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CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OUR BLACK BELTS-MAY 2009 On Saturday, May 9th, 2009, the Tat Wong Kung Fu Academy held its semi- annual Black Belt Test. The test lasted all day and ended in the evening with the Grand Finale Performance and official Belt & Tea Ceremony. Students of all ages and from the 3 Bay Area Tat Wong Academies of San Francisco, San Mateo and Concord came together for this great achievement. There was a total of 55 students testing. Eight of these were testing for 1st Degree Black Belts and four tested for 2nd Degree. The Day started at 10:00am at the 2901 Clement Street location. It was a closed session for the Black Belt candidates only and was directed by Master Tat-Mau Wong himself along with his top instructors. The candidates were taken through a full & rigorous day of techniques & self-defense, kicking, hand & weapon forms and preparation for the Grand Finale Performance At 5:00pm the festivities moved to the 601 Clement Street location of the Academy, and family, friends & classmates were invited to join the celebration. The evening started with the Grand Finale Performance, followed by refreshments & snacks. The evening concluded with the Traditional Black Belt & Tea Ceremony. When the evening was over, the Black Belts were exhausted but happy and their family and friends were extremely proud. And although receiving a Black Belt marks the end of a journey…. It also marks the beginning of an even greater journey. * Special thanks – Photographs courtesy of Bill Bauld & Thomas So HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS FROM ONE OF OUR NEW BLACK BELT GRADUATES – Mr. Thomas So Even though I was reassured by Sifu Felipe, Sihing Meng and my fellow students, I still felt nervous going into the Black Belt Test. After all of the years of training leading up to the test, the numerous times that I’ve performed the various kicks, self-defense, and hand forms and weapons, I thought I wouldn’t have felt that way. I found myself having “butterflies” in my stomach during the weeks leading up to the test. When we arrived at the studio and saw that the mats had been removed, I knew this was not going to be like any of the previous black belt test that I had seen in the past. Getting used to the floor without the mat made the hand forms that much more challenging, trying not to slide on the floor, but in the end I was very happy with my performance. Could I have done better? I’ve learned over the years of training, that I can always do better, whether it be a hand position on a panther fist, the turning of my waist, or the height of my stances. After completing the horse stance, which I thought would be the most challenging part of the test, Master Wong surprised us with the 408 push-ups which turned out to be the most challenging and yet most rewarding part of the the test. I was floating on cloud nine when the test was completed, and I’m happy to say, the feeling lasted, at least until I took my next class and started my journey to the next level of training. Thank you to Master Wong, all of the Sifus, Sehings, Sejehs, and fellow students that made for such a wonderful day. -Thomas So (San Mateo Tat Wong Kung Fu Student)-
CONGRATUALTIONS BLACK BELTS – MAY 9TH, 2009 BLACK BELTSTim Summers
1st Degree Black Belt Kylan T. Wong
2nd Degree Black Belt Avi Brenman
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