UC Merced’s
Martial Arts Clubrecently returned from its first competition, bringing home two gold medals and a trophy.
Club President Chris Abrescy calls the experience of competing at UC Berkeley’s Third Annual UC Yongmudo Championship nothing short of amazing. The Oct. 27 tournament was open to non-collegiate competitors, though most participants were from UC Berkeley.
“We had to stick to a rigorous practice schedule before the tournament,” Abrescy said of the team’s competitive debut. “The hard work felt like it really paid off.
The payoff was a gold award in the categories of Synchronized Team Forms and Team Skit, and a trophy for Best Team Event. But Abrescy is quick to note that the team’s pride goes far beyond its awards.
“We achieved a more important goal of gaining exposure for UC Merced,” he said. “Before the tournament, we were unknown. Afterward, we earned respect - and proved that UC Merced really does exist.”
A Winton native, Abrescy was practically born into martial arts. His family has owned Merced’s Eastwind Martial Arts Academy for the past two decades. He has been practicing martial arts since the age of 5.
The junior
business managementmajor founded the
Martial Arts Clubin 2005, when UC Merced first opened its doors. Since then, it’s grown to about 40 active members and gave birth to a subgroup that performs entertaining demonstrations. The 18-member MAC Demo Team boasts athletes with backgrounds in a variety of styles, from kung-fu and karate to kemscrima-doh and capoeira.
The club is probably best known on campus for its
Asian Fest, which is a cultural celebration that features vendor booths, displays, entertainment and food as well as participation from multiple
student clubs.
The Martial Arts Club has also hosted demos and seminar series that included martial arts schools and instructors from the surrounding communities. The next seminar series will be Dec. 1. The annual event will feature 12 martial arts instructors providing hands-on education. For details on the event,
e-mail Abrescy.
“One of our main goals as a club is to spread martial arts awareness and to bridge the gap between the UC and the community,” Abrescy said.
