Las Vegas, NV, September 3rd, 2005 – World Champion forms competitor and Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw instructor Nate Sonnenberg once again won fist place for Traditional Chinese Forms, this time at Barbie Dickenson’s 2005 Las Vegas Legacy open martial arts tournament.

The tournament, held at the Alexis Park Hotel in Las Vegas, brought together the best competitors in the country and has long been considered one of the premiere martial arts events in the United States. Nate’s division, Black Belt Traditional Chinese Forms, was packed with competitors from all corners including a pair of students of former Beijing Wushu Team star Liu Pei.

The competition was fierce. After the first run of performances, Sonnenberg was tied with a student of Liu Pei in a dead-even race. Even after a second run-off they were still tied, however out of fear of losing to Nate, his opponent had introduced contemporary techniques into his form which was a violation of the rules of traditional competition. As a result, Nate was awarded the first place trophy.

In winning this competition, Nate has once again proven that he is among the top traditional Chinese forms competitors in the country. As a result of his victory in Vegas, Nate was invited to represent the U.S. at the World Championships in Costa Rica this upcoming Winter.

Sonnenberg is no stranger to victory on the world-class stage. In 2002, he took the Gold in Traditional Chinese Forms and a Silver medal in middleweight continuous fighting at the IMAC World Championships in Las Vegas, and has been winning awards in national competitions since the mid-nineties.

Nate Sonnenberg has been a dedicated practitioner of Bak Shaolin Eagle Claw for close to 12 years under Grandmaster Fu Leung and Sifu Dana G. Daniels. He holds two Master’s in Fine Arts from Purdue and Indiana University. He currently resides and teaches in Manhattan Beach, California.