That's a pretty good summation.

I had an Isshin Ryu guy in the soft style divsion with me. He did his form all slow like taichi. :D

They actually gave me $10 back of my registration for agreeing to be a "back up judge" but I never heard my name called so, that was fine by me. I guess they were set for judges cause I never heard any call for judges.

The "kiai" factor was very high. Seems they "kiai" with every single movement. I "kiai" at the begining and end of my form. :D Had I "kiai" 2-3 more times, I coulda gotten 2nd place.

I actually go to competitions to just have fun and compare my progress to others. I sort of enjoy seeing other styles and actual talent. Talent sometimes do not always win. Flashiness does. Oh well. If you go in expecting that, no problem. I was actually surprised they called my name for 3rd place. I was not even paying attention to the scoring. Given my expectations, it was a good day.

There sure were some good looking karate chicks around. I think I will make this my future Mrs. Xcakid hunting ground.

[GLW]

The last time I competed - been a LONG time ago... I went to an open event. I competed in a couple of events but the one that sticks in my mind was the weapons event.

I was doing my Da Dao (sort of like the Kwan Dao but no pike at the bottom and the blade is longer and not as wide as the Kwan Dao).

First, when I walked out to perform, I heard one of the "judges" say to another "What the he11 is THAT" They were both Karate type guys. I thought "Well, this is going to be interesting"

Now, there is one section of the routine that I did that does a block back over the head with the weapon followed by a counter attack to the neck of what would be the opponent. It is intended to be done with the block flowing very quickly into the attack AND since the idea is to behead the opponent, the move is done with a jump and spin around to get sufficent power. Many people do such a move and sort of stop the power but I usually drilled that one so it went fast, fluid, and all the way through.

I could hear the same judge saying "what would you do that for?"

After he scored me, someone came up and asked me about the weapon. Karate folks had not seen such a thing before. Standing in earshot of the the clueless judge, I had a classmate do an attack - blocked above and jumped to spin.... showing that he was opened from the weight and force of the block...to a beheading. I said "Unless you are REALLY strong, you would probably not be able to take off the head without the spin...but you would still get the kill..."

The judge sort of turned red in the face as I looked at him...

Last time I competed in an Open event.

[xcakid]

After he scored me, someone came up and asked me about the weapon. Karate folks had not seen such a thing before. Standing in earshot of the the clueless judge, I had a classmate do an attack - blocked above and jumped to spin.... showing that he was opened from the weight and force of the block...to a beheading. I said "Unless you are REALLY strong, you would probably not be able to take off the head without the spin...but you would still get the kill..."

The judge sort of turned red in the face as I looked at him...

Last time I competed in an Open event.

Yep that about says it. These guys really do not know applications to KF forms. I wanted to do Xiao Hong Quan for my form or even Da Hong Quan, but I know it would be lost to these guys. So I did Gung Li Chuan instead. Its the hardest style form I know. I even added a tornado kick and a couple of jumping front kicks just to flash it up. No regard for application, just flash. I was also thinking about doing Lien Bu Chuan to coincide with Karate's block punch type forms, but that would've too boring. :D

[GLW]

Totally amazing.

I was judging at a event that Lily Lau did in SF several years ago. Head judge for the Trad. Northern division. We had a group of competitors who came out and literally did Gong Li Quan in the men's advanced division.

Judges were people like Henry Chung and such... All recognized this for what it was - NOT an advanced level routine. Taht combined with the fact that they were all sloppy - poor stances, fast but not powerful.... and the best score they got was around an 8.3 (8.0 was the low score for advanced there).... I recall a judges meeting where we all pretty much agreed that the BEST score we would give for someone doing perfect Gong Li Quan was around an 8.8 - and that was if EVERYTHING was perfect...simply because it was NOT an advanced level form. You were just not able to show advanced level northern abilities with it.

But an open tourney - :)

Well, I did show Lian Bu Quan to a Karate friend of mine a long time ago. He said that given that it had even one kick in it, it would be at minimum a BROWN BELT form in his style.

WTF :(

[masherdong]

Soo, I guess if I dont scream my name, style, and form name that I wont score well. Also, if I dont kiai after every movement, I wont score well. This pretty much tells me that they dont want CMA practitioners to come. Look, at the CMA Tournaments that I went to last year, no one was yelling anything. It was actually quite nice.

GLW - Where in Houston are you training at?

[GLW]

When training, I am with Xiaoping Wu, Madam Wang Jurong's daughter and Dr. Wu Chengde, Madame Wang's husband. Before her death, I studied under Madam Wang for 16 years.

I also have a small class that I teach (mainly Taijiquan) in the Galleria area.

Right now, I WISH I could say I was training. I ruptured a tendon and so I am on crutches - a couple more weeks - followed by a funky shoe brace and rehab for a few months.

When you can't stand up, it is a pain to come up with things that are interesting and still training to do.

Crutches SUCK.

[xcakid]

Soo, I guess if I dont scream my name, style, and form name that I wont score well. Also, if I dont kiai after every movement, I wont score well. This pretty much tells me that they dont want CMA practitioners to come. Look, at the CMA Tournaments that I went to last year, no one was yelling anything. It was actually quite nice.



Yeah one thing different between CMA tourneys I've been to and the open tourneys is that in CMA tourneys you don't have to present, for the most part the judges have your info on a sheet and know of or actually know the form you are doing from the first few moves, even though each styles adds their own flavor to it.

As far as the kiai, at TJL last year those Traditional Southern guys were doing all the kiai. Us northern guys were pretty low keyed. Nothing compared to the Taiji guys though :D

[masherdong]

GLW,

Here is a link that talks about GM Jurong and her family.

http://ezine.kungfumagazine.com/magazine/article.php?article=653

Sorry to hear about the tendon. Heal fast!

[GLW]

Thanks for the link. The photo of her with sword, the flowers, etc... were mine. We have the framed versions in the school now.

I don't recall things from that day too clearly. I did one of her eulogies - most talked about her in the martial world. I chose to talk about her as my teacher, mentor, sort of adopted second mother - the things she liked and did - like many people did not know that she was an amazing cook, seamstress, artist, encyclopedia of wushu AND history (as is Dr. Wu), and LOVED to go shopping - to buy or just look. Many is the time she would walk my wife and I into the ground shopping.

My daughter's name is Xurong (OK...the actual pinyin spelling should have been Shurong---but we figured that romanization is subjective...living in Texas, we just didn't like the Sh spelling - go figure) We named her after my teacher. the character for the RONG part of her name is the same as the one in Ju Rong for Madam Wang. (You don't name the exact name for a Chinese name) - Madam Wang's was a contraction of two flowers - Ju Hua and Rong Hua. My daughter's name translates to "person with a kind heart" which we figured was a good testament to our teacher. Madam Wang was planning on training her...but things happen. She is now learning from Xiaoping (Madam Wang's daughter).

One day, during a private class, Madam Wang asked me how we came to name our daughter. I looked at her and asked if she really had to ask. She said yes. I then told her it was to honor her. She smiled and then said that she knew that - but just wanted to hear me say it out loud. Definitely miss her every day.

[xcakid]

Soooo.....is the Houston (HIMAC?) tournament definitely cancelled this year?