Happy holidays to all!!! The end of this year has been a busy and exciting one for the USAWKF. We have sent teams to Malaysia and China; and we also have seen four more of our members internationally certified as judges. This international exposure goes a long way toward boosting the level of competition in the USA.

Look in this edition, too, to learn the latest on the 2008 Olympic Beijing Wushu Tournament and other upcoming events.

Olympic Update

Regardless of what you may have heard, the 'Olympic Dream' is not over. While it is true that wushu is neither a core nor demonstration Olympic sport for 2008, the USAWKF is energizing its support to the IWUF for the 2008 Olympic Beijing Wushu Tournament and will continue to enthusiastically support the goal of the Olympic Movement, as stated on the IOC's official web site, "to contribute to building a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind, in a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play."

Several details are still being finalized regarding the event; however, here is what we do know from a USAWKF prospective:

• The USAWKF will host a team trial to select its wushu team for the 2007 Worlds. This trail most likely will be held in July or August. The exact location and date were not set at the time of this newsletter. We will announce this as soon as possible.
• The 2007 US National Wushu Team will be competing at the 9th World Wushu Championship in Beijing, China, in November 2007. Tentatively, the 9th WWC will acts as a qualifier for the 2008 Olympics Beijing Wushu Tournament. Qualified team members will represent the US in the Olympic event.

More details will be announced by the IWUF as the world body continues to work out the details with the IOC.

Board of Directors Ballots Mailed

Current members please check your mailboxes for the election ballots that will be mailed to you this week. You will elect the next USAWKF Board of Directors for the next 4 years. Completed ballots must be received at USAWKF Headquarters no later than January 20, 2007.

Judges Certified in Shanghai

The USAWKF sent four of its senior members to participate in the latest International Judges Certification Training and Examination in Shanghai. Read more about their success (click here for more)

US Team Adventures in China:
2nd World Traditional Wushu Championship

(October 11-21) Police escorts, bus caravans, paparazzi, TV coverage, waving crowds, spectacular entertainments and lavish ceremonies to honor the athletes became the norm for members of the Traditional US Wushu Team organized by the USAWKF, for the Second World Traditional Wushu Championship in Zhengzhou, China. The competition included athletes from 68 countries. The US team returned home with 21 gold, 17 silver, and 21 bronze medals. USAWKF members Paula Bailey and Kris Sieloff share more of their experience (click here for more)

USAWKF Junior Wushu Team

(August) The USAWKF led a delegation of 10 young athletes and 5 officials from the United States to the inaugural World Junior Wushu Championships (WJWC). Over 200 athletes from over 40 countries participated in this event. The Team as a whole performed excellently, recording 10 Top-8 finishes (click here for more)

USAWKF National Team Excels at Pan Am Wushu Championship

(July) Even though this is the "Holiday Edition" of the USAWKF Newsletter, we felt it important to recognize our athletes that participated in this summer's 6th Pan American Wushu Championship held in Toronto. Our group of 22 dedicated athletes took Canada by a storm. Competing against teams from Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Trinidad & Tobago, and Venezuela, the US Team's medal count of 22 ended up second only to Canada's 34 medals. Special congratulations go out to our gold medal recipients:

• Catherine Archer
• Zach Caruso
• Colin Lee
• Jason Lui
• Joana Pei
• Tiffany Reyes
• Chris Sexton
• Ngan-Ha Ta

(click here for complete results)

Wushu in the News

We all appreciate how hard you train as an athlete. So, when you receive recognition, we like to share that information with the Wushu Community. For example, check the December 2006 issue of Inside Kung Fu magazine. USAWKF Wushu Team member, Tiffany Reyes, is not only featured in an article, but she also is on the cover! Also, in that issue is a press release (in the Insiders column) on our athletes' outstanding performance at the 6th Pan American Wushu Championship (one of which was a gold-medal performance by the afore-mentioned Miss Reyes).

We also have a press release in the January 2007 issue of Inside Kung Fu magazine on the first-ever IWUF Junior World Championships that were held in Malaysia. That press release features our outstanding young athletes-the future of US Wushu. Among them is our silver-medalist, Catherine Archer. We are so proud of these young competitors, and we look forward to creating many more press releases highlighting their accomplishments.

If you have a newsworthy Wushu accomplishment, please contact the Vice-Chairman of the USAWKF's Communication Committee, Russell McWhorter, at thirdgenwingchun@gmail.com.

Upcoming Events

First International Taijiquan Invitation Tournament, Hong Kong, January 28 - 29, 2007 (click here for more)

2007 USAWKF Team Trials, USA, July/August 2007 (exact date and location are to be announced soon)

2007 USAWKF Nationals, Date and place TBA

2007 9th World Wushu Championship, Beijing, China, November 2007 (exact date and location are to be announced soon)

If you have an event that you would like to have publicized through the USAWKF, please contact the Vice-Chairman of the USAWKF's Communication Committee, Russell McWhorter, at thirdgenwingchun@gmail.com.