2021 Shaolin Warriors Meet

Shaolin Warrior Spirit: Quest for Excellence

— Opening Ceremony —

The 11th Shaolin Warriors Meet, Shaolin Temple USA’s signature year-end event was held on December 11, 2021 online with great success. Students of diverse age groups and ethnic backgrounds from both American coasts participated in this annual intramural Kung Fu competition and displayed their achievements in Shaolin Kung Fu training. Over 10,000 US dollars in scholarships, more than 60 trophies and 250 medals were awarded to commend the winners for their Shaolin Warrior spirit in quest for excellence, and motivate all students to reach for higher levels of achievements in their Shaolin Kung Fu studies.

Ms. Liana Li (1st left row one above), TV host at Channel 28 hosted the opening ceremony.

"Welcome to the 2021 Shaolin Warriors Meet. On behalf of Shaolin Temple USA, thank you for your great support. First, let me introduce my co-hosts. Mr. Corey Gomez will host the Family Performance event later on. Ms Tien Fu and Shifu Hengyuan will host today's Award Ceremony.

Despite all the difficulties caused by the pandemic, we are very thankful for another successful school year at Shaolin Temple USA. Under the leadership of the Executive Director and Head Coach Master Yanran, teachers have developed very creative ways of teaching in-person and online. All students have work very hard and made great progress. They have demonstrated the Shaolin Warrior's courageous and tenacious spirit. We have also put together a monthly community performance series to bring joy to the community through Kung Fu shows.

In today's competition, we have over 250 individual and group entries in 3 virtual competition rings, and we will have a very unique and exciting award ceremony by the end of the day.

We are very honored to have the blessings of Venerable Yongxin, Abbot of China Songshan Shaolin Temple. Please welcome Abbot Yongxin.

• Blessings from Venerable Yongxin • 

Abbot of China Songshan Shaolin Temple

“At this 2021 Shaolin Warriors Meet, I hope you will all actively participate. Through your participation, your splendid vigor will be shared by everyone. Their body and mind will benefit from your vitality and spirit. This is a form of merit. I wish the Shaolin Warriors Meet a great success! And all of you good health and happiness! Amitabha!”

• Greetings from Master Bryant Fong • 

Founder of the Chinese Martial Arts Tournament (CMAT) at UC Berkeley,

Director & Chief Instructor of the UC Chinese Martial Arts Program.

“Good morning, I am honored to be invited to speak to you today. I want to congratulate all of you for participating. At these times of course, times are hard. Your spirit is very important to our community. Learning martial art is not only about kicking and punching. It's also about perseverance in the face of adversity, character in the face of danger, strength in your conviction, a champion for the weak, a fighter for your community, a servant of your community. All these things make you a winner. You become not only a warrior but also a scholar. These are the values of learning martial arts. I commend you for continuing in your endeavour. I hope you all work hard and continue the spirit of Shaolin Kung Fu.

Thank you very much! I bring greetings from the University of California at Berkeley and CAL Wushu Team. We hope some time in the future, we will get back to having in-person competitions.

Thank you again for inviting me. Good luck in your competition.”

• Greetings from Professor Ma Wenguo •

Director of the Martial Arts Department,

Xi’an Sports University, Shaanxi Province, China

"Good morning everyone. Hello from Xi'an, China (in Shaanxi Province dialect). Master Yanran and I are good friends. Congratulations to your Shaolin Warriors Festival. I hope everyone will give a fine and excellent performance in the festival. Shaolin Kung Fu is number one in the world! Thank you!”

• Message from Master Yanran •

Executive Director of Shaolin Temple USA

“Good morning, students, parents and friends. First of all, I want to thank Venerable Abbot Yongxin, Master Bryant Fong and Professor Ma Wenguo for their kind wishes and encouragement.

At the same time, a big hand to our student and their families! With unwavering will, hard work, and their parents’ devoted support, they continue to scale new heights despite the pandemic.

I also thank our instructor team and staff for their tireless efforts in improving our teaching quality and enriching our program, thus motivating and enabling our students to achieve higher goals. My special thanks go to the volunteers and parents for their tremendous and enduring support behind the scene.

I wish today's Warriors Meet a great success, and all competition participants achieving excellent results!

With the advent of the holiday season, happy holidays and an auspicious 2022 to you and your family! Thank you!”

Team placard bearers:

San Francisco: Aurora Le; Fremont, CA: Sahil Puranik

Herndon, VA: James Champlain; Stanford: Bogdana Marchis

This year’s referee panel comprised chief referees Master Bryant Fong, Professor Ma Wenguo and Master Yanran, and nine judges that included Shifus from the Shaolin Culture Centers of San Francisco, Fremont in California, Herndon in Virginia, and four Masters of Martial Arts from Xi’an Sports University, who have all studied under Professor Ma Wenguo.

Representatives of the participating teams from San Francisco, Fremont, Herndon and Stanford held up their team placards in their respective cities simulating parade of the athletes. Representatives of judges and athletes took their oaths in a solemn ceremony.

As Master Yanran declared the 2021 Shaolin Warriors Meet officially open, the referee team viewed each contestant’s pre-recorded competition videos at three virtual rings, and scored their skill level and overall performance live online. Participating videos were required to meet strict competition rules and production specifications to ensure fairness of the contest.

— Competition Events —

• Individual Events •

There were more than 70 individual events, including traditional Shaolin fist, weapon routines and Shaolin Basics from Shaolin Temple USA’s 18-level Shaolin Kung Fu program, plus Wellness Qigong exercises and optional events. The most anticipated contest in at the Meet was the coveted Advanced Division 6-Event Individual All-Around Grand Champion, the Intermediate and Beginner Divisions 4-Event Individual All-Around Grand Champion titles and scholarships.

— Group Events —

• Shaolin Family Cup •

Designed to bring families together and participate in activities that are beneficial to their body and mind, "Shaolin Family Cup” is one of the most popular events since its inception in 2014. This year, parents, children, sisters and brothers from twelve families produced self-directed Kung Fu videos that reflected how Shaolin Kung Fu Chan has become part of their daily life.

Professor Ma Wenguo and Master Yanran expressed their thoughts on these recordings of Kung Fu family fun and heart-warming moments.

A mother practicing Shaolin Kung Fu with her young son, you can see the contentment and happiness on her face. Though very young and has just started learning, the child is very serious in his practice, and full of admiration for his mother. What a little Shaolin hero! Many children were nurtured in Shaolin culture since they were in their mother’s womb and grew up at Shaolin Temple USA culture centers. They will certainly do a great job in carrying the Shaolin Kung Fu tradition forward.

There are brothers and sisters learning and practicing Shaolin Kung Fu together. They have found a common interest that bond them even closer together as family. The siblings are focused and dedicated. Their performances have quite the chivalrous flair.

There were also videos of Shaolin Kung Fu practice in which parents and children demonstrated good guidance and respect for their parents—the way of a harmonious family.

There are families who have newly joined the classes, and there are also families that have been part of the Shaolin Temple USA community for years. Among them, an extended family of seven has been studying Shaolin Kung Fu for over ten years. Following his elder brothers and cousins, little brother has grown up and will be attending college soon. This is the eighth time he participated in a Shaolin family performance with his dad, who is a dedicated volunteer of Shaolin Temple USA, and a very devoted parent. With a busy work schedule, dad always finds time to spend with his children in Shaolin Kung Fu training. Meanwhile, he attained quite an achievement himself. His youngest son has just won the 6-Event Individual All-Around Champion Silver Award and Scholarship in this Meet. Congratulations!

A couple took a break from work and practiced Shaolin Kung Fu to release stress, remain active and physically fit. Work and exercise found a good balance and has become a way of life.

There are also families who mixed Shaolin routines and sparring into the performance. Kung Fu and myths are mixed into an interesting sketch, with a taste of the Hollywood blockbuster. Some families focused on the meditative aspect of Shaolin Kung Fu Chan, while other families showcased the artistic rhythm of Shaolin Kung Fu's motion and stillness! Great work! 

The pieces are all very creative. To these families, learning Kung Fu is not about being competitive. Kung Fu helps strengthen their bodies, and more important, cultivates their mind.

All participating families received a scholarship of US$200 to commend their enthusiastic participation and wonderful performances. They are all models of harmonious families sharing the fun of Kung Fu while empowering their body and spirit.

• DuiLian - Sparring Set •

(Top) Broadsword vs 3-Sectioned Staff • Spear vs Broadsword & Sword

(Bottom) Staff vs Staffs • Bare-handed Combat

• School Team Competition •

The school team competition has been the fiercest contest in the Shaolin Warriors Meet. It is also a comprehensive assessment of the students' overall learning achievements and spiritual quality. The videos submitted showed that the team members’ skills and team spirit were strengthened through practices for their competition programs. 

There was a new delight this year. Fremont Team 2, the youngest in average age, won the gold award and a team building scholarship of $500.

Fremont Team 1 and San Francisco Team, Silver and Bronze award winners also won team building scholarships. Quest for ExcellenceShaolin Warrior Spirit Revealed and Rewarded
After intense competition at the three rings, the results revealed that the participants have lived up to their Shifus’ expectations and hard work in the past school year. Students from all 18 belt levels have made marked overall improvements in their training. Individual event winners were born. Competitors with the top 3 highest aggregate scores in the Advanced and Immediate Divisions were announced winners of All-Around Grand Champions of their respective divisions.

— Award Ceremonies —
• Virtual Award Ceremony •
The grand finale of this year’s Shaolin Warriors Meet was a lively online awards ceremony in which the Shifus presented medals and trophies virtually to every single winner. Participants and families rejoiced in receiving the reward after a year’s dedication and hard work.

• In-personl Award Ceremonies •

The winners received their actual prizes at in-person award ceremonies held shortly after the virtual ceremony.

Advanced Division 6-Event All-Around Grand Champions:

1st Place: Sahil Puranik ($1,500 Scholarship)

2nd Place: Quang-Dan Tran ($800 Scholarship)

3rd Place: Alan Tong ($600 Scholarship)

Intermediate Division 4-Event All-Around Grand Champions:

1st Place: Arya Brooke ($800 Scholarship)

2nd Place: Teddy Enze Li ($600 Scholarship)

3rd Place: Apollo Le ($400 Scholarship)

Happy New Year 2022!

The 2021 Shaolin Warriors Meet came to a successful conclusion, a testament to the Shifus, students and staff's collective perseverance and hard work. They have overcome the challenges brought on by the pandemic. The obstacles have instead boosted their will, sparked their creativity, strengthened their skills, and enhanced the unity of the family.

To welcome the arrival of 2022 and celebrate the 15th anniversary of its founding, Shaolin Temple USA will be launching new plans and projects to further its original mission in fostering the “Union of Shaolin Kung Fu and Chan” in its Shaolin Kung Fu Program. Enhanced classes such as self-defense, meditation, Shaolin disciples precepts, along with a variety of cultural activities, will focus an all-round cultivation of  character and the mind, and advancing the Shaolin Warrior spirit of “Quest for Excellence.” An equally important goal is to expand the sharing of Shaolin culture and the benefits of Shaolin Kung Fu with the community.

(Reported by Tai An)