In the background are Master Bill Phillips (sifu of Patience Tai Chi Association in Brooklyn, NY) to the extreme right of the photo and the judge to the left is Master Paul Ramos (sifu of the WU SHEN TAO TAI CHI KUNG FU CENTER)

(2nd Degree Blackbelt under Master Li Pei Yun)

Awards

Year 2002

East Coast Siu Lum Martial Arts Championship

  • Tai Chi Division – 2nd place hand forms (Beginner Division)

Year 2003

U.S.International Kuoshu Championship – Huntsville, MD

  • 3rd Place – Yang Style Intermediate (Men)

Year 2004

U.S.International Kuoshu Championship – Huntsville, MD

  • 1st Place – Intermediate Yang Style – Men
  • 1st Place – Advanced Other Style Tai Chi- Men
  • 1st Place – Mixed Tai Chi Weapon Men-Beginner/Intermediate
  • 2nd Place – Hsing I Chuan Intermediate (Men/Women)

Year 2005

U.S.International Kuoshu Championship – Huntsville, MD

  • 4th Place – Advanced Tai Chi Yang Style – Men
  • 2nd Place – Advanced Hsing I Chuan – Men
  • 2nd Place – Mixed Tai Chi – Other Style Tai Chi Men
  • 3rd Place – Mixed Tai Chi Compulsory Form

Year 2006

February 2006 – International Wushu/Tai Chi Competition in Hong Kong China representing the USA as a member of Team Li Pei Yun.
Received a medal in every event entered.

Individual Gold Medals:

  • 1st place Xingyiquan (Hsing I Chuan) hand form (8.70) Gold
  • 1st place Chen Style hand form (8.65) Gold
  • 1st place Jianshu (Northern Straight Sword) (8.59) Gold
  • 1st place Chen Style Broadsword (8.53) Gold
  • 1st place International 42 Form Competition Tai Chi Straight Sword (8.47) Gold

Pairs medal:
1st place short weapon fighting (8.46) Gold (With T.C. Cooke)

Team medals:

  • Group Wushu Team Form (8.64) Gold
  • Group Tai Chi Team Form (8.57) Gold
  • Group Demonstration Form (Combined Wushu & Tai Chi) (NA) Silver

August 2006 – US Wushu Union’s 2006 US National Chinese Martial Arts Championships, Pittsburgh, PA
Received a medal in every event entered.

  • Men’s Internal All-Around Champion

Individual Gold Medals:

  • 1st place – 42-Form Taijiquan
  • 1st place – Yang Style Taijiquan
  • 1st place – Chen Style Taijiquan
  • 1st place – Other Style Taijiquan
  • 2nd place – Xingyiquan
  • 1st place – Taiji Jian (not 42)
  • 1st place – 42-Form Taiji Jian
  • 1st place – Other Internal Short Weapons

Year 2007

August 2007 – Fifth Zhejiang International Traditional Wushu Tournament 2007in Hangzhou, China (August 2007)
Received a gold medal in every event entered.

Individual Gold Medals:

  • 1st place Chen’s (set 1) Taijiquan (8.90) Gold
  • 1st place Chen Style Traditional hand form (8.89) Gold
  • 1st place Chen Style Broadsword (Taijidao) (8.83) Gold
  • 1st place Comprehensive Xingyiquan (8.72) Gold
  • 1st place Jianshu (Northern Straight Sword) ele. Jianshu (8.60) Gold

Pairs medal:

  • 1st place Xingyiquan Pair Routine (8.66) Gold (With Carlos Santiago)

Team medals:

  • Group Comprehensive Taiji Form (combined quan & weapon) (8.96) Gold
  • Group Demonstration Form (Combined Wushu & Tai Chi) (NA) Gold

Year 2008

U.S.International Kuoshu Championship – Huntsville, MD
Full results click here.

  • 4th Place – Advanced Tai Ji Yang Style – Men
  • 2nd Place – Advanced Tai Ji Chen Style – Men
  • 3rd Place – Advanced Tai Ji Straightsword – Men
  • 1st Place – Mixed Tai Ji – Tai Ji 50 yrs and over Men/Women
  • 1st Place – Mixed Tai Ji – Other Style Tai Ji Men
  • 1st Place – Mixed Tai Ji Compulsory Form Men

Year 2009

  • U.S.International Kuoshu Championship – Huntsville, MD .  Full results click here.
  • 1st Place – Advanced Tai Ji Yang Style – Men
  • 3rd Place – Advanced Tai Ji Chen Style – Men
  • 1st Place – Advanced Tai Ji Straightsword – Men
  • 3rd Place – Advanced Tai Ji Other Weapon – Men
  • 2nd Place – Mixed Tai Ji – Other Style Tai Ji Men
  • 3rd Place – Mixed Tai Ji Compulsory Form Men/Women
  • 2nd Place – Mixed Xing Yi Quan Weapon Men/Women

Year 2010

U.S.International Kuoshu Championship – Huntsville, MD
Full results click here.

Awarded 2010 COMPETITOR OF THE YEAR – MALE INTERNAL

  • 1st Place – Mixed Tai Ji Compulsory Form Men
  • 3rd Place – Advanced Tai Ji Chen Style – Men
  • 1st Place – Mixed Tai Ji – Over 50 Men

Year 2012

P 品 INTERNATIONAL MARTIAL ARTS COMPETITION 2012 – Sewell, NJ

Awarded all around Internal Style Champion

  • 1st Place – TaiJi Open Hand Form
  • 2nd Place – TaiJi Open Weapon Form
  • 2nd Place – TaiJi Traditional Hand Form
  • 2nd Place – TaiJi Traditional Weapon Form

*Note from Kevin Else: Without Master Li’s instruction, none of these awards would have been possible.  Unfortunately, I was already over 45 years old when I began learning from Master Li.  As a result, I was a slow learner and did not have the strength nor the flexibility of my younger self (limited as that was).  I was nearly 55 years old when I won the 2010 Competitor of the Year award at the U.S. International Kuoshu Championship.  Again, without Master Li’s patience with my feeble attempts at learning the art, this would not have been possible.

Other Masters

I’ve been lucky enough to meet all four of the Four Buddha’s Warrior Attendants or Four Tigers of Chen Taijiquan:
Chen Xiaowang, Chen Zhenglei, Wang Xian and Zhu Tiancai.

In addition, while visiting China in 2007, I had the amazing opportunity to meet and train with one of the top Xing Yi/Bagua/Sun Style Taiji practitioners, Master Zhang Xin Ming.