Monthly Newsletter – July Dear Friends,
Summer's here! From seminars, to competitions, demo’s and parties, you won’t want to miss out on the action.
School Closings Kungfu Sash Test 3rd Annual Kungfu Wushu Competition European Wushu Kungfu Champion Benoit Denolle Returns to CMAA Wushu in Shortlist of Added Events for 2020 Olympics Student of the Month – Sam “The Man” Carusone Chinese Cultural Gala Demo Recap Dragon Girls Documentary Beautiful Tai Chi Performance
As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!
Best,
Shifu School Closings CMAA will be closed Friday and Saturday, July 3rd and 4th for the July 4th weekend!
Saturday July, 4th, Combatives will be held as regularly scheduled at 2:00 PM!
Please enjoy the weekend. All other classes will be held as regularly scheduled.
Chinese Cultural Gala Demo Recap:
Thanks everyone for coming out and showing your support. You guys did awesome. You were the highlight of the event (in my humble opinion).
Kungfu Sash Test: June 28
Great job to those of you who participated in June’s Sash Test. Due to the New Jersey competition and demo prep we were a little preoccupied with working our old routines and less focused on drilling new forms. However you rose to the occasion and brought you’re ‘A’ game to the test. Congratulations to all of you who worked hard and performed your best- keep up the good work!
3rd Annual Kungfu Wushu Competition: July 25th
If you are interested in competing, this is a great opportunity. CMAA will be organizing a competition team to participate in the 3rd Annual Kungfu Wushu Competition. Yellow sashes and above are encouraged to compete. Everyone is welcome to come and support your team! As a smaller tournament with simple organization, this competition has been a good venue for new competitors.
Just like sash tests, the true value of competition is still self-improvement. All the fun and team bonding is just a nice extra!
Online Registration here:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UuPl3A43Iy3FKKOSlouTAJfhWWZUCQLb-0Z54kpdDUU/viewform
Date: Saturday, July 25. Competition begins at 10am sharp. Location: Hopkins Academy High School Gymnasium. (1.5-2 hours from Albany, NY)
European Wushu Kungfu Champion Benoit Denolle Returns to CMAA
CMAA will be hosting European Wushu Kungfu Champion and good friend, Benoit Denolle for 3 weeks of training, coaching, seminars and FUN! Stay tuned for all the details, you won’t want to miss any of the action!
If you didn’t get to meet Ben during his year at Union College, please read his article “Why Wushu is My Life Today”: http://www.martialartsalbany.com/why-is-wushu-my-life-today/
Wushu in Shortlist of Added Events for 2020 Olympics
"Wushu has been included in a shortlist of sports seeking to join the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee accepted eight of the 26 sports that sought to be added to the 2020 Games, including a joint bid from baseball and softball. The seven others were bowling, karate, roller sports, sport climbing, squash, surfing and wushu, reports Xinhua."
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sports/wushu-in-shortlist-of-added-events-for-2020-olympics-1010453.html
Student of the Month – Sam “The Man” Carusone You’ll recognize him with his head down to the mat in a full straddle split. He pushes himself hard during class. Sometimes he goes so hard I’ve found myself running over to check if he’s alright! But that’s not the only thing that makes this kid great. One of the things that’s always made him stand out is that no matter how exhausted he is from conditioning he always says “Thanks for class!” when it’s over. For his hard work and consistent gratitude, Sam Carusone is July’s Student of the Month!
Shifu: What drew you to martial arts? Sam: I tried many sports, and none of them appealed to me like Kung Fu does. After I train hard, I always leave feeling better about myself."
Shifu: What are a few of the main things you have learned? Sam: Never to give up no matter how hard it is, try to figure out a way to preserve and great things will happen."
Shifu: What’s your favorite part of training? Sam: I really like learning new forms especially with weapons. I can't wait to learn Spear and Straight Sword.
Shifu: What's your favorite subject in school and why? Sam: I love Science! I always have since I was old enough (3yrs.old) to read and research things. I'm naturally gifted in this area. I want to discover something big, find a cure, or just make a major contribution in science for our Earth.
Shifu: If you could give any advice to someone who is interested martial arts, what would it be? Sam: If you don't like to work hard, be part of an amazing team or thank your Shifu for class everyday, than CMAA might not be for you.
Shifu: Anything else about yourself you’d like to share? Sam: I consider myself a lucky kid- God has truly blessed me. I'm healthy and smart, I'm a good friend and I have an awesome sister and a mom who always encourage me no matter what!
Great talking with you Sam! Keep up the hard work!
Dragon Girls Documentary This amazing documentary follows the life of several girls who have dedicated themselves to the rigors of studying Kungfu in China. Having trained with several youth teams in China, I was particularly in awe of several young girls I trained with in Nanjing. Two went on to the provincial Wushu team and only one has turned professional. They’re stories are very similar. The documentary is well worth watching.
Dragon Girls Trailer:
Link to Dragon Girls Full Movie: https://vimeo.com/69101024
Beautiful Tai Chi Performance Please enjoy this beautifully choreographed synchronized Tai Chi performance.
Summary
As usual please stay tuned for more exciting action at CMAA!
Best,
Shifu