Inside Kung Fu Magazine 2003 Hall of Fame Competitors of the Year: Team Evergreen
By Dave Cater - Editor, Inside Kung Fu Magazine
As any kung-fu competitor knows, winning on the open tournament circuit is a two-pronged fight. Not only are you facing your opponent, but you are also battling judges who don't know the difference between an eagle claw and a bear claw.
But the Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw National Team has proven over the past six years that if you're good enough, even the most unenlightened judges must stand up and take notice.
Based out of Olympia, Wash., Team Evergreen has dominated both the NBL and IMAC open circuits for several years, as well as making its mark in such competitive, Chinese-style dominated tournaments as the USAWKF and the Tiger Balm Internationals. Team Evergreen, part of the larger worldwide Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw International headed by grandmaster Fu Leung, takes great pride in demonstrating kung-fu's strengths, traditional and warrior spirit on the open karate circuit.
Team Evergreen's real strength lies in its versatility. While some martial arts "teams" either focus on fighting or forms exclusively, Team Evergreen is equally impressive in a variety of divisions. Whether it's empty-hand forms, point fighting, continuous sparring or weapons, the men and women of Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw have proven adept at performing above and beyond the competition.
To quote a recent article in this magazine, "Team Evergreen takes great pride in smashing the karate stereotype of kung-fu competitors as pretty gymnastic performers by demonstrating hard-hitting Shaolin Eagle Claw forms on the floor and hitting them hard in the ring"