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Issue: 980 Date: 6/4/2009

11th Annual International Chinese Martial Arts Championship
Jardena Green, Jason Meehan, Meehan won 1st and 2nd places

(from left) Jason, GMaster Chen, Jardena, Justin and John Meehan
        By SCANews

        Once again local St Louis teenagers have distinguished themselves in the 11th Annual International Chinese Martial Arts Championship held in Orlando, Fla., this last May 22-24, 2009. Teenagers Jardena Green (18), Jason Meehan (16) and his brother John Meehan won 1st and 2nd places in the Adult Push Hands Divisions, following up their extraordinary wins as teenagers at the 2008 tournament and competing upward in the highest or Heavyweight Division.

        Jardena Green, although only 155lbs., chose to compete upward in the Heavyweight Division, although outweighed by her opponents by up to 75 lbs. World famous GrandMaster William C. C. Chen of New York congratulated the teenagers and welcomed them as 3rd generation students.

        Their coach and father, Sifu J. Justin Meehan, had studied with GrandMaster Chen in 1967 in New York and was proud to introduce his students to his former teacher. GrandMaster Chen, who originally studied with the World Famous Cheng Man Ching of Taiwan, invited Sifu Justin's two sons, John and Jason, to assist him in his Masters Demonstration where he demonstrated the explosive power of this seemingly gentle Art.

        Tournament officials were impressed when in the Final Round of Push Hand Competition, the two brothers were called upon to compete against each other. If they did not compete they would be disqualified even though they had defeated all other contestants. At first the two brothers practiced pushing together with neither brother trying to gain the advantage because they believed that martial (Wu De) and Confucian ethics required that brothers of the same school should not fight against each other.

        When threatened with disqualification, the younger brother, Jason (16), offered to withdraw in favor of his older brother John (22), but the older brother refused and pretended to be pushed despite his younger brother's denials. Older brother John who attends Drake University and intends to go to Law School, following in his father's footsteps, later stated, "how could I deprive my younger brother of the right to match his achievement of last year?" "He has worked the hardest and deserves the championship."

        Judges and tournament officials congratulated their father, Sifu Justin Meehan, on the fine demonstration of Chinese values, putting martial ethics above winning or losing. Jason is entering his Junior year at Webster Groves High School and Jardena "Little Tiger" Green works for Better Family Life assisting those less fortunate to obtain education, job readiness training and gainful employment. She dedicated her wins (5 medals for form and Push Hands) to all those single mothers who her organization serves, hoping her achievements would give others the inspiration and courage to believe in themselves and to continue to struggle to improve their lives and those of their families.




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