Odin Maxwell 1st Degree Black Belt

My name is Odin Maxwell. Kungfu has not always been easy, but its challenges have always pushed me to my limits. To do what I never could have imagined myself doing in the years before I started. I’ve also come to enjoy the social aspect of Kungfu, learning from and helping other students. Over this past year, I've gained some insights, and found even more motivation in Kungfu, which I'd like to talk about.

So, at the end of August, I had the opportunity to compete in the Pan-American Wushu Championships. It was a big event, there were people from a lot of different countries, and I think it was a great learning experience for me. Preparing for and participating in the competition gave me motivation to keep working hard and improving my forms, and even just attending the tournament exposed me to a lot of very skilled athletes, and most importantly, allowed me to realize what's possible in the future. This experience greatly powered my motivation to continue kungfu, and so I want to work even harder so I can do better in future competitions.

 I think big events, such as tournaments, are really beneficial to your improvement, not just in kungfu, but in any activity or hobby you may have, as they inspire you to continue working at your current goals, as well as to create new, higher goals for you to work towards. Even if you don't participate in a competition, I encourage you all to go to one watch and support others. Being surrounded by others who are similarly dedicated to kungfu is very motivating, and it also gives you a larger sense of community than just the people at this studio. While competing against others is a good experience, real improvement comes from the competition within yourself, your drive to always become better than you once were. This is why I will be working even harder on improving my kungfu in the future.

 Finally, I want to thank Sifu Andy and Vincent, for teaching me all I know; my classmates, for training with me; and my family, for all that they do to support me at home.