Holzhau is a small, attractive resort town with no more than 400 inhabitants which is located in the Freiberg valley and on the slopes of the Osterz hills, in the midst of extensive forests and colourful mountain meadows. When walking or cycling through the forests and meadows it is not unusual to encounter the odd hare, badger, fox or deer, and the general silence is only broken by the clacking noise made by the Nordic walkers and "summer skiers”. Occasionally, however, Holzhau is awakened from its beauty sleep. As a regular event on the 3rd weekend in August, the meadow adjoining the ”Fischerbaude“ becomes the venue for strange goings-on as far as the visitors and tourists are concerned – the summer camp organised by the WT school in Freiberg.

As in previous years, Sifu Thomas Goldhahn assembled an energetic team of helpers for this year’s event. Weeks were spent planning, organising, cooking, baking, constructing and testing ..., so that the weekend would be an unforgettable experience for all those taking part.

An incomparable complex of sporting, games and catering facilities was constructed on a ”festival site” with an area of around one hectare, which ensured both training and entertainment for the 3 days. Even a number of small tents began to appear like mushrooms, providing overnight accommodation for the most hardy amongst us. Over the years more and more regular “camp“ participants have come to appreciate the advantages of a room in the ”Fischerbaude“ or one of the local guesthouses, for Holzhau lies at an altitude of 800 m and often has autumn temperatures even in August. While we used to be “amongst ourselves“ with 10-20 participants for our first few camps, around 120 WT people from all over Germany had announced themselves this time, among them 8 Sifus and numerous TGs. And no wonder, for not only Sifu Thomas Schrön (7th PG) had confirmed his attendance, but also Sifu Hans Kelzenberg (6th PG) and Sifu Jörg Kilian (5th PG) to lend support. Over the entire weekend (which included 2 examination seminars for WT and Escrima), these 3 WingTsun masters demonstrated their skill to the full, at the highest level and in all situations. Their technical and teaching skills were enormously impressive, and left a lasting impression on all the participants (and not only in the form of aching muscles).

A volleyball tournament, campfire with home-made music and long conversations once again showed that a martial arts school can be more than just a place to train.

Owing to sponsorship by a large Freiberg drinks producer, the “Fischerbaude“ and not least the untiring efforts of the Freiberg students – and particularly those of the ”Command Centre”, the camp was a resounding success – giving every reason to look forward to the 10th summer camp taking place next year.