8th World Kung Fu championships
The whole June was marked by the upcoming World Kung Fu Championships for me. As in case of the previous edition, this one took place in Emeishan, China. Intensive preparations that started at the turn of a new year and the will to try my best and compare with other athletes made my thoughts drift away – to China of course.
My enthusiasm turned out to be justified because according to PR Newswire this year’s edition was the largest ever – 5200 competitors from 48 countries such as China, Indonesia, Russia, the USA, Canada and most of the European countries took part in it. I went on my first WKFC championships 8 years ago and I have to say that the scale of this undertaking is enormous and always has been. This event has a specific atmosphere of a festival compatible with its previous name: it fosters the people to make friends with others that share the same passion, although above all – it serves as a tool to promote the sport and highlight its diversity. As a result, at this event we have system of category prizes that for some is arguable and for others is somewhat attractive.
It means that medals are not awarded to the best three athletes (i.e. 1st, 2nd, 3rd ) in the category. Instead, 10% of competitors in certain category gets gold, 20% silver and 30% bronze. The system, as any, has its pros and cons. Taking into consideration that sometimes the list of athletes within one category is enormous and amateurs compete with pro athletes – it has sense. Also, it’s an attractive alternative to other championships and clearly promotes the event very succesfully. However, at the same time it creates confusion or misunderstanding when not enough info and details are provided by winners.
During 8th WKFC I competed two times: with traditional Yang Taijiquan and Taijijian. What I am pleased with is the fact tat I’m getting better at controlling my stress level, what has been a struggle for me in the past. Thanks to that I can focus on technical aspects and fluency so much better than before, when my mind was blank from being so nervous. I even end up wanting more circumstances to test myself and compete with others.
I was proud of my first routine, the barehand one, because I managed to perform steadily, keeping in mind my coach’s improvements. Suffice to say, I believe it was my best performance on international level up to this moment. However, judging – to some point – can be very subjective, so my opinion may differ from what the judges think is perfect and for what an athlete should strive for – I got the third category prize and 6th place.
When you experience such a dissonance between what you feel and what judges see, you have two options: throw up your hands and give up, complain about the rules, others, the system (pick an excuse :D ). Or… you can get your act together, accept it and work harder next time. There is always something you can improve in your performance! That is the attitude I took over for the next routine with sword, although I wasn’t as confident as previously, because I didn’t know what to expect. You can’t imagine my joy when I scored 9.01 points and got 1st place!
As for me, the championships were over. Next step: integration! On the last day almost everybody began to trade pins, stickers (or shirts)! :D I believe it already became a tradition here at WKFC, same as celebrating, exchanging experiences, gifts and taking part in discussions. Love that part!
Be warned! At 9th WKFC I will have my own stash of pins to trade!
