[Photo submitted by Sue Ann Ooi]
1) When did you get into Wushu?
I got into Wushu my freshman year at the UO during the first few weeks of school. When I started, the coach/captain of the team at the time was Phillip Dang, who would be my coach for most of my time there.
2) How long were you in the club?
I was with the club all throughout my four years at UO. There was never a time when I thought of quitting the team at all.
3) How did you find out about it?
When I arrived at the UO, I already knew some friends who were already members of the Wushu club because they had gone to my high school, so they invited me to one of the practices at the rec room.
4) Were you ever a coordinator or captain?
Yup, co-captain with Byron Chang during the school year 2007-2008.
5) How did you balance all your activities during college?
That was pretty challenging at times, to be honest. I worked as a Resident Assistant (R.A.) both my sophomore and junior years of college, so to balance a full load of classes, with Wushu practices 6+ hours a week, on top of being an R.A. which is a 24-hr job, it took a lot of dedication for each activity in order to be able to perform all of them at the same time. I think the key was to take each day at a time and have good time management skills.
6) Did you specialize in something?
Not really. We were big on basics and techniques so we focused a lot on those things more than swords or weapons.
7) How did the people you meet impact your life?
Most if not all of my closest friends right now (even after 7 years of graduating), I met them through Wushu or the UO team. It’s not so surprising, since we spent a lot of time together as teammates, from hours of training together at the rec room, to eating together after practices, and even studying together.
8) How has Wushu impacted your life?
I was never athletic before I started Wushu. Training with Coach Phil made me realize how much more you can do with your muscles if you put them through strict training. Wushu also gave me the opportunity to be more social, lead a team and meet people I wouldn’t have otherwise.
9) Where are you now in life?
This is a pretty deep question. I’m now living in LA, spending my weekends watching Oregon football and/or hanging out with friends doing things normal people do.
10) Do you still practice/are involved with Wushu?
Not practicing anymore. After UO, I did continue training for a couple of years with the UCLA and USC teams down here in Southern California when I moved to LA. Since then, with a busy work schedule, I haven’t been able to keep up with training. Although I do still hang out with Wushu people constantly, so you can say that I am still involved in some way.
11) Any words for current/future members and the general public?
Keep up the good work – it’s great to see the UO Wushu team building bigger and bigger teams each year and spreading the love for Wushu one horsestance at a time.
