Back in November of 2015 i received an invitation from Zhang Laoshi the coach of the Hawaii Wushu team to be a judge at the 1st Hawaiian Wushu/Kungfu tournament. This was an offer i could not refuse as it was history in the making. Never before was their a Chinese martial arts competition of this magnitude on Hawaiian soil. back in 2012 i spend 3 months in Hawaii studying Organic Farming, but before that i spent some time training/teaching at Zhang Laoshi Wushu school in Honolulu. We were on good terms as i would go back to train often.
This time around i took a few of my students to compete and it was also a good excuse for a vacation at the same time.
We got there 4 days earlier so we can settle in , do some training and also sight seeing.
The first day we focused on training outside at the park and adjusting to the 6 hour time difference.
The next day we would do some early training then hit Hanauma bay for some sun, fun and snorkeling.
The rest of the week was more of the same, training and beach time for some relaxation.
The Competition started on the weekend, it was hot and sweaty in the gym, but it still managed to be enjoyable at the same time. Everyone had a great time, this tournament was more about fun and celebrating Chinese martial arts, it wasn't crazy competitive like what you would see on the US or Canadian mainland.
The Sunday was more about seminars, many different masters from China and America came to teach some more Chinese arts like Bagua, Taichi, Qigong and other various kungfu styles.
Finally afterwards was the closing dinner. It was fun as i got to see the other competitors in a more relaxed atmosphere.
I did a short demonstration of my southern fist while other masters demonstrated there specialties.
Former US Team member Ngan Ta Ha was also there to judge and perform.
Overall the Competition was everything it set out to be, not overly ambitious, just some kungfu practitioners getting together in the spirit of sharing a beautiful art form in one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet in my opinion.
