Kung Fu in the Cotswolds
Oxfordshire didn?t know what hit it when FWC descended for the April 2006 competition
by FWC Assistant Instructor Pen Rance
In the heart of the peaceful Oxfordshire countryside, the village of Bloxham sleepily awoke to what it thought was just another uneventful Saturday morning. Little did it know that it was about to play host to one of the biggest events in the FWC calendar. The first club competition of 2006 ? and its competitors ? descended on Bloxham School on the morning of 1st April: and it was no April Fool's joke.
Amid the hallowed halls of a boarding school that looked like it had been transported straight out of the pages of Harry Potter, for two days kung fu stylists ate, slept, fought and partied. The exceptional venue, with everything onsite, allowed the competitors to focus on their kung fu, with all the necessities of life taken care of.
To add to the glamour of the occasion, the whole event was recorded by a professional film crew. But the competitors did not allow the cameras to put them off, producing some stylish, controlled performances in the patterns competition that began the first day?s events. In a break from tradition, three stylists were chosen from the initial rounds to compete in a patterns final later in the day.
Showing them how it should be done, Instructor Dave Courtney Jones performed his famed horse-cutting knife pattern before an avid audience, in a display that would have struck fear into any equine characters within striking distance. Instructor Tim Stevenson followed up with a broadsword pattern, leaping with an agility that proved the benefits of more than 25 years of stance training.
The patterns finals were followed by a fascinating masterclass on Lion Dancing, led by Instructors Sharon Ngo and Tim Stevenson, interspersed with anecdotes from the Chief Instructor on the original significance of the dances, on which rode honour, livelihood and even life and death in competitions between martial schools.
The City and Islington demo team lightened the mood, staging a Tekken tournament as bloodthirsty as any ever played out on a PlayStation. A true multimedia experience, it was liberally laced with video footage, music, sound effects and an all-conquering skeleton.
The lighthearted mood continued into the evening with a party, at which the crisps and chocolate proved even more popular than the beer and wine. Those not competing the next day revelled into the night, while the sparrers slunk off early to prepare for the next day?s battles.
Some of these were epic, some were over far too quickly, and most were won by the mighty Magnus. Everyone fought hard, with the Swedish delegates demonstrating their love of san da, and the women of City and Islington sweeping up all the female medals. But despite broken ribs, noses and hearts, the camera crew complained that there wasn?t enough blood on the brand new mats.
Huge thanks go to Instructor Stefan Warhaftig and his wife Amanda for organising the event; the instructors who refereed and demonstrated; Assistant Instructor Richard Wagstaff for performing the unenviable task of organising the sparring rounds; Instructor Karim Daoud for patching everyone up; all the volunteers who scored the sparring rounds; to the camera crew for giving up their time to record the action; and to Dennis for making it all possible.
Competition results
Junior Patterns
1: Sanjay Hirani (London Central Club)
2: Irene Lacak (London North West Club)
3: Chris Williams (Oxford Club)
Senior Patterns
1: Peter Bengtsson (City & Islington Club)
2: Alex Schulz (City & Islington Club)
3: Ety Buckels (City & Islington Club)
Suang Yang
1: Irene Lacak (London North West Club)
2: Eddie Walsh (City & Islington Club)
3: Ety Buckels (City & Islington Club)
Monkey Horse Stance
1: Irene Lacak (London North West Club)
2: Peter Jacobsson (Sweden Club)
3: Philippe Joly (City & Islington Club)
Mens Lightweight Semi-Contact
1: Peter Jacobsson (Sweden Club)
2: Per Reftel (Sweden Club)
3: Gareth Harvey (London North West Club)
Mens Middleweight Semi-Contact
1: Stuart Capel (Oxford Club)
2: Nick Fielding (City & Islington Club)
3: Matt Grange (City & Islington Club)
Mens Heavyweight Semi-Contact
1: Magnus Lilja (Sweden Club)
2: Tony Haglund (Sweden Club)
3: Jason Stuart (Dulwich Club)
Womens Semi-Contact
1: Sheila Mulkerrin (City & Islington Club)
2: Ety Buckels (City & Islington Club)
3: Sharmin Ahmed (City & Islington Club)
Open Semi-Contact
1: Magnus Lilja (Sweden Club)
2: Peter Jacobsson (Sweden Club)
3: John Irwin (London Central Club)
Mens Middleweight Full-Contact
1: Ben Hawley (Oxford Club)
2: Stuart Capel (Oxford Club)
3=: Per Reftel (Sweden Club)
3=: Peter Jacobsson (Sweden Club)
Mens Heavyweight Full-Contact
1: Magnus Lulja (Sweden Club)
2: Tony Haglund ((Sweden Club)
3: Sid Data (London North West Club)