CMAA Monthly Newsletter - January Please enjoy this month’s newsletter and get important information about the following:
CMAA School Closings and Class Cancelations CMAA Holiday Party Recap Kungfu Sash Test Recap Tai Chi to CrossFit Journey- Bob Colluci Chinese New Year Celebration- CMAA’s Performances CMAA Welcomes ‘New Student’- Martial Arts Master Tom Collins Chinese Community Center ‘Excellence in Teaching Award’ recipient: Shifu Lucas Geller
Chinese Language Essay about Shifu Geller
CMAA Holiday Party Recap: WOW! What a special evening. The weather may have tried to deter us but in true CMAA fashion we braved the elements and came together. Once inside and warmed up it was definitely an evening of eating, drinking and being merry. Although not everyone could make it, it was wonderful to get our long time students together with the new generation just beginning at CMAA. In the spirit of the holiday season, it was very special to spend our time together with our other family – the CMAA family. I look forward to celebrating with you all again next year.
CMAA School Closings and Class Cancelations: Kungfu class will be canceled on Saturday 1/25. Please come to the Chinese New Year celebration in Clifton Park to support your team and enjoy the event!
Chinese New Year Performances -CMAA is in high demand! CMAA has been invited to showcase our talents at several Chinese New Year celebrations. We have organized a small group this year to perform at several Chinese New Year celebrations. We will be performing in Clifton Park on Saturday 1/25 and at SUNY Albany on 2/2. We are in the process of organizing a third performance at the East Greenbush YMCA to be held on Sunday 2/9. Please stay tuned for more details!
Kungfu Sash Test Recap:
As always I wanted to say great job to those of you who participated in December’s Sash Test. Although it was a regularly scheduled quarterly sash test, due to our month long competition preparation in September, we did not start new forms training until October. For this reason we had less time than usual to prepare. For those of you who put in the extra work over the last two months, congratulations to all of you!
In addition, I would like to congratulate those who chose NOT to sash test. You too demonstrate self-control. I know you too were excited to get your next sash and move on to something new but with an honest self-assessment, decided to wait until you knew you’d truly mastered your form. Keep up the hard work, we will test again soon and you will be all the better for having waited.
Master Tom Collins: CMAA is proud to welcome a “new student”- Tom Collins to our program. Tom Collins is a black belt with over 11 years of experience. As a high level martial artist, he specializes in jump kicks. Make sure to say “Hi” when you see him in class (you’ll recognize him as the new student who can touch the ceiling- with his feet).
Tai Chi to CrossFit Journey- Bob Colluci “To mark my one year anniversary (in CrossFit)I want to share my life experience with weight training. You can read about my exercise experiences over the last six decades at my blog”- Bob Colluci
http://rjclooch.blogspot.com/2013/12/my-personal-health-and-fitness-crossfit.html
Excellence in Teaching Award – Chinese Community Center On January 6th, Shifu Lucas Geller was the proud recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Capital District Chinese Community Center and Language School. “Just three years ago, I walked into the Community Center and asked if I could teach Kungfu. I wasn’t sure how they would react to me as I am clearly not Chinese. I know it was awarded because of my efforts on behalf of the program but I am also very proud of the award as I feel it’s a symbol of acceptance by the community.” - Lucas Geller.
Chinese Language Blog about Shifu Geller by former mentor at The Ohio State University http://blog.wenxuecity.com/myblog/60107/201401/1650.html
Summary As always, stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!
Best,
Shifu