Garon Wilkinson on behalf of Bermuda Sanshou Association (BSA) has paid tribute to Allan ‘Forty’ Rego.
Allan ‘Forty’ Rego played a very intricate role in the development and success of Bermuda Sanshou Association, the full-contact Chinese kickboxing organization that I co-founded back in 2005 and currently serve as President and Head Coach.
I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Rego during my school days as track athlete. He helped to coach and mentor my father during his running career and I remember Mr. Rego coming by our house to rub me down during big events such as the Front Street Mile.
Mr. Rego opened his home gym to me when I was home from Japan training and Rego’s Gym subsequently became the home of Bermuda Sanshou Association (BSA) for a number of years.
Mr. Rego was a Grandmaster in the art of boxing…one of the major elements of the sport of san shou. His coaching and guidance is irreplaceable and a lot of the boxing we learned from him still plays a major part in our program today. One of the highlights for BSA was when Mr. Rego and his wife Joanne traveled with us in 2007 to our very first World Wushu Championships in Beijing, China.
It would be the Rego’s first trip to Asia and an opportunity that they did not want to let slip by.. I remember after my world championship debut being approached by a fellow competitor and being asked if our team members were all boxers. I found that question very interesting given all of us had formal traditional martial artists backgrounds…but our boxing skills learned through the tutelage of Mr. Rego quickly became our strongest weapon.
That first world championships was very memorable for us and the Rego’s…I remember he purchased some fine Chinese custom-made garments there…some of which you may have seen Mr. Rego wear…because as the saying goes “he never had any flies on him.”
Mr. Rego did not only teach us about the art of boxing…he taught us all how to live as athletes. He often talked about healthy eating, natural herbs, pre-competition meals and rest. “Joyful nights bring sorrowful days!” he would tell us as we struggled running our hills early Sunday mornings at Horseshoe Bay.
Mr. Rego was also a God fearing man. Imagine asking God to help us to hit someone so hard in their liver that they have to sit down? Mr. Rego would often pray with us before going to battle and would always ask “If God is with us, who can be against us?”
Mr. Rego was indeed an icon, a legend and a very proud Bermudian. All of us at BSA value the time that he spent with us and all the knowledge that he shared. We will miss him dearly.
His legacy will live on as we pass on his knowledge from our generation to the next. To all of the Rego family, we are all so grateful that you shared Forty with us.
We pray for you and ask that God be with all of you. Thank you.
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