Tai Chi Ranking & Elizabeth Webb Black Sash Test ~ Saturday June 28th 2025

Seated, front row, left to right: Shifu Eliot Prisby, Shifu Gary J. LaChapelle Jr.
Second row, left to right: Bill Scott, Kathy Dollard, Jo Gao Elizabeth Webb, Andrea Rex, Elizabeth Foote, Olga Smirnov, Pi Stafford, Jo Gao Cassie Johnson, Jo Gao Mark Globerson, Kaitlin Shaughnessy, Megan France-Peterson
Third row, left to right: Phil Maiewski, Susan Noto, Shawn Klingener, Richard Amodio, Jo Gao Jasper Weeks, Jason Weeks, Ryan Dougherty

Saturday was a truly special day at the guǎn 馆. Tai Chi student Elizabeth Webb was tested for and promoted to black sash, earning her the title of “Jo Gao" (助教), meaning “teacher’s assistant.”

Elizabeth worked hard throughout her charting process, which involves practicing each of the required forms 25 times outside of class, presenting them to the instructor, and then practicing another 25 times implementing the instructor’s corrections. It’s definitely a marathon but we see incredible improvements in our students during this crucial time immediately prior to their tests.

Only two students (Irene and Mark) have ever made it to black sash in Tai Chi. I think it speaks to the deceptive difficulty of the art. People think it's easy just because it's slow and old people do it. Tai Chi is incredibly difficult and the time it takes to master its subtleties just isn't something that most people have the patience and discipline for.

Elizabeth does, however, and she has done so with keen observation, extended study and practice outside of class, and her usual bone dry sense of humor.

Most Tai Chi programs/schools don't offer sashes. Our Tai Chi program is serious. We have an extensive forms curriculum (not just the "short" and "long" forms) that includes forms from multiple styles (Yang, Chen, and Sun) as well as weapons and push hands. It is not an afterthought to our Kung Fu program, it is an entire curriculum in and of itself, and Ms. Elizabeth has tackled it.

I am so proud of her and so grateful to have her as a student!

Of course, I’d also like to highlight the other students who received their sashes as well, well on their way to black:

To Black Sash:
Elizabeth Webb

To Red Sash:
Kathy Dollard
Ryan Dougherty
Bill Scott
Kaitlin Shaughnessy

Thank you to Shifu Gary for presiding over the ranking, and to all the student who showed up to support their classmates! Photos are available on our Facebook and SmugMug pages.

~ Shifu