Kung Fu exponents mark 40 years
Nam Wah Pai Kung Fu (NWP) celebrated 40 years in New Zealand this year.
Four members from the local NWP Mangapiko Club travelled to Wellington and joined with students from around New Zealand to celebrate the NZ NWP 40th and take part in the annual NZ NWP tournament.
Competing for the NWP Mangapiko Club was Rokko Ward, Nikita Lyons and Guy Lyons accompanied by club instructor, Gavin Fuszard (4th degree black belt).
Rokko competed in the junior open belt Sparring, Kata 4 and Kata 5.
He held his own in the Sparring, losing to an older and significantly taller opponent.
But he shone in his Kata participation getting through two rounds of Kata 4 and three rounds of Kata 5, just missing out on the finals round.
“The Katas are an open age group and Rokko was at the lower belt range of the group and his presentation was awesome,” said Gavin.
“The flexibility he has developed allowed him to outperform some higher belts and was a tribute to the hard work he puts in at training as well as in his own time.”
The women’s brown to black belt Sparring was a closely fought division.
After narrowly losing her first bout to the eventual winner, Nikita went on a winning streak and took out the third place trophy.
She also competed in Kata 5, Tai Chi form and performed a two-person weapons set with her dad, Guy Lyons.
As well as the two-person set, Guy competed in the 1st degree and above division of the Freesparring, Tai Chi form, Broadsword Kata and the Breaking competition.
He took out second place in the Breaking competition, maintaining the tradition of Mangapiko Club winning a trophy for Breaking every year.
Guy also placed second in the Broadsword Kata.
“I was really proud of our Mangapiko competitors,” Gavin said.
“They all made sacrifices to make the occasion and did the club proud in the manner they competed.”
Nam Wah Pai Kung Fu was established in Singapore in 1964.
Master Steve Kitson founded NWP in New Zealand in 1979 after learning the art in Singapore while posted there with the New Zealand Army in the 1970’s.
The current NZ Chief Instructor, Master Jarrod Haar (8th degree black belt) has been a NWP student since 1985 and became NZ Chief Instructor in 2000.
Oxford Pies supported the 40th celebration and supplied some much appreciated sustenance at lunch.
The Hamilton club won the Steve Kitson Memorial Trophy for the third year in a row.
■ Mangapiko Nam Wah Pai trains at the Mangapiko Hall, Monday and Wednesday 6pm to 7.30pm. Contact club head instructor Gavin Fuszard 027 27 88 777.