Hi everyone!

The UO Wushu team is heading to CMAT tomorrow, wish us luck!

-Caleb Trinidad

Watch our performance at Corvallis’ Dance of Spring event!

Over the weekend, our team and the UW Wushu Team headed over to Summit Wushu Academy to do a Joint Training, where our beginners, intermediates, and our more advanced members got to learn from some of the best coaches in Oregon.

We all learned and grew from this, and hope to do it again next year!

Hey everyone! We recently did a performance for UO’s Asian and Pacific Islander American Student Union. Check it out!

This Fall Term, we had over a dozen new people join our team, and they’re progressing at a remarkable rate.

They’re currently learning five-stance and beginner form- on top of practicing for our upcoming APASU Fall Reception Demo.

Wish them luck!

Hi everyone,

Sorry for the inactivity! We’ll be updating the blog regularly starting from now.

For those unaware, we’ve had a change in management, and have new officers for the 2018-2019 school year, and the updated officer list can be found here.

Also, as an aside, we got a new sticker design (Below) from UO’s very own Summer Nguyen. Check out her art!

Jiayou,

Caleb Trinidad

Michael Nilson!

[Photo retrieved from Facebook]

How did you find out about UO Wushu?

My intro to the wushu team happened when I came to school at the UO. Originally I didn’t know what wushu was or really had any initial interest in it. I even remember seeing the members of the team warming up for a demo before I joined, but it wasn’t until about a week later when my roommate for the dorms asked me if I wanted to go to one of the practices. I said sure and the rest became history, me becoming hooked from my first practice.

How long were you involved with the club?

I started in fall of 2009, attending practices for my entire college career, and even continuing to attend some practices while I was still in Eugene until 2016.

What were the most difficult and most rewarding factors of being on the team?

The most rewarding thing for me would definitely be the people that you meet. For me the team became a second family while I was at school, and in many cases I still go to many of the alumni for advice. The most difficult thing was the time management. There were many times I would have to limit how much wushu I could do outside of practice because I had something more important to do and I wasn’t too great at it.

What were the most difficult and most rewarding factors of being captain?

The most difficult, was being able to describe how a technique actually felt. I had never really thought about feeling a movement out before I became captain. It was just something that if I did the technique “correctly” I knew it from muscle memory. But if someone came up to me asking, “How should I feel when doing this move?” I was at a loss. It gave me something more to work on. The most rewarding thing was being able to see the progress other teammates made throughout the year, however big or small it was.

How did you balance all your activities during college?

I wasn’t too great at balancing everything. I ended up prioritizing wushu more over my other activities.

Did you specialize in something?

I didn’t really stick with any specific weapons or forms, other than longfist. For my first few years I dabbled in everything, learning almost a new weapon each year. It wasn’t until the later school years that I picked up eagle-claw and although I wouldn’t say I specialized in it, the form became one of my favorites for demos and competitions.

Can you describe the mental and physical progression you experienced from your first competition to your last competition?

I remember my first competition being somewhat of a blur because I had only one event and the beginners went first. But at my next competition, I became nervous thinking about competing. As I competed more over the years, the tension from competition became less and less, as I learned to relax well before my events, despite who I was going up against. As for physical progression, I tried to get input from as many sources as possible. Everyone, no matter their skill level, has their own opinion on what your wushu should be. The way I found to progress, was to actually listen to the criticism given to me, whether its something I wanted to hear or not.

How did the Wushu community impact your life?

The majority of my close friends in college came from the UO wushu team. There were many times where a few of us would stay at the gym well after practice had ended, sometimes still practicing and others just lounging in the mat room, enjoying the time spent with each other.

How has Wushu impacted your life?

I wasn’t that outgoing of a person before wushu being more of a follower, waiting for someone else to step up to a challenge. Wushu helped make me someone who’s steps up more when others are reluctant, something my previous employers have stated that they liked about me.

Where are you now in life?

Currently I am pursuing a career with Oregon’s Parks and Recreation Department.

Do you still practice?

Not as much as I would like to. I still tend to practice spear basics as it has become my favorite weapon out of all my dabbling.

Do you have any advice for current team members?

I am not the one who should be saying this but don’t procrastinate on anything. It sucks having to rush out school work or that presentation that you need to write. So just get it done.

Megan Bernatzki!

[Photo Submitted by Megan Bernatzki)

How did you find out about UO Wushu?

I first started training in Wushu during my senior year of high school with Tom Diamond, a member of UO Wushu at the time. I learned from him for about a year before I started college and joined the team.

How long were you involved with the club?

I was with the UO Wushu team for about two years, during my freshman and sophomore years of college.

What were the most difficult and most rewarding factors of being on team?

It was always rewarding to work both independently on individual forms as well as to work with my teammates in order to put on performances. Working as an individual where I could rely on myself in order to train hard enough to become more confident in a from was incredibly motivating, although encouragement from the other members was always a big help. And then working together with my teammates added a whole new level of determination, and it was satisfying to see a show come together the more we practiced for each one. I was always personally more interested in the performing aspect of Wushu rather than the competition, although competing against other athletes who have trained equally as hard was also very rewarding and inspiring.

As for difficulties, sometimes it could be disheartening when I didn’t make as much progress with a particular movement as I wanted to, or when I would end up with an injury that would limit my progress for an amount of time. But I’m thankful to my teammates who were always incredibly encouraging and supportive whenever I would hit such roadblocks.

How did you balance all your activities during college?

I don’t procrastinate! I always work on projects as soon as I am able to, rather than at the last minute. It makes things much less stressful and anxiety-inducing than putting things off until there’s barely any time to get them done. This allows me to also take somewhat frequent breaks to give myself some time to relax and get away from the stress of school before getting back into it. And I’ve found that it’s really important to find something extracurricular, such as Wushu, to be a part in during college. It gives you something fun to look forward to when school gets tough and helps build relationships with people interested in the same things as you are.

Did you specialize in something?

I specialized in twin hook swords and Nanquan, the former of which I competed with. I didn’t get the chance to compete in Nanquan, but I really enjoyed the style and am thankful to Ray Tsunoda for taking the time to teach me as much as he did.

How did the Wushu community impact your life?

The Wushu community provided a sense of place and belonging to me while I was going through my transitional years from high school to college. I made some really close friends through the team that I still communicate and spend time with, and they saw me through some difficult times in my life. I’ll always be thankful for the support and advice that they gave me, and continue to give me, they have helped shape me into the person that I am now.

How has Wushu impacted your life?

Wushu instilled in me an incredible amount of respect and admiration for athletes, both in martial arts and other sports. It allowed me to see and experience the physical, mental, and emotional journey that one goes through in the practice, and it’s always amazing to see that work pay off in performances and competitions. It also allowed me to travel to places that I wouldn’t have otherwise which was a great experience in itself.

Where are you in life now?

I’m currently finishing up my last year at the U of O with a degree in environmental science. I’m also directing a dance team on campus, which has become one of my biggest passions. And I work as a sculpture artist to help pay for tuition and textbooks!

Do you have any advice for current team members?

Please stay as encouraging and humble as you always were when I was part of the team! And to the new members that I haven’t met, never be afraid to go to those that are more experienced than you are for advice and knowledge. Some of my favorite memories from being on the team were when I was training outside of practice with some of the more senior members at the time. They were more than happy to help, and I know that this is still the case today.

Do you have any advice for the general public?

Be kind to one another 🙂

UO Wushu just competed at the 21st Annual Collegiate Wushu Tournament this last weekend! Huge thanks to Washington’s Husky Wushu Team for hosting us!

Again, our collective totals were one silver and two bronze medals! Congratulations to all competitors, jiayou!!

UO Wushu competed at the Collegiate competition in Seattle, Washington this weekend. Our collective totals were one silver and two bronze medals!

Tommy Yang: took home bronze in intermediate staff.

Kasey Sullivan: took home silver in intermediate other weapon (emei daggers).

Amelia Seifer: for her first Collegiate competition, took home bronze in beginner straightsword.

Videos to come, and congratulations to all competitors!