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Article for the Dover Post
Local Teenager Finds Inner Strength From Kung Fu
By Kelli Myers
Staff writer
“Everything else gets in the way of this,” said Dover High senior
Jason Dooley of kung fu, the Chinese martial art that takes up much of his
life.
A Si Hing, or junior instructor at the center, Dooley is looked up to by many
of his classmates. And for good reason, as he recently placed first in the
empty hand forms, or katas, and in the weapon category, for which he competed
with double daggers, at John Burdyck’s Battle of Baltimore tournament
Oct. 17.
School, girls, partying and friends take a back seat to kung fu for Dooley,
who has come a long way since he started taking classes in Middletown about
four years ago. He now views kung fu not only as a sport, but as an internal
condition.
“It’s a state of mind – a way of bettering yourself,”
he said.
Sifu (or head instructor) Dale McDine added that kung fu has numerous styles,
naming the spear, daggers and animal poses as some more popular ones.
Currently a brown sash, and soon to be a brown/black sash, Dooley trains four
nights each week, for about four hours at a time, or “as much as humanly
possible,” Dooley said.
“I’m always trying to get better,” he said, noting he practices
in school and at home as well. “It’s an everyday thing – I
sleep and dream forms.”
Likewise, McDine said his pupil is extremely dedicated.
“He’s not egotistical and doesn’t tell people he does this,”
McDine said, “and yet he’s the top competitor at this school and
has really kept his focus.”
“People love to watch him – when he performs he has this fire that
kicks in,” he added.
With the right guidance and proper training, Dooley will go far in this sport,
McDine said, adding he can see him as a national champion one day.
“I like watching him grow up,” McDine said.
Dooley said he used to be really shy, but opened up a lot more once he started
teaching classes.
“I understand myself more, and better my mental and physical conditions
at the same time,” he said.
His mother, Grace Dooley, recognizes all of this: “He’s such a good
kid, so mild mannered,” she said. “He’s never been in a fight.”
Added McDine, who has practiced kung fu for 20 years, and opened the Chinese
Martial Arts Center two years ago, “He’s a lot like I was.”
McDine prides himself in the way he operates his school
– “it’s like a family,” he said, adding he makes sure
his students are ready to advance to the next level before providing them
with their sashes.
“That’s why I like it here,” Dooley said. “I like to stay
at a certain level and really understand it before I move on to the next one.”
Another factor in Dooley’s success are his three weekend trips to Canada
to visit Grandmaster Pan Qing Fu.
“Grandmaster Pan gets [Dooley] really psyched,” McDine said. “That’s
where he gets his fire.”
“He’s an awesome guy,” Dooley added. “He’s really
taught me a lot.”
McDine is planning to take his students on another trip in April to train
with Pan, the “living treasure.”
And for now, until he’s completed high school and possibly college, Dooley
will continue competing locally and practicing every day.
“I see myself here [at the center] in the future,” he said. “When
I’m out of school I’ll be doing a lot more with kung fu.”
