Black Sash Ranking & Baishi Ceremony ~ August 10th 2024

Students and instructors drill sanda

Congratulations to the following students who received their black sashes:

First, a huge congratulations to our school's new certified black sashes:

• Jo Gao 助教 Diya Arun

• Jo Gao 助教 Cameron (Auburn)

• Jo Gao 助教 Yaron Dar

• Jo Gao 助教 Justen Force

• Jo Gao 助教 Korey Garrigan Jr.

• Jo Gao 助教 Greyson Shea

• Jo Gao 助教 Kevin Sheppard

• Jo Gao 助教 Jasper Weeks

• Jo Gao 助教 Ana Zink (Auburn)

• Jo Gao 助教 Andre Zink (Auburn)

• Jo Gao 助教 Erich Zink (Auburn)

• Laoshi 老师 Joncarlo Zink (Auburn)

The title "Jo Gao" is a Cantonese pronunciation of Zhù Jiào (助教) which means "teacher's assistant" in Chinese. Please use this title when addressing these students moving forward, in recognition of their dedication to their art and their level of achievement within our school.

Shifu Gary also took Shifu Eliot and Shifu Cheyenne as "disciples." (入室弟子 - "Yup Sut Dai Gee" in Cantonese or Rù Shì Dì Zǐ in Mandarin.) This is not a religious ceremony, but rather, formalizes a commitment not just to one’s teacher, but to learn an entire system of Kung Fu, and also to teach it to others. Shifu Chey is 36th generation and Shifu Eliot is 37th generation, connecting back to the Shaolin Temple in China.

The sanda workshop with Shigong Gregg was great fun. As expected, it was fast-paced and a good workout, that gave us a sense of how some of our Kung Fu and Tai Chi postures fit into fighting competitively. Everyone did an excellent job.

Photos are available on our SmugMug page.

What an exciting summer it's been for our school. See you in class!