Earl Blijd

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Closing this turbulent sports season Earl organized Bao Trieu's traditional training-weekend in the last weekend of July. This time it was held in a special location: the first day in the sports accommodation of Beatrixoord, which had become so familiar to him.

Guest teachers were Pencak Silat instructors, Johann Davids and Alfred Neef, of sports school Harimau, ex-Bao Trieu coming man in full contact Karate Douwe Zijlstra and boxing trainer Freek, who has only just finished the academy of sports, together with top performers such as the taekwondo ex-world champion Henk Meijer and Wushu celebrities Li Yanlong and Lin Qiuping.

It speaks for itself that Henk Meijer's lessons need no introduction. This taekwondo giant has been teaching everywhere in the world and with the wushu participants of Bao Trieu his explosive and dynamic sparring-training received an enthusiastic welcome.

In the lessons of Li Yanlong and Lin Qiuping it was obvious to the participants that these two worldclass teachers have attended the Wushu Academy in China. They could explain and teach the most difficult movements in a simple way. Especially those members of Bao Trieu selected to go to Rome's European Championships with the Dutch selection could gain enormously from these trainings.

The gracious but very effective pencak silat movements and the unaffected boxing techniques were highly appreciated. Douwe Zijlstra's guest training consisted of techniques from judo which could be applied in sparring. These, with their special clasping and strangling techniques, were avidly practised.

The second day of this training-weekend was held in the splendid and unique Chinese Garden of the Hortus Haren: 'The hidden empire of Ming'. In this imaginative and inspiring environment of a minutely imitated Chinese Park, participants could train to their hearts' delights, in several places, with Li Yanlong and Lin Qiuping. Whether it was Taijiquan, basic wushu techniques, forms, or Chinese full contact sparring (sanda), people were training devotedly.

In the afternoon, demonstrations were given, which attracted many visitors. Adding something special to the performance of the Bao Trieu members, the two Chinese stars, who live in Germany, gave a fantastic demonstration. Sifu Jie Kon Sieuw had come from Den Bosch with his pupils from Antwerp and Amsterdam to stage a lion dance. A lion dance which was spectacularly performed on poles.

Difficult? Yes!! But not nearly as difficult as the return of Earl Blijd after his nearly fatal accident. The Panther rose like a phoenix from the ashes ... living his 'second life' now and devoted to Wushu as ever.

Do not be afraid to progress slowly,
but be afraid to stand still.

Time perspective
September1960	14th	Earl Blijd was born on the caribbean island Cura�ao (Netherlands Antilles).
August 1978		Earl Blijd moves to Groningen in The Netherlands for further education.
1983		Earl Blijd becomes assistant trainer at the Bao Trieu School.
1984		Earl Blijd continues the Bao Trieu Sports School.
May 1995	6th	Nearly fatal car accident
6 days after accident		In coma.
9 days after accident		9½ hour operation.
		Earl stays in the Intensive Care Unit of the Univerity Hospital in Utrecht.
3 weeks after accident		Earl moves to the University Hospital in Groningen.
6 weeks after accident		Operation of 17 hours.
8 weeks after accident		Earl Blijd pays a short visit to the Bao Trieu Wushu School.
July 1995	5th	Earl Blijd goes to the Beatrixoord Rehabilitation Center in Haren.
October 1995		Tentative demo in Ahlen, Germany.
November 1995		Visit Budo Gala in Dortmund, Germany.
December 1995		Earl leaves the rehabilitation Center after nearly 6 months.
April 1996	20th	Budo meeting in Z�rich, Germany.
July 1996		Earl performs his daring Chi Kung act again.