June 2025 Newsletter
- Shifu Lei Shao Long
- Jun 1
- 6 min read
Hello students & parents,
It's a big birthday month, wish these students an amazing birthday - Jackson, Marshal, Livia, Josh, Li Pin, Rachel!
Here are the focuses this month:
Morning Taiji: Taiji 28 (No Class on Monday June 30th)
Evening Taiji: Taiji 28 (No Class on Monday June 25th)
Beginner Gongfu: Basics & review (No Class on Monday June 16th)
Kid's Gongfu: Sanda sparring - goal is to ensure everyone has had a chance to spar
For those without their red uniform, come in school shirt and shorts for now
Advanced Gongfu: Sanda and taolu review
UTAH ASIAN FEST 2025
While we're not doing any gongfu performances this year, our team will be performing lion dancing at the annual Utah Asian Festival. Our lions will be performing between 11 and 12, around 11:30 at the Utah State Fair Park. If you haven't been to Asian Fest before, reminders:
Paid parking gets crazy; be sure to get somewhat earlier of any performances you want to see.
The upstairs performance area gets way too stuffy. Only stay and see performances you really like rather than sit through the whole thing miserable and hungry. The schedule will be posted online and there.
Wear sunblock, brings hats, sunglasses & parasols and anything else to deal with the heat as all the food lines are outside, as well as see some performances at the tents.
SHAO LONG ACADEMY THEATER MOVIE NIGHT
Movie night is this Tuesday night! Those who are attending will receive texts with all the information, but as a brief mentioning:
Tuesday night - June 3rd
Cinemark Sandy Union Heights, 7670 S. Union Park Ave, Midvale, UT 84047
Theater room 8
Doors open at 6:30pm, movie starts exactly at 7pm (we get to skip trailers)
The movie itself is 1hr 58min long, so we'll be done by 9pm
Seats are now assigned to prevent chaos and ensure that everyone is sat next to their +1/families. Shifu will pass out tickets at the front lobby with seat info. Please respect your assigned seats; we spent time organizing it
Snacks & drinks are separate and up to you/families to purchase
Please do NOT be that person in the theater, meaning don't be the person on your phone, forgetting to turn it off/have on silent/do not disturb, have loud conversations others can hear and/or not control your children. Otherwise, I will kick you out. I can't tell you all how much politeness and respect have somehow disappeared in the movie theaters that I've been to lately. Show the discipline you all learn in classes and give example.
TOURNAMENT RESULTS & WHEN YOU FEEL YOU'RE NOT ENOUGH
Last weekend, our team stepped into the arena at the 2025 Golden State International Wushu Tournament—our first time competing on such a grand stage. With over 1,300 competitors from 65 schools, many of them elite athletes, it was easy to feel small. It was easy to doubt ourselves.
I remember doing my form, Xuanwu Quan. I poured my heart into it, but when I walked off the floor, I felt I hadn’t done my best. My mind kept replaying the performance—every little mistake, every moment I thought I could’ve been sharper or more focused. When the scores came out, I learned I had placed second—by just a mere 0.05 points. At first, I was really frustrated. While I knew I could've done better, like we all humbly should, it was a different emotion that crept in. I felt like I wasn’t enough.
But then I watched the video Shimu, my greatest support & coach, had recorded of me.
I saw the strength in my stances, the focus, the flow of my movement and strength in my attacks. Despite everything I had going on in my life—being a busy family-man and businessman—I still gave it my all, finding time to practice my form over a hundred times leading up to the tournament, to compete against a guy who does tournaments all the time and get that close to him. I chose to see it not as a “not enough,” but as a reflection of how far I’ve come—and how much I love this art. Though it wasn't immediate, I ultimately decided to choose happiness. A part of that happiness was also to have one of my Disciples, Li Gong, compete in the same category as me and get close to my score. That was also a moment of happiness for me.
I also remember my Taiji performance. I definitely didn’t feel like I did as well as I wanted to. In the end I still placed first place and received a gold medal—not because I chased it or the size of my division, but because I stayed present and represented the Taiji that I had practiced hundreds of times, representing a rare style not often seen that no one else takes the time to learn and compete with. It's a form I had to learn when I gave up everything to move to a rural part of China, and perform willingly and with my whole heart, even if one of the judges was a Taiji influencer I follow.
Sure, trophies are cool; they're essentially bragging rights and something to show success at one singular point in your life. However, awards and trophies are simply the byproduct of honoring the art you’ve given so much of yourself to along the way. It was all a reminder that sometimes we’re so focused on our own mistakes that we forget to see the whole picture—the progress we’ve made, the work we’ve put in, and the journey we’re on.
We often feel like we’re not enough because we’re always reaching for perfection. We measure ourselves against the very best and forget to recognize how far we’ve already come.
You are enough because you showed up.
You are enough because you gave it your all.
You are enough because you dared to compete, to stand on that floor, to put your heart out there.
Our team—representing Utah as the only school from our state—brought home 11 medals from the live competition:
🥇 5 Gold
🥈 4 Silver
🥉 2 Bronze
Online division is unfortunately taking forever and results are trickling in.
However, even then with all this success and achievements, many of us were still our own harshest critics. Practically every respected athlete had a face of "UGH!" when they got off the floor because we all want to be better. I saw it in myself too and so did my Disciples with themselves. But ultimately, I chose to honor what I did, to see the effort and beauty in my performance, and to trust that next time, I will grow even more.
This wisdom isn’t about settling for less or adopting a participation-trophy mindset—it’s about recognizing the growth in each step. I’m still going to push you to be the best version of yourselves, create goals for you and myself, to fight for excellence, and to understand that success isn’t simply handed out—it’s earned through dedication and relentless effort.
As cliche as it is, I'll remind you as you climb each mountain, remember: happiness and self-worth are not only found at the summit or in a piece of metal or a fabric sash. They're just tools to help you get to where you want, to become the best martial artist you can be. Preparing for this tournament shook me up and reminded me why I love this art (plus my Xuanwu Quan is the best it's ever been). It's all a part of the journey you’re already walking, every day you step forward.
So the next time you feel that doubt creeping in, remember: You are exactly where you need to be. Honor your effort. Celebrate your courage. This is the heart of a martial artist.
-Shifu Lei
HOUSEKEEPING ITEMS
Remember you can always check the school schedule on the app, which is much faster than checking social media or these newsletters. To save from excessive printing, schedules are no longer printed on report cards.
As far as testing, testing dates were thrown out of schedule in May. We'll ensure we get all students tested throughout the month in June instead of waiting for the last class.
SCHOOL SCHEDULE
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