GUEST BLOG – WILL (WLA)

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives,” says author Annie Dillard. In this age of social media, we get an up-close look. It’s easy to become absorbed with someone’s run/vacation/party/food, and even without conversing that defines a lot of how we know each other –  especially at November Project because we have limited time together, and so much of that time is spent extremely out of breath.

The more I get to know about Will Chung, the more in awe I feel about the kinds of people I’m grabbing in sweaty hugs week after week. Will is modest about his exploits so you’ll have to seek out more of his stories yourself – and he’s not on social media so you’ll have to do it the old-fashioned way. For now, here’s a little glimpse of how Will spends his days:

I’ve been volunteering with the Disabled Sports USA Adaptive Ski Program for over 15 years.  It has been both rewarding and inspirational to meet some amazing people and participate with an organization which strives to remove limits and boundaries for athletes with disabilities.  These athletes push beyond their own physical and mental limits through courage, determination and sheer will to overcome each challenge one at a time. Even as an able bodied guide and ski instructor, it has pushed my own physical and mental limits just trying to keep up with them.

Skiing didn’t come naturally to me, even growing up in northern Canada where we were knee deep in snow 8 months of the year.  The thought of strapping two planks of wood on your feet and let gravity have it’s way with you wasn’t all that appealing to me.  I had to push myself to overcome the fear of breaking my leg, running into a tree, or bouncing down the mountain like a snowball.  After many bruises and ego damaging falls, I realized that victories were measured in small increments. It was those defining moments when you stared over your ski tips, took a breath and just leaned forward.  The victory was not how gracefully you made it down but the fact you just tipped those skis over the edge and went for it.

The disabled athletes we ski with are an amazing group of people, everyday they overcome challenges by taking a breath and leaning forward through their physical boundaries.  Victory comes in forms of putting on a sock, drinking without spilling all over yourself and typing out a simple text message. Before volunteering I had no idea that skiing was even an option for the disabled, when I ski with them I’m constantly reminded of the courage it takes to even consider the sport.  Imagine how much courage it takes to allow someone to harness you into a bi-ski which is essentially a plastic chair with a pair of skis and shock absorber mounted to the bottom. Then imagine that you have no brakes or way of stopping other than trusting the guide behind you tethering you down the hill. As a guide we are physically connected to the bi-ski through 2 webbing straps which are anchored to the chair and locked around our wrists.  The straps are about 10 feet long allowing the guide to release some slack giving the athlete a greater sense of freedom and control. Essentially the athlete and the guide ski down as one unit experiencing it together.

Skiing down the hill together is similar to a dance, sometimes it’s a beautifully choreographed waltz while other times it turns into a break dance.  The best part of this dance is the bond that is created between both partners, experiencing the thrill together and overcoming challenges together. It’s a relationship and experience that is formed between two people which cannot be experienced as an individual.  I volunteer for this reason because it teaches me that we can learn from each others limitations. both physical and mental and overcome them together.

So how did this gigantic-hearted, joy-spreading man find us? What place does November Project have in his life? Back to Will:

What’s November Project?

This is the question I get asked all the time when I tell my friends, co-workers and family about the inspiring people I meet and work out with on Wednesday mornings.  To me it’s more than an exercise group or club, it’s a community of people inspiring each other on how to be the best version of you regardless of size, speed, age, color, sexual orientation or gender.

It all started for me last fall during my boring running routine on the track when I noticed a bunch of loud overly excited people at 6:30 AM running stairs at UCLA Drake Stadium.  I asked myself, Are these people part of a boot camp? Why are they so amped? Where’s the free caffeine? and Why are they swearing while jumping up and down? Setting those questions aside, the most noticeable thing to me was that everyone was having fun and genuinely happy to be there with each other.  It’s hard to fake a smile when your giving dozens of hugs to sweaty people who you know or just met for the first time.

I was perplexed.

My insecurities were telling me to keep running in circles on the track and mind my own business while my curiosity told me to stop, muster up some courage and find out what they were doing.  After another lap or two arguing in my head I finally stopped and tapped someone on the shoulder to ask ‘What’s Up?’ Before I could finish my sentence, my arm was suddenly locked in a death grip by a wide eyed blonde smiling ear to ear who then introduced me to another wide eyed blonde smiling ear to ear.  This was my first introduction to Tara and Maggie, our incredible tribe leaders of NP West LA.

I was a little intimidated at first.

I kept wondering to myself, Why are they so happy? What planet are they from? How come they don’t blink? How much is this going to cost me and will it hurt.  My mind was quickly put to ease when I realized they didn’t want anything from me, they just wanted to share what they had and welcomed me as part of the community.  From that moment on, I was hooked, I’ve met some more amazing people and built many relationships. Tara and Maggie have been an inspiration to me and our tribe, they’re our Coaches, Cheerleaders and my friends.

The rest is history.

I’ve been coming religiously ever since that fateful day on the track to be with my tribe.  To me it’s more than a workout, it’s a sense of community and belonging.  It’s ironic that our generation is the most connected of any generation yet we continue to fiercely grapple with issues of loneliness, depression, anger and fear.  I love NP because its a safe place of acceptance and to be who you are without fear of judgement, a place where you sweat, laugh, cry, inspire and be inspired.

So What’s November Project?  

For me, it’s my tribe and a community of people who wants to be the best version of themselves while helping others at the same time.  Oh, and lets not forget a great work out thrown in for fun.

(This is Will at our Halloween workout. The guy who was once “a little intimidated” is now the guy who hand-makes robot headpieces to work out in). 

Will would never say something like this about himself, so I’ll say it: Will Chung sets the tone of our tribe. He has enthusiasm and kindness that affects everyone around him. Thanks for making us all the best version of ourselves, and this tribe the best version of West LA.

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