An Eventful Day Pt.1

Leah C.

January 24, 2010 - 1:00 PM

Today, or shall I say yesterday, was exhausting. I was happy during wushu practice, frustrated when I was trying to finish my illustration project, and worried where I would be able to print a large image at midnight. Lets start off by talking about wushu. For those who are unfamiliar with wushu, it is a Chinese martial art that consists of fluid motions and jumps. The University of Oregon has an amazing Wushu club and team, and I am very proud to be apart of it. Anyone is able to join, and during the 3 practices a week, its as if all the members have become one big family. Not only did we see each other during training, but also for weekend gatherings as well.

This weekend was the first weapons training, which is something I've looked forward to since I was a little kid. Oki maybe not exactly, but its something I've always been interested in learning. Taught by 3 very skilled students, we were all given the choice to learn staff, broad sword, or straight sword. I chose to learn straight sword because the movements are known to be very swift and elegant. I have also been tempted to purchase a sword of my own, and what better time to buy it than now. For the past two days the group divided according to what they were interested in learning. Ray, one of the coaches for wushu, and a fellow digital art student taught us the basics. How to properly thrust, spin, flower, and hold a sword. We also practiced the 1st beginner's form which consisted of at least 13 sword stances. Today we learned up to the 13th stance, and there was still more to learn. My arms are sore from holding the sword, but I loved every minute of the lesson.

What also made my day during practice was Puddles! I spotted the Oregon duck mascot roaming down the hall at the student recreation center. At first, someone pointed him to me and I chased him. As I turned at the corner, I was somewhat disappointed to see that he was busy with a swarm of children. There must have been an event going on, because there were many kids running around. We saw many little faces in their parent's arms as they watched us practice thru the windows. I had really wanted to take a picture with the duck, so when I saw him pass by our window I bolted out the door and asked him to pose with us. BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! I finally accomplished two of my personal goals. Learning to use a sword (properly) and finally getting a picture with the school mascot!