Tiger Claw Elite KungFuMagazine.com
Championship （North America Shaolin KungFu Games）
On Sunday May 5th, 2024 many SKZ students went to the South Hall on Market Street to participate in the Tiger Claw tournament. Staff and students all showed up early to register and begin. As more and more people started filling up the venue, staff began announcing for competitors to enter the rings and the competitions finally began. Rings 5 and 6 started first which accommodated most of the beginner level competitors first. Soon, the other rings began to open up for first timers, intermediate and advanced.
As our competitors arrived, we all helped each other get situated for the competition. Many of the parents were able to help each other figure out how the ring organization worked and shared information with each other. Shifu Vincent was able to lead our students into finding areas to warm-up before the competition started. Nicole and Shifu Andy helped clear any confusion if anyone had any questions on where they should go. Once the tournament was announced to begin, the rings were cleared and people began lining up.
Two SKZ members had also volunteered to take part as judges in rings 3 and 4. These were among the most busy rings in the venue. Once they got started, there was almost no room for break, and no time to cheer on the SKZ competitors. Any SKZ students who came to these rings were given support and advice, but impartial treatment none the less. The scoring was done in an honest and fair manner.
Our competitors all did very well, they had no problems cheering for each other and performed well to the best of their ability. Their cheers for each other could be heard from across the venue which let everyone know of our school spirit. The majority of SKZ’s competitors spent their time in rings 5 and 6 but there were a few competitors spread out across the other rings. Many of our competitors performed well and were able to get a satisfactory result.
Justin Lai, one of our competitors entered in the advanced division and was able to win the title of Grand Champion. This is a title given to an individual who’s average score across three forms is the highest within their division. Congratulations on becoming Grand Champion for the Tiger Claw tournament! We look forward to your performance in the upcoming Golden State tournament!
To all the competitors who participated, we commend you for showing up and conquering your fears. You showed up, performed your hearts out, and gained great experience. If you didn’t get the result you would have liked, there’s always next year. To all the parents, thank you for supporting your children through this endeavor. These tournaments always prove to be major milestones in their growth and your role has fostered that.
