Pandamonium Aftermath

After completely revamping our annual fundraising project from the ground up and setting it in motion, I found myself pulled almost completely out of the project because of a perfect storm of personal and professional challenges that forced me to back off from my usual level of participation and yes, my tendency to over-manage. The added stress of watching helplessly as the approaching date of our Kung Fu Pandamonium event came ever closer while I had to give up more and more control, added a little more fury to my already raging storm. May 5th was a date I couldn’t wait to be past but I dreaded every moment that it inched closer.

Today is May 6th, the Pandamonium is over, and I am humbly ecstatic. My students stepped up big time to make the event one of the most successful of our school’s twenty-five year history. The entire twenty-four hours went off without a hitch, except for a non kung fu mishap that required an emergency room visit to remove an embedded rock from a skull and a single stitch to close the wound. An exceptionally cool injury with a not so cool story for another time.

My guys began the Pandamonium at midnight Friday night and kept perpetual kung fu going in the kwoon for the entire 24 hours. The school turnout was fantastic with most of our 300 students showing up to help and participate. Some students actually stayed the entire 24 hours.

Without my full involvement the event featured a food tent serving goodness throughout the day. The parking lot was decorated with balloons, and an ad was placed in the local newspaper to promote the event. Some of the charities we support were also on hand to help out and promote awareness for the causes we are supporting. Our dragon and lion dance teams got together to perform for the first time since Chinese New Year and they absolutely nailed it without practicing for almost four months. On top of all of this, our kwoon expansion was completed during the preparations for the event. My students showed that without a doubt, kung fu is about community.

As the chief instructor of a martial arts school, I can’t imagine a better legacy to leave behind than the continuation of my system and school after I have moved on. Silent River Kung Fu’s future is definitely in good hands. Thank you to all my black belts for understanding the power of example.

“A community is like a ship, everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.” - Henrik Ibsen (1828 -1906 )