According to Chinese tradition, the Year of the Ram, or Sheep, is a time of introspection and harmony with others.  Hopefully, the US Team's experience in Beijing will be a precursor to a year of international cooperation and peace.

By Chi-Hwa "Michael" Ting, 9th Teng,
2002 USA Team Member to Taiwan

USSA members had a unique opportunity to visit Taiwan last fall to participate in the festivities of the national Shuai-chiao tournament and to meet and train with Grandmaster Ch'ang Tung Sheng's grandson, David Ch'ang.  The team, led by Dr. Chi-hsiu Weng, visited Taipei (the capital of Taiwan) in late October as representatives of the Chinese American Athletic Tournament and the USSA.

The trip was the result of hard work and collaboration between the USSA and the CAAT organizing committee.  As part of last year's 2002 CAAT, Taiwan sent a team of Wushu athletes to perform during the tournament and its

The USSA team was led by founding Chairman, Dr. Chi-hsiu D. Weng.   Due to the short notice (less than 5 weeks) of the tournament, the US was unable to field a
complete team.  Yet within 4 weeks a partial team was put together made up of national champions with a wide range of experience in international competition.  The team lacked competitors in 6 weight categories but, despite this obstacle, placed 5th in Team Competition while taking home 1 gold medal, 1 silver, and 3 bronze medals.   The team was made up of:  Angie Bigelow, Chi-hwa Michael Ting, Alan Lee, Matthew Corbett, Brian Corbett, Jan-yu Weng, James Fraser, John Ervin, and Immanual Robinson.
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Taiwan USSA Team visit to Master David Ch'ang   cont...

It is my great pleasure to invite all instructors and students to attend the 12th
Annual Great Lakes Kung Fu Championships to be held April 26, 2003.  The tournament will be held at the beautiful  Euclid Sports Plant in Euclid, Ohio.  We have over 100 divisions which I am sure will suit the needs of everyone in attendance, including: Northern/Southern forms & weapons, two person empty/weapon, internal forms/weapons, continuous sparring, Shuai-chiao and Sanshou. We are pleased to announce that for the 6th year the Great Lakes Tournament will be the site of the   U.S.S.A. Shuai-Chiao & San Shou Nationals.
Please plan to stay an extra day for seminars being presented by renown kung fu
masters at the Euclid Sports Plant. We are especially excited about the
appearance of Master David Chang from Taiwan. Master David Chang is the grandson of the late Great Grand master Chang Tung Sheng (the legendary flying butterfly). Master David Chang will present a seminar on rarely seen training drills and combat applications of Pao Ting Shuai-Chiao. This a once-in-a-lifetime treat.  We are also pleased to have returning Dr. Chi-hsiu Weng, founding chairman of the USSA, to oversee the nationals and conduct a judges seminar for Sanshou on Friday night.  Thank you in advance for your continued support. If you need any assistance, further information, or applications, please contact Sifu Ervin at 216-431- 4991.

opening ceremonies.  Due to the success of the visit and the stronger relationship between CAAT and Taiwan's athletic committee, CAAT agreed to return the favor by sending its own martial arts delegation to Taiwan's National athletic tournament.  Because of their outstanding performance in the recent CAAT, six members of the USSA were picked to represent the Chinese athletic communities in the United States.  Representing Dr.Weng's Cupertino Club, De Anza College, and SF branch were: Sigero Isoda, Chi-Hwa Ting, Nick Masi, and Kenichi Iwasaki.  Daniel Cliff and Brian Corbett, students from Sifu John Ervin's Wing Lam Kung-fu school in Cleveland, Ohio, were the anchors of the team which included national champions. The team Coach was USSA President Jan-Yu Weng.

During the brief four-day stay in Taiwan, the CAAT/USSA delegation visited many sports related agencies and received VIP treatment from university and government officials, thus carrying out its mission to strengthen the ties between the USSA and Taiwan sports groups and leaders.   
 
Besides participating in official CAAT promotion visits, the seven team members also had the chance to meet Mark Miller, 4th Teng (6th Degree Black Belt), one of the senior students of Dr. Weng who now resides in Taiwan.   Thanks to Mark Miller, we were fortunate enough to be introduced to Master David Chang, the Grandson of Grandmaster Chang Tung Sheng.  Master Chang, like his Grandfather, shares the same love and desire to help promote Shuai-chiao throughout the world.  The generous Master Chang offered the team a glimpse into his private training ground, which no one outside of Taiwan had visited before, in Hsimen district and held a rewarding seminar on Shuai-chiao training methods and effective methods of  using Shuai-chiao in combat.  During the seminar Master Chang showed concise yet shockingly effective Shuai-chiao techniques in more realistic defensive situations.

Beijing 2003  Shuaijiao International Tournament  cont…

The top 6 teams finishers:
1st - China National Team,
2nd - Chinese-Hong Kong,
3rd - Chinese University Team,
4th - France,
5th - USA,
6th - Mongolia.

USSA team members who medaled: 
1st - Chi-hwa Michael Ting 62KG,
2nd - John Ervin, Jr. 100KG and up,
3rd - Jan-yu Weng 82KG,

3rd - Matthew Corbett 67KG,
3rd - Angela Bigelow 56KG and below female.

The tournament design was a double elimination for brackets with 5 or more competitors and round robin for four or less.  Most brackets averaged over 8 fighters, with over 16 people in the 82KG bracket.  To place in the tournament was a tough challenge since most divisions included two Chinese teams, Koreans, and Mongolians.  Other countries represented were:  Canada, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Spain, Italy, France, and Tanzania.

The matches of were full of national spirit as fans in the crowd cheered for their country's fighters.  The skill level was unmatched with national champions, collegiate athletes, and professional martial artists, and even renowned masters who wanted to compete in this historic competition.  Yet, despite the competitiveness of the matches, they ended with new friendships and fresh hopes that Shuai-chiao is still loved by many.  By working together we will continue to carry on the art and tradition no matter where it is taught or practiced.  One outcome of the tournament was an agreement to schedule more regular gatherings.  Already, there are plans to conduct competitions in Brazil in April 2003, Hong Kong in May, San Francisco in August, and France in December.  Videos of the Beijing tournament will be available for sale through the USSA website or by mail order by March.  For more information please email:  jyweng@aol.com, or check out the website after March for

The following day, Master Chang extended his welcome of the USSA with a visit to Grand Master Chang Tung Shen's tomb.  Each member paid respects to the man who brought Shuai-chiao into the modern era.  The team then went to the Botanical Garden to join the Taipei County Shuai Chiao Association's practice.  To the unfamiliar, this is just a simple practice in a public garden.  Yet those who follow Grand Master Chang Tung Shen's history know the Chang family has been teaching Shuai-chiao to the public for free for decades at this exact location.

2002 CAAT Shuai-chiao
And Sanshou Results

Children
Light weight
1st place - Ryan Hu 
2nd place - Aqeel Muhammad
3rd place - Antonio Ting

Heavyweight
1st place - Ellis Dixon
2nd place - Charles Lin
3rd place - Robert Chen

Women's Open
1st place - Diana Lin
2nd place - Angie Bigelow

Adult Men
Superlight
1st place - Michael Ting
2nd place - Shigero Isoda

Light
1st place - Matthew Corbett
2nd place - Nick Masi
3rd place -  Sigero Isoda

Middle
1st place - Daniel Cliff
2nd place - Kenichi Iwasaki
3rd place - Emeric Chen

Heavy
1st place - Leo Wong
2nd place - Danny Hall
3rd place - Steven Taylor

Open
1st place - Eric Brooks
2nd place - Immanuel Robinson
3rd place - Fong Liu

Sanshou
Children's Light
1st place - Ellis Dixon
2nd place - Erica Arreola

Children's Open
1st place - Andrew Valedera
2nd place - Pierre Mays
3rd place - Emeric Chen

Men
135-150
1st place - Kenjo Sogawa
2nd place - Matthew Corbett

150-165
1st place - Jose Palacios
2nd place - Daniel Cliff
3rd place - George Bernard

On the evening of November 26 the team was invited to the opening of the National Athletic Tournament, the main event of the trip.  As honored guests, the CAAT/USSA team members were given VIP seats next to the podium where both the vice president of Taiwan and mayor of Taipei gave encouraging speeches to a packed stadium of athletes and fans, followed by a breathtaking group performance by over 700 Tai-chi and Wushu per

formers.
The next morning was the day all team members had been training and looking forward to.  Since most team members had little or no international competition experience, nervousness and pressure began to set in.  Knowing clearly the level of competition, each team member understood he had to give nothing less than his very best. The friendship team competition was done in three rounds.  In the first round, Daniel Cliff beat his opponent, and in the 2nd round, Brian Corbett won his match.  As expected, the level of talent was high.  The Taiwan team was made up of seasoned competitors ranging from senior high school to military students.  Most had been previous national champions and were cross-trained in Shuai-chiao, Judo and wrestling.  Their conditioning was excellent, and they exhibited a very high level of technique and agility.  The friendship match ended with everyone exchanging gifts and handshakes.While the trip was only four days, the memory of this trip will stay with us forever.  The competition was sadly short, yet the inspiration we received from the Taiwanese fighters was more rewarding than gold medals.  Our success in forging a healthy relationship with Taiwan's Shuai-chiao communities shows the promise of building bridges between the USSA

USSA Selects New Officers at 2003 Shuai Chiao Nationals in Cleveland

The USSA black belts met in Cleveland, Ohio, after last year's  Great Lakes Championship to discuss the plans for the USSA and vote for new officers.  The underlying theme was that the USSA needed to grow and the leaders of the USSA need to drive this growth.  It is important to put people in positions of authority who can encourage rapid growth and insure that the executive officers and committee members are active in their jobs.  Following are the assignments until 2004:
--- Officers ---                                        --- Committee Chairs ---

President - Jan-Yu Weng
Vice-President - John Ervin, Jr.
Treasurer - Eric Brooks
Secretary-General - She-Peng Weng
Region A Director - Mark J. Wong
Region B Director - John Ervin, Jr.
Region C Director - TBD
Region D Director - TBD

Coaching:  Mark Miller
Education:  Jim Mattox
International Ranking:  Chi-hsiu Weng
Judging:  Jan-Yu Weng
Publicity:  Michael Lomotan
Research & Development:  TBD
Teaching Standardization:  Chi-hisu Weng
Tournament:  John Ervin
Training:  Matt Mollica
Ch'ang Self Defense:  Mark Wong/Nicholas Osborne

2002 GLKF Tournament Results

Junior Division  -- Lightweight

1st  Narani Muhammed
2nd  Najua Muhammed
3rd  Nathan Lowy
4th  Tyler Widrann

Welterweight

1st  Anthony Nickorro
2nd  Aquell Muhammed
3rd  Alex Jewell
4th  Tyler Chastafty

Middleweight

1st  Ellis Dixon
2nd  William Hubbard
3rd  Ruben Benjamin
4th  Danra Hawkins

Heavy-Middleweight

1st  Darion Webber
2nd  Christina Roman
3rd  Latorra Loftridge
4th  John Gaddis

Heavyweight

1st  Jeffry Tan
2nd  Johnathan Loftridge
3rd  Xavier Graham
4th  Gonetta Washington

Women's Division  -- Lightweight

1st  Una Ilich
2nd  Bahiyyah Muhammed
3rd  Angie Bigelow
4th  Crystal Dever

Open

1st Una Ilich
2nd  Nicole Bruketta
3rd  Tarin Rhodes
4th  Mudite Tewari



Adult Men's Division -- Lightweight

1st  Daniel Beck
2nd  Ernest Smoot
3rd  Matthew Corbett
4th  Jamie Van Doren
 
Welterweight

1st  Daniel Cliff
2nd  Brandon Dever
3rd  Tim Fox
4th  Gino Kuo

Middleweight

1st  Brian Corbett
2nd  R. Hartley

Heavyweight

1st  Eric Brooks
2nd  Michael Lin
3rd  Brian Corbett
4th  Danny Hall

Open  Division

1st  Nick Osborne
2nd  Immanuel Robinson
3rd  Jeff Ritchie

U. S. Shuai-chiao Association
P.O. Box 1221
Cupertino  CA  95015

WWW.SHUAI-CHIAO.COM