Mountain Ridge is home to a number of extraordinary students, with accomplishments ranging from athletics to academics and every extracurricular in between. This October, sophomore twins Luke and Sean Wagner traveled to Emieshan, China to compete in the 10th World Traditional Wushu Competition, which showcases top youth talent in Chinese Martial Arts.
Within Wushu, there are two main branches of competition, each with their own unique challenges. Taolu, which Luke competes in, involves more choreographed movements somewhat akin to dance. It can be done with a bare hand or with a weapon. Wagner describes the goal of this event as “trying to achieve finesse.”
Sean competes in the other type of Wushu called Sanda, emphasizing speed, strength, and combat skills more similarly to boxing. The routines are judged based on difficulty of movements, how well they are executed, and how they compare to other competitors practicing Sanda.
These events are complex, demanding a high degree of precision from participants, as well as dedicated. Still, for Sean and Luke, they represent more than athleticism or friendly competition. Luke highlights the “aspects of artistic expression inside your performance that really makes it feel almost magical.”
Luke and Sean qualified for this international event by first qualifying for the United States team, which rosters the athletes with the highest average scores from national events. The US is highly represented at this competition, which features thousands of athletes from countries around the world.
Luke has been competing in Wushu since he was eight years old. He distinctly remembers joining after watching older students perform and admiring their movements. Luke describes the sport as “really culturally immersive,” saying he is “glad to have a taste of the Chinese culture coming from my mom because she is Chinese American.” This cultural connection is especially important in contrast to his musical passions that include mostly western and European instruments.
This will be the first time the twins have traveled internationally; their farthest competition thus far has been in California. Luke mentions that he was nervous about some basic aspects of travel, such as jet lag, higher elevation, and the chance of getting sick.
Luke also discusses the “varying levels of how they judge you” which can look different in an international competition. It’s difficult since, according to Luke, “you don’t typically know what the judges are looking for because they change every time they host the event, which is two years.”
After spending around two weeks in the beautiful city of Emieshan, China, the twins came back with the experience of a lifetime. Luke placed third in his division, and Sean came very close to medaling as well. Outside of the competition, they spent time visiting locations such as the Chengdu Panda Research Base and going to the Golden Summit on Emei Mountain.
Luke describes his trip as wonderful, and talks about how he “got to experience a completely different culture, and how ‘society’ functions there.” He mentions some of the delicious food he got to try such as Beijing roast duck, bamboo and egg pancakes, and fresh green tea.
Heading into the competition, Luke was excited to meet other Wushu trainers and students “to see what it’s like around the world.” After he came back he said his favorite experience was getting to “watch others who are more skilled perform,” and meet other people to “get to know their life as a Wushu athlete.”
The Wagner twins’ amazing accomplishments show the talent and dedication of Ridge students. As they continue to hone their impressive talents, there’s no telling where they will go in the world of Wushu.
