Feet swipe, royal scarlet fabric flaps and spear points slice through the air as junior Esther Kwan flies across the mat. She sticks another “mabu,” or horse stance, a special squat used in Kung Fu. Ignoring the sweat on her palms, she shifts the grip on her spear as she moves through her routine, executing a kip-up followed by a series of kicks. Key Chun Song, her “shifu”, or master, watches from the sidelines as the culmination of 10 years of training comes together in her pursuit of the gold medal. And, in her second pan-American competition, Kwan received that honor.
Over the Labor Day weekend from Aug. 31 to Sept. 1, Kwan arrived at the Santa Clara Convention Center to compete against traditional Shaolin Kung Fu athletes from Argentina, Brazil, Canada and more in the 14th Pan American Wushu Championships, where she represented the United States along with her fellow teammates. Kwan participated in four routines with a spear, a chain whip, daggers and the Seven Star boxing form.
“It was a really exciting experience,” Kwan said. “But I’m somewhat disappointed about my Hand Form performance at the competition because I lost balance, which cost me gold in that category.”
The results were joyous for Kwan: she had received gold for Northern Style Long Weapon, silver in both Shaolin Chain Whip and Shaolin Barehand and bronze in Shaolin Short Weapons. Kwan was pleasantly surprised — Shaolin Chain Whip was not her strongest form, but focused training on the routine gave her leaps and bounds of improvement.
“I was very happy and fulfilled at the end of this competition,” Song said in a translated interview. “The road from a little girl to a Kung Fu champion wasn’t easy; there had been pain, tears and a lot of sweat. But everything was worth it, she did it and she succeeded. As her shifu, I’m very excited and proud of her.”
Her success was a result of a long story. Kwan first stepped onto the now-familiar mats as a 6-year-old. Having already sampled Karate, Kwan ultimately settled on Kung Fu, intrigued by the unique weapons.
“We went to a Kung Fu performance when I was six,” Kwan said. “I saw all the tricks, kicks and Kung Fu weapons that I hoped I could learn in the future.”
The pandemic was an especially transformative time for Kwan. Prior to the lockdown, Kung Fu was simply a hobby for Kwan. Yet stuck at home with nothing to do but join Zoom Kung Fu classes, she worked on her own technique while observing others. Zoom practices soon became team practices in the park, and her improvement sped up.
“My teammates and competitors from other studios and countries are setting the bar higher, which encourages me to do better,” Kwan said.
Her teammates and shifu encouraged her training. Whenever she needed assistance, Kwan’s shifu would offer her feedback on her form and technique. Before competitions, Kwan increased her practice to several times a week, with each class tailored to a specific form. This helped Kwan hone in on separate routines every class — the spear for one, the chain whip for another.
“She has great leadership skills, is kind and caring and helps other people,” sophomore teammate Allison Chew said. “She is focused and hardworking, but is also carefree and fun to be around.”
Despite her success, the journey has not been without bumps and bruises. Kwan sustained a shoulder injury two weeks prior to her last Pan-American Kung Fu Competition in Canada. Despite soreness, Kwan attained second place.
“My shifu and teammates always encourage and push me to do my best ,” Kwan said. “They would always point out ways that I could improve. When I injured my shoulder last year, they helped me find ways together to perform the moves without causing more harm to my shoulder.”
Even after graduating, Kwan will continue her lifelong passion through college martial arts clubs and international competitions. Yet, as far as she goes, she will never forget or fail to keep in touch with her teammates.
“I’ve learned to be open to failure and mistakes,” Kwan said. “It may take a while to improve but I’ll always find a way to succeed.”
“She improved a lot from when she started Kung Fu at 6 years old, developing her initial novelty to her current passion. Every time she met a new challenge she was never daunted, instead, she bravely challenged herself with higher levels of difficulty, never backing down or giving up until she succeeded. As her shifu, I am very grateful and happy.”
“I was very fulfilled and happy after this competition ended, the road from a little girl in the beginning to a Kung Fu champion wasn’t easy: there was injury and pain, there had been tears, there was a lot of sweat. But everything was worth it, she did it, and she succeeded. As her shifu, I’m very excited and proud of her as well.”
