A very Frosty Winter Day

 

At the urging of several of my Isshinryu black belts I started a T’ai Chi Chaun class for them to share the Yang Long Fist Tai Chi Chaun that Ernest Rothrock had taught me many years before.

 

 

As that time I was working daily at my job 75 miles away from Derry. And in the evenings and on Saturday I taught 2 youth karate classes and 2 adult karate classes. Along with family responsibilities it kept me pretty busy.

 

 

So I thought about the request and worked out a solution, I would teach them T’ai Chi Chaun, however to do so the classes would be held Sunday mornings on my driveway. I reasoned T’ai Chi was studied in China, outside in parks all year long. And in China winters could be very hot as well as very cold, and I was not going to do less than the Chinese.

 

 

So that fall I began my class, there were 4 members. Then a friend, from another school (Goju) who also happened to be my doctor told me he wanted to join the program. And I said sure, just show up on my driveway on Sunday morning at 8am and join the class,

 

 

Now that Sunday in January 1983 was an extremely cold day.The temperature that morning was very cold. The class gathered and prior to us starting Doc arrived. Parking at the end of my driveway (the driveway was about 7 car lengths long) he got out of his car  and approached us.

 

 

He began to speak, “Mr. Smith, you know I am a Surgeon and I have to protect m hands….”

 

 

 

“Doc,” I replied, “we have a special way to do so. It is called wearing gloves.”

 

 

Look skiers ski in colder temperatures and do so safely. We just had to dress properly.

 

 

Several classes later I showed the group a Ba Kau drill I had read about. We placed out hands in the t’ai chi arm position Left Play Guitar, and proceeded to walk around in a circle using ever slowing breathing.

 

 

This drill was used at the opening of our class.

 

 

Now that morning the temperature was – 20f. a quite frosty morning.

 

 

And as we were slowly circling each other in our group, a police car came slowly up Berry Road. A little while later as we were still doing the drill, the  police car came slowly back past my driveway.

 

 

Yet another time the police car drove by, having reversed his direction. Then a short while later that police officer walked down the street to look more closely at our T’ai Chi Chaun class. He stood in front of my driveway silently observing then walked away. He never said a word.

 

 

I imagine he reported us to the Chief of Police, and was told to forget it.

 

 

The Chief of Police was on the Board of Director; of the Boys and Girls Clum and knew who I was, as I volunteered my time at the club to teach its members.  He knew I did 'strange things'.

 

 

That class lasted over a decade, the group members were very dedicated.

 

 

Some summer days the temp could get as high as +115f then some winter days it could drop to -20f. Temperature change never interfered with my Tai Chi class.

 

 

The only time class was cancelled was if their was rain. I did not do t’ai chi in rain.

 

 

But if there was snow  class was never cancelled. Members showed or not, their choice, but I was always out there with my T’ai Chi Chaun.

 

 

One Sunday morning we had more than a foot of snow fal on the driveway. Beginning at 6am I started shoveling show and just before 8am I had the driveway mostly cleared, at least enough for T’ai Chi.I was so hot steam was rising from my coat. I went inside to change and an Idea struck me, I took off my coat and my sweat shir and only wearing my t-shirt went outside to greet the guy who had just started to arrive.

 

 

When they saw me in my t-shirt, they paid no attention to the fact I was so hot I was smoking. Instead they grabbed me and hustled me inside the basement and dressed me, believing I was mad. Then I told them I was playing a joke on them and was super heated from shoveling the snow. I am not sure they believed me.

 

 

But now dressed we went outside to practice.

 

 

Then there was the time Ernest Rothrock came for a January weekend to visit me and conduct a clinic for students and friends.

 

On Sunday morning ht came outside to greet the guys and discovered how cold it was. Then he went inside to sit in my kitchen and have a cup of coffee. He could sit there and watch the group in warmth while we practiced. Later he came outside and gave a few comments. His t’ai chi chaun was the warm classroom variety I guess.

 

 

What I can say is by performing T’ai Chi Chaun outside in the fresh air, I would always feel so alive when we finished.

A fond memory, of course in honesty I now live in Sun City West, Arizona, where we don't see snow.