A moment of glory for kung fu champ

NEWTON -- Kung fu expert Drew Chin expected something special when he traveled to China in October to compete in the Second World Traditional Wushu Championships.

But the Newton South High School junior was not prepared for the reception when he marched into the stadium in Zhengzhou City in Henan Province.

Zhengzhou is one of China's oldest cities and is considered by some to be the birthplace of the martial arts. It is home of the 1,500-year-old Shaolin temple where centuries ago monks perfected kung fu.

Martial arts are revered in the region and Chin realized that during opening ceremonies.

"It was like the beginning of the Olympic Games," said Chin. "The stands were filled to capacity. It was on national television and scalpers were getting huge money for tickets." Martial artists from 66 countries filed into the stadium for the competition, which began Oct. 13 and lasted a week.

Chin returned to Newton with a lifetime of memories and a pair of gold medals that he won in the bare hand and broadsword competition s.

Competitors do not face each other in hand-to-hand combat. The competition is individual, with participants performing much as a figure skater would during an event. The scoring was on a 1-to-10 scale.

Although Chin competed in his age division, he made sure to observe the top kung fu competitors. "In the master category, the top finishers got 9s for their routines," said Chin. "They were very good. I won with 8.8s as scores and it was terrific."

When he began warming up, he was worried about how he would do. "I saw my competitors going through their drills and I thought they were very good. I didn't think I was going to do as well as I did," said Chin.

Although his performance might be worth celebrity status in China, this winter Chin is just your average high school student in Newton. He is working hard to earn a spot on the varsity wrestling team and this spring he hopes to advance from the junior varsity to varsity volleyball squad.

Chin did not attend the biannual international martial arts competition in China two years earlier because he didn't want to miss classes.

His father, who operates one of the premier martial arts academies in Eastern Massachusetts, the Calvin Chin Martial Arts Academy in Newton Highlands, attended and wanted his son to accompany him.

"But I was just starting my freshman year at Newton South, and we realized it was more important that I concentrate on my studies and get a solid footing in school before I took that much time off," said Drew Chin, who hopes to attend college and major in finance.

This year Chin felt he could make up for the two weeks of school he would miss during his trip abroad. The visit opened his eyes.

"Going to China was not what I expected," said Chin. "I expected everything to be so backward and primitive. But it is not. They are as modern as we are. In Beijing there are as many lights as Times Square."

Chin said he was surprised that he enjoyed his visit so much. "The food is somewhat different. I'm sort of used to eating it, but it was so much better there than it is at home," he said.

The people, said Chin, were open and gregarious. The Zhengzhou region of China is rural, in stark contrast to Beijing, where he spent the first few days of his visit. Zhengzhou is a major railway hub south of Beijing. It is home of the national grain wholesale market.

Chin, who has been involved in kung fu from the time he was in kindergarten, said, "My father has always been my instructor so I got a very good education."

However, it was not a 24-seven classroom for father and son.

"It has never been like that. We talk about other things besides martial arts," said Chin.