Information
About the
City High Kung Fu Team
History:
The City High Kung Fu Team is an exciting extracurricular activity that began in the 1999-2000 school year. Every year the team has traveled
places
to see different expressions of martial arts or to participate in tournaments. Since the first year, the team has managed
to win a total of over 60 trophies from local Martial Art tournaments in the
Iowa-Illinois area. We also display our skills in parades and demos to
encourage new members to join. Membership has increased from less then 5 people in
the 1999-2000 school years to 13 members in 2002-2003.
What
we teach: Most
of what the City High Kung Fu Team teaches is from Shaolin (Chinese for Small
Forest) Kung Fu, be it traditional or semi-contemporary Wushu. The first hour of
practice will consist of stretching, kicking practice, and other aerobic
exercises to build up strength, speed, and stamina. The second half of practice
has most of the students practice on the form (a set of movements) they are
learning. Beginners however will be learning the basics of these forms such as
the stance-work, types of punches and kicks, and drills to familiarize them with
sets of strikes. In a few weeks after beginners learn the basics, they then will begin to learn a form. The choices of forms for
beginners will either be Shao Hong Quan (Small Red Fist, or Boxing.), which is a
basic Shaolin form, or the Basic Fist form, which is also Shaolin in origin. For
more experienced members they may begin on higher level forms such as Power Fist
for Boys and Ji Gong for Girls. For
your information, we do NOT focus on fighting or sparring. We do not encourage,
nor tolerate fighting, either amongst team members, City High students, or
anyone else. Also, weapons are NOT taught, due to school regulations. The main
purpose is to exercise and have fun.
Practice
Times: The practices
this year will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays of every week, from 3:45 to
5:20 on Tuesdays and 2:30 to 5:30 on Thursdays, in the City High cafeteria. However this may be changed due to the availability
of the teacher and/or sponsors. In the spring, there is a chance we’ll be
moving to the Wrestling Room. Also if there isn't school on these days such as
school breaks practice will be held at the academy in Coralville. On the First
Thursday of every month, before practice there will be a team
meeting to discuss team matters, such as upcoming tournaments, and other things that
need to be worked out. Practice cancellation well be posted under the update
page when there are unforeseen complications.
Dues:
Dues
are $85 for your first year, and $45 for every other year. However they are
not absolutely necessary if one does not wish to participate in any tournaments
though we encourage it and also it is highly recommended. Thirty-five dollars
will go toward registration as well as membership with various organizations.
The remaining will be used to pay for vehicle rental, shoes, uniforms (only for
first year members or current members who want an extra), and other
things that will be discussed. At the tournaments that we will be
traveling to, some of the different tournaments have there own costs to watch, which is usually about $5, and
to compete, usually about $20 depending on location, school, and number of
events that you’ll be participating in.
Requirements:
A pair of dark
(dark green, black, or navy blue usually will suffice) pants, and a white
T-shirt. Shoe wise, we recommend wrestling shoes to begin with, or street shoes
are allowed when beginning. Later on, you’ll receive your own uniform. You may
also buy a pair of specialized Kung Fu shoes for 20$ each. Another very
important item are a student’s grades. We require that participants of the
City High Kung Fu Team must maintain all their letter grades above that of a ‘C’. Also,
don’t forget to turn in your physical; you’ll need to in order to practice.
If
you have any questions: Contact our sponsors (Who ever they may be for the
year). Or the President or Vice President of the club. You may also ask any of the experienced students who are
also in the club.
We Hope To See You!
