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March 13 - 18, 2002
Jason Padilla, a Martial Artistry Assistant
Instructor and co-leader of Team Steel Phoenix, journeyed to Phoenix,
Arizona for the Academic Decathlon National Championship, held at the Crown
Plaza Convention Center. This is Jason's second year with the Highland
High School Academic Decathlon team, which he helped qualify for the
Nationals with individual awards of three gold medals, one silver and two
bronze in the regional competitions in February.
The New Mexico team (pictured below)
did not win (alas!), but scored a respectable 15th in their division.
Jason is back row, second from the right.
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Wednesday March 20, 2002
The New Mexico Rural Water
Association hired Martial Artistry's Team Steel Phoenix to perform a Chinese
Kung Fu and Wushu exhibition for their convention at the Sheraton Old Town.
It was an awesome venue in plush
surroundings, but the dim light made digital photography rather, um,
challenging... thus the grainy photographs.
At right, "monk" State Champion
Monique Cordova is alarmed to discover Li the lion sneaking up on her as she
cools herself with her fan. |
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Displaying the martial artist's superior sense
of balance, State Champion Chris Baca walks on his hands past the tables
of the audience. |
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Albert Vera cartwheels between the tables to
finish in splits -- much to the delight of the audience. |
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Johnathan Padilla and State Champion Nancy
Nguyen flash their broadswords in the intermediate level modern wushu
form, Dao Yi. |
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Kristine Dang balances atop a giant bottle of
jiu, or wine, as State Champions Monique Cordova and Nancy Nguyen perform
skyward kick with sole, a very difficult and advanced wushu balance in
which the leg is lifted up and pulled behind the head -- like hyper splits
done while balancing on one leg. While
all kung fu stylists train to be flexible, few can manage this particular
technique. |
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Fu, our oldest lion, pursues the naughty monk
in the Drunken Lion Dance, always a crowd favorite for the acrobatics and
the difficult lion dance movements. |
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From left to right, Team Leader Amir
Shirkhorshidian, Jonah Donnarumma, Nicole Neff and James Cole perform a
nanquan, or Southern Boxing, set. Nanquan is a very
popular style of kung fu that originated in the southern part of China. |
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Kung fu should be fun, and here
some of our team members show their humorous side as they sashay across
the stage, flirting with their fans. But once they salute, you can
bet they'll be all business! From left to right, performing He
Shan, or Crane Fan, are Lillie Vosa, Johnathan Padilla, State Champion
Toby Baca III, Ann Marie Palmieri and State Champion Iwin White.
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Mushu weaves his way through the tables as our
wushu Northern Dragon Dancing team performs. |
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Chris Baca avoids Iwin White's vicious swipe
with the monk spade in the weapons fighting set. |
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National Champion Lan Nguyen takes to the air
for wushu tornado kick. |
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From left to right, two of our lions, Fu and
Li, perform the Double Lion welcome. |
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State Champions Chris Baca and Monique Cordova
perform the opening from Baide Tou She Tuchu Duyao, or White Headed
Snake Spits Out Poison, a classical kung fu Southern snake form. |
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State Champion Nancy Nguyen snags some serious
air as she leaps, turns a 180, thrusts her straight sword in mid-air and
then lands in splits with an upward and backward chop: a movement from
Hua Zai Feng Jian, or Blossoms on the Wind Straight Sword, an advanced
modern wushu weapon routine. |
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James Cole begins his lift into the wushu jump
front kick. |
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Johnathan Padilla punches in the final moves of
Guan Yin Quan, an intermediate level wushu Changquan routine. |
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Li and Fu rise up to the ceiling as State
Champion Chris Baca back handsprings into splits in the Double Lion
Welcome. |
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One last fun photo. As National Champion Lan
Nguyen, State Champions Monique Cordova and Chris Baca and Jason Padilla
wrap up the traditional Northern White Dragon form, Xiao Huo Long,
or Small Fire Dragon, note the figure in the back. That's team
member Lillie Vosa, primping and preening. "I feel pretty, oh so
pretty . . ." Questions? Comments?
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