BAK SHAOLIN EAGLE CLAW NATIONAL TEAM AT THE 1998 WORLD EAGLE CLAW CUP – SAN FRANCISCO
INSIDE KUNG FU MAGAZINE COVERAGE NOVEMBER '98 ISSUE, PAGE 16
Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw National Team at the 1998 International Eagle Claw Cup in San Francisco. The team, which consisted of members from the University of Wisconsin, Washington State and Puerto Rico won 20 medals in forms, continuous fighting and full contact. They were the only team to compete in all three areas of competition and the only Eagle Claw team whose fighters competed and won in both full contact sanshou and semi-contact fighting. By doing so our team "saved face" for the other Eagle Claw families who attended the first World Eagle Claw Cup '98.
The Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw National Competition Team, directed by Grandmaster Fu Leung and Sifu Dana G Daniels, once again returned victorious from martial competition. This time in San Francisco at Grandmaster Lilly Lau’s first World Eagle Cup tournament held at San Francisco State University on June 20th and 21st 1998. The team was composed of members from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, UW Oshkosh, and UW Milwaukee. Also present were our newest national team members from the Evergreen State college in Washington ST. and from Oregon, as well as members of our Guyama, Puerto Rico school. After two days of Sanshou, Northern forms competition, and light contact continuous sparring, the twelve-person team left the tournament with a total of twenty medals.
The Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw team had the unusual distinction of being the only group with victorious Sanshou fighters who also competed in forms and continuous sparring. Matt Sieradski of the Evergreen State College took silver in the 180-190 lb. Sanshou event. Nate Sonnenberg, UW Oshkosh team captain, took bronze in the 155-165 lb. weight class, and Noam Reininger, UW Madison team Captain, took bronze in 145-155 weight class. To his credit, Noam Reininger after two difficult Sanshou matches, still tired, sweaty, and slightly bleeding from the nose, entered the men’s advanced northern forms division and scored well enough to place fourth in the scoring. Many in the audience were astonished at the display of energy required to do this. In weapons division, Eric Cintron, head instructor of the Puerto Rico school and long time student of Master Fu, took bronze in advanced short weapons with his Shaolin broad sword form.
UW Madison Team Captain, Noam Reininger flying by Master Lau Chi Kin, head judge, at the 1998 World Eagle Claw Cup in San Francisco.
In forms Competition at the intermediate level, Jesse Harter and Randy Christian took two medals each finishing second and third respectively in men’s empty hand and open forms divisions. Loa Arnoth from Evergreen won two bronze medals in both empty hand and open forms, and Amy Eimermann, UW Milwaukee team captain, won the gold for the open form division. At the advanced level of forms competition, Nate Sonnenberg and Noam Reininger took silver and bronze in men’s advanced open. In other competition, Evergreen team captain Sam Haskin and team mates Eric Leuchner and Shasta Smith made good showings in their respective divisions.
The second day of competition focused mainly on light contact continuous sparring where William Baldwin, the youngest Evergreen member earned silver in the twelve to fourteen year old division. Loa Arnoth and Katherine McLaine swept the women’s beginner division with the gold and bronze respectively. Both women had two difficult fights against game competition in a heated division. We are proud of both of their performances. In advanced men’s middle weight semi contact Matt Sieradski, Sanshou silver medallist, winning for the second time in two days, dominated the division and took gold. Matt’s opponent, one of the very few Eagle Claw fighters not specifically from our team, was never-the-less previously trained by Grandmaster Fu Leung, our worldwide head instructor. It should be noted that all Eagle Claw fighters who competed in Sanshou were from our team and that almost all semi contact Eagle Claw fighters and forms competitors were also from our team or trained by our coaches. Were it not for our presence, the first World Eagle Cup fighting divisions would have been dominated by any number of non-Eagle Claw groups such as the fine teams of John Leong’s Hung-Gar, Daniel Weng’s Shuai Chao, Henry Poo-Yee’s team, Doc Fei-Wong’s Choi Ley Fut, Cung Le’s Sanshou team, and Tai Yim’s team. Our Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw group had a similar experience in 1993 at Ginny Lau’s first World Eagle Claw Competition at which our fighters, according to Lilly and Ginny Lau, "saved face" for the Lau family and Eagle Claw. During the advanced fighting, we were approached by the Wing Lam production crew and asked to sign film releases. We were happy to do so as it was an honor to work with Wing Lain and his production crew.
The team would like to thank Grandmaster Fu Leung and Sifu Dana G Daniels (national coach) for their hard work and dedication in training and preparing our fighters. We dedicate our victories to all Eagle Claw families, masters, teachers and practitioners world wide. We also honor the memory of the Great Grandmaster Lau Fat Mang and dedicate our medals with respect to James Lau Chi Kin, his youngest son and our teacher Fu Leung’s "blood brother." Please note that Fu Leung trained for many years in his own family system in Malaysia, but he also trained with Lau Chi-Kin in the Lau family style in Hong Kong. A special thanks to Mr. Sean Newton of the Newton Group Security Services for his support during the tournament, and appreciative thanks to the families of our team members who traveled long distances to cheer us on. In closing, we would hope to see in the future a further unification of all Eagle Claw families worldwide.