Plum Blossom Time



Last month, I went on a little martial arts adventure to the Plum Blossom Championship tournament in San Francisco. I saw an announcement for it at school, and found out that anyone who is a student at a Plum Blossom Federation school is eligible to participate. I was excited about the possibility of going to this event, but honestly didn’t feel that I was ready to compete in it, so I discussed it with my instructor.  We both felt it would be a great learning experience for me to attend and watch, so I decided to go. I’m glad I did, because it was one of the best experiences thus far in my brief martial arts career.

I left San Diego on  Friday; unfortunately, my planned “free time” in the City By The Bay was eaten up by flight delays, so I arrived much later in the day than I had planned. However, I did arrive in time to relax and unwind on Friday evening, so the day wasn’t all frustration and waiting around. Saturday morning I headed out for the tournament, with my camera charged up and ready to go. After the traditional Lion Dance to start things off, the tournament got underway. I was lucky enough to find a great seat right in front of the two rings where all of the Tai Chi events were held, and settled in for a full day of competition.

Like the Dragon Cup, this tournament has a wide range of competitors, both in age and rank. But competing against other schools in the Federation, as well as performing in front of Grandmaster Doc-Fai Wong seemed to motivate everyone to a higher level of performance.

With Tai Chi competition in the two rings directly in front of me, plus all of the Choy Li Fut events, there was so much to watch it was almost overwhelming at times. Mainly, I stayed focused on the Tai Chi events, but many of the Choy Li Fut performances were very impressive and grabbed my attention as well, particularly the weapon forms. In addition to hand forms, I saw weapon forms in both disciplines that I’d never seen before. The tournament also featured a lot of Choy Li Fut two person sets, which I had really enjoyed seeing at the Dragon Cup in May. The two-person sets using various combinations of weapons were particularly impressive.

There were a lot of little things to see in the performances. Some were subtleties reflecting the skill and experience of a particular martial artist, some were a result of the way a competitor had been taught, and some were simply personal style. All of this made the individual competitors interesting and enjoyable to watch (and kept me busy taking photos). I did pick up some little things which I can incorporate into my own practice, but more than that I was inspired by the skill of so many different people of all ages, sizes/shapes, and levels of ability.

Looking back on the day, here are some of my specific impressions and memories of the tournament:

•  Not everyone is as fortunate as the White Dragon schools when it comes to a venue for their tournament. The Plum Blossom Championship is held at the Kezar Pavilion in Golden Gate Park.* This facility was built in the 1920’s, and is very small (4,000 seats) compared to our tournament site. Inside, there is very little floor space other than the basketball court itself, so there is almost no open area to stretch, warm up, or just have some quiet time before going into the ring.  While the amenities may not be the best, everything seemed to run smoothly-the tournament staff seemed to keep things moving without a lot of high tech aids, and the overall atmosphere of the event was very congenial. Also, while the seating may not be that comfortable, spectators are closer to the action than they would be in a newer venue. Since I was there to observe and learn as much as I could, I appreciated the smaller scale of the Pavilion.

•  It is truly a special opportunity to see the instructors compete. There were impressive performances by students in every category, but the instructors were on a level of their own. Their years of work and dedication were very evident in everything they did in the ring. We students know our instructors are highly trained and very skilled, but sometimes I’m not sure we fully realize how much professional pride they have in their abilities and training. This was clearly evident in the quality and intensity of the performances when these ladies and gentlemen took the floor. Another special aspect of seeing your instructors perform is the opportunity to show your appreciation for them in a very public manner. When an instructor takes the floor or receives a medal, and his or her entire school is on their feet applauding in front of everyone else, that is a memorable moment.

•  Push Hands in the 4-5 year age group is about the cutest thing you will see at a tournament like this. The little ones tend to do their circling with their upper body and arms only, sort of a “1-2-3 Go!” action, but most of them did really well with the Push Hands concept of redirecting their opponent, and not getting into a force-on-force shoving match. They were also the only division of competitors to conclude their medal ceremony with a group hug.

•  I appreciate the hospitality of our White Dragon “extended family”**. A group from our Mira Mesa school noticed my White Dragon shirt, and invited me to sit with them.  I really enjoyed and appreciated this friendly reception from some of my “kung fu cousins.” Since I was at the tournament on my own, it was very nice to have some other White Dragon students and instructors to watch the competition, eat lunch with, and just enjoy the day.  One of the Mira Mesa students was kind enough to drive me back to my hotel at the end of the day, saving me the cab fare (and giving me some more time to enjoy talking kung fu with a fellow student instead of sitting in a cab).

Overall, it was a great experience-everything I was expecting, and more. I learned a lot from observing so many skilled and talented people, and was inspired by what I saw to work even harder in my own practice. I definitely want to go back to this tournament as a competitor, and hope that a lot of my “kung fu brothers and sisters” from White Dragon East County can join me and experience this great martial arts event.

*This little arena has a rather colorful history. When I mentioned it to the front desk clerk at the hotel, he told me that for many years the Kezar Pavilion was home to the SF Bay Bombers Roller Derby team, and various wrestling events. Apparently this building has seen plenty of punching and grappling over the years, even before the Plum Blossom Federation held its first championship there.

**This made the day all the more enjoyable. Although I tend to keep mostly to myself at events like this (not being anti-social, just fully involved in observing what’s going on, taking photos, etc.), I  appreciated this group reaching out to me and including me. We have a GREAT community atmosphere at our school, but we are also part of a larger clan, so to speak, and events like this provide an opportunity to connect with and learn from our extended family of fellow martial artists. I hope to see some of these people again at future White Dragon events.